How do Organisms Reproduce?

Activities & Solutions

Materials required:
Sugar (10 g)
Water (100 mL)
Yeast granules (a pinch)
Test tube
Cotton plug
Microscope, slide, coverslip

Procedure:
Dissolve about 10 g of sugar in 100 mL of water.
Take 20 mL of this sugar solution in a test tube.
Add a pinch of yeast granules to the solution.
Close the mouth of the test tube with a cotton plug and keep it in a
warm place.
After 1–2 hours, take a small drop of yeast culture from the test tube.
Place it on a glass slide, cover with a coverslip, and observe under a
microscope.
Observations:
Bubbles of gas are seen in the solution due to CO₂ formation.
Under the microscope, yeast cells can be observed, some of them
budding (reproducing).
A smell of alcohol (ethanol) may be noticed.

Conclusion:
Yeast respires anaerobically in sugar solution to produce ethanol
(alcohol) and carbon dioxide.
This process is called fermentation.
Equation:
yeast
C6​H12​O6​ ​2C2​H5​OH+2CO2​+energy
Aim:
To observe the growth of fungi (bread mould) on moist bread.

Materials required:
A slice of bread
Water
Magnifying glass
Dark, moist place

Procedure:
Take a slice of bread and wet it with a little water.
Keep it in a cool, moist, and dark place for a few days.
Observe the surface of the bread daily with the help of a magnifying glass.
Record the changes for about a week.
Observations:
After 1–2 days → small white cotton-like patches appear.
After 3–4 days → patches become greenish or black due to spore
formation.
Fine thread-like structures (hyphae) spread on the bread surface.
A characteristic foul smell is also noticed.

Conclusion:
Bread mould (Rhizopus) grows rapidly on moist bread in warm, humid,
and dark conditions.
This shows that fungi reproduce by forming spores, which germinate when
favourable conditions are available.
Aim:
To study the structure of Amoeba and observe binary fission in Amoeba.

Materials required:
Permanent slide of Amoeba (normal)
Permanent slide of Amoeba (undergoing binary fission)
Microscope

Procedure:
Place the permanent slide of a normal Amoeba under the microscope.
Observe its structure carefully.
Now place the permanent slide of Amoeba undergoing binary fission under the
microscope.
Compare both slides.
Observations:
In normal Amoeba: A single cell with an irregular shape, nucleus, and cytoplasm is
visible.
In binary fission Amoeba: The nucleus divides into two, followed by the division of
cytoplasm.
Two daughter cells are seen gradually separating from each other.

Conclusion:
Amoeba reproduces by binary fission (a type of asexual reproduction).
In this process, one parent cell divides into two identical daughter cells.
Equation:

→
Amoeba (parent) 2Amoeba (daughters)
Aim:
To observe the filamentous structure of Spirogyra under a microscope.

Materials required:
Pond or lake water sample containing green filaments (Spirogyra)
Microscope
Glass slide and coverslip
Glycerine

Procedure:
Collect a sample of pond water that appears dark green and contains thread-like
filaments.
Place one or two filaments on a glass slide.
Add a drop of glycerine and gently place a coverslip over it.
Observe the slide under the microscope.
Observations:
The filaments look like long, unbranched threads.
Each filament is made of rectangular cells joined end to end.
Inside each cell, a spiral green chloroplast is clearly visible (characteristic of
Spirogyra).
No specialized tissues (like in higher plants) are present.

Conclusion:
Spirogyra is a simple, multicellular green alga made of identical cells.
It does not show differentiation of tissues as in higher plants.
Each cell can carry out photosynthesis because of chloroplasts.
Aim:
To study the role of buds (eyes) in potato for vegetative propagation.

Materials required:
A potato
Knife (to cut into pieces)
Tray with moist cotton

Procedure:
Take a potato and observe its surface. Notice the small notches or eyes (buds).
Cut the potato into small pieces:
Some pieces with buds (eyes).
Some pieces without buds.
Spread cotton on a tray, wet it, and place the potato pieces on it.
Keep the cotton moist by sprinkling water daily.
Observe the potato pieces over the next few days.
Observations:
Potato pieces with buds develop small green shoots and roots.
Potato pieces without buds show no growth.

Conclusion:
New plants grow only from potato pieces that have buds (eyes).
Thus, potato reproduces by vegetative propagation using its buds.
Aim:
To study vegetative propagation in money plant.

Materials required:
A money-plant
Knife/scissors (to cut pieces)
Glass with water

Procedure:
Select a money-plant and cut some pieces such that each piece has at
least one leaf.
Cut some other pieces that are between two leaves (without leaves).
Dip one end of all the pieces in water.
Keep the setup for a few days and observe changes.
Observations:
Pieces of money-plant with leaves develop new roots and fresh leaves
after a few days.
Pieces without leaves do not show any growth.

Conclusion:
Vegetative propagation in money-plant takes place through stem
cuttings with nodes/leaves.
Leaves or nodes are necessary for the growth of new shoots and roots.
Aim:
To study the different parts of a dicot seed (Bengal gram / chana).

Materials required:
Seeds of Bengal gram (chana)
Water
Wet cloth
Knife/blade

Procedure:
Soak a few Bengal gram (chana) seeds overnight in water.
Drain the water and keep the soaked seeds in a wet cloth for about a day (to allow
slight germination).
Make sure the seeds remain moist but not too wet.
After one day, take a seed and carefully remove its seed coat.
Split the seed into two parts and observe with the help of a magnifying glass.
Observations:
Each seed is covered by a brown seed coat.
After removing the coat, two fleshy parts are visible→ cotyledons.
A small whitish structure (tiny plant) is attached to the cotyledons
→ embryo.
The upper part is plumule (future shoot).
The lower part is radicle (future root).

Conclusion:
Bengal gram is a dicot seed, consisting of seed coat, cotyledons,
and embryo.
Cotyledons store food for the developing embryo.
The embryo grows into a new plant during germination.