hermaphroditism

Examples of hermaphroditism in the following topics:

• Types of Sexual and Asexual Reproduction

  • Hermaphroditism occurs in animals where one individual has both male and female reproductive parts.
  • Invertebrates, such as earthworms, slugs, tapeworms and snails, are often hermaphroditic.
  • Hermaphrodites may self-fertilize or may mate with another of their species, fertilizing each other and both producing offspring.

• Physiological Processes in Sponges

  • Sponges are monoecious (hermaphroditic), which means that one individual can produce both gametes (eggs and sperm) simultaneously.
  • Sponges may also become sequentially hermaphroditic, producing oocytes first and spermatozoa later.

• Phylum Annelida

  • However, cross-fertilization is preferred in hermaphroditic animals.
  • These animals may also show simultaneous hermaphroditism, participating in simultaneous sperm exchange when they are aligned for copulation.

• Chordates and the Evolution of Vertebrates

  • Most tunicates are hermaphrodites.

• The Life Cycle of an Angiosperm

  • Some species of angiosperms are hermaphroditic (stamens and pistils are contained on a single flower), some species are monoecious (stamens and pistils occur on separate flowers, but the same plant), and some are dioecious (staminate and pistillate flowers occur on separate plants).

• Phylum Nemertea

  • Animals in phylum Nemertea show sexual dimorphism, although freshwater species may be hermaphroditic.

• Sexual Reproduction in Angiosperms

  • Flowers that contain both an androecium and a gynoecium are called perfect, androgynous, or hermaphrodites.