2. Reproduction in lower and higher animals.

                2. Reproduction in lower and higher animals. 

Reproduction is one of the major life processes of any living organism which helps in maintaining the continuity of the species.

Reproduction is defined as the biological process of formation of new life forms from pre-existing similar life.

It thus becomes a vital process which enables the species to survive over a long period, even though the individuals or organisms live naturally for a limited period of time i.e. their life span.  

Reproduction in Animals occurs mainly by two methods i.e. asexual and sexual.

	Asexual reproduction	Sexual reproduction
1	It is uniparental	It is biparental
2	Gametes are not required	Gametes are required
3	Only mitotic division takes place	Mitotic and meiotic division takes place
4	Somatic cells are involved	Germ cells are involved
5	It is faster than sexual reproduction	It is slower than asexual reproduction
6	Whole body or bud or fragment of body is required	Gametes are required
7	It is observed in lower animals	It is observed in higher animals