Reproduction

Reproduction is the creation of one thing as a copy of, product of, or replacement for a similar thing, e.g. photocopying.

It is perhaps most commonly used in the context of biological reproduction and sex:

• Sexual reproduction is a biological process by which organisms create descendants through the combination of genetic material.
• Asexual reproduction is a biological process by which an organism creates a genetically similar copy of itself without the combination of genetic material with another organism. For example, the Hydra (invertebrates of the order Hydroidea) are able to reproduce by budding[?].

Some animals, like human (sexually mature after adolescence) and Northern Gannet (5-6 years), produce few offspring. Others reproduce quickly, but unless raised in an artificial environment, most offspring do not survive to adults. A rabbit (mature after 8 months) produces 10 - 30 offsprings per year, a Nile Crocodile[?] (15 years) produce 50, and fruit fly (10-14 days) produce up to 900. The impetus for such evolution is that those animals with few offsprings can spend more time nurturing and protect them, hence decreasing the need to reproduce immensely.

See also: conjugation, father, mother, self-replication, reproductive technology.