Reproduction

On this page, I will be comparing the similarities and differences of sexual reproduction of a Mountain gorilla (beringei beringei), which is an multicellular organism and a ciliate protist, which is a unicellular organism.

Mountain gorilla Beringei beringei – Sexual reproduction

Mountain gorillas reproduce sexually and have no mating pattern as they reproduce all year round.

 Male V Female characteristic

  • Age at maturity – Females become sexually Mature around 7 or 8, whilst males mature until 11 – 13
  • Breeding females typically give birth to 1 baby every 4. 6 years and only have 3-4 babies over their lifetime (WWF, 2024)
  • Gestation period – 8.5 months
  • Chromosome number of both male and females is 48 (Harvey, 2022)
  • (PICRYL – Public. Domain Media Search Engine, 2016)

Mating process

Females usually start the mating process by moving towards the dominant male, establishing eye contact and pursing their lips. The male can also begin the process by touching the female and making a sound. Mating occurs on the ground, with the female leaning and the male positioned on top. Females are fertile for 1-2 days a month.

Breeding rights

  • Only the dominant Silverback male has breeding rights and mates with multiple females in his troop.
  • Gorillas are polygamous and don’t form lifelong mating bonds. Females typically mate with the same silverback unless he is unavailable or has been replaced. When a silverback ages or reaches the end of his reproductive years, he departs from his group for another.
  • Mountain gorillas have low sperm count

Infancy-

Infants depend on their mothers for the first 3 years, nursing every 3 hours for the first 4 months. After that they cling to their mother’s backs and begin to explore on their own briefly.(Golder, 2022)

Juvenile-

Become juveniles at around age 3 and are still quite dependant on their mothers but can survive without their mother if needed.

Young adult –

Usually leave their group to prevent inbreeding and to allow males to find their own harems (Trips, 2018)

Ciliate protists – reproduce both asexual and sexual

Reproduce both Sexually and asexually. This organism favours asexual reproduction, but reproduce sexually often induced by lack of food. (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, no date)

 

(Projects, 2024)

 

Asexual reproduction- What is binary Fission?

  1. The cell doubles in size
  2. Then the cell nucleus divides into 2
  3. The cells cytoplasm divides, forming a new dividing wall called a septum
  4. The septum splits, releasing 2 identical daughter cells (Biologyonline, 2023)

Pros of binary fission

  • Speed, in ideal conditions, certain bacteria can double their population in just hours or minutes
  • It doesn’t require finding a mate
  • Identical offspring means they are well adapted
  • Adapted to their environment
  • Simple and quick                        (Devianart, no date)

Cons of binary fission

  • Limited genetic diversity means offspring are more vulnerable to diseases and environmental threats, risking the entire species if conditions change
  • Harmful mutations can persist for generations
  • The species can’t adapt to changing environments due to lack of diversity once (Izhar, 2024)

Sexual reproduction – what is conjugation?

Two ciliates of opposite mating types come together and form a cytoplasmic bridge/tube. Then the genetic material from 1 organism (donor) passes through the bridge/tube to the other organism (recipient). (Symbiosis, no date)

(Projects, 2024)

Pros of conjugation

  • Enhances the genetic variety and flexibility of ciliates by enabling the interchange of genetic material.
  • Conjugation is vital for survival because the majority of ciliates are incapable of perpetual asexual reproduction.

Cons of conjugation 

  • They might not be able to conjugate since they have the same mating type.
  • Sometimes the conjugation is immature. (Low & Raleigh, 2013)

Comparing the organisms

Due to their different biological categories, ciliate protists and mountain gorillas have different reproductive strategies. Both are capable of sexual reproduction; however, gorillas use intercourse, whilst ciliates use conjugation. Both methods promote genetic variation, which aids adaptability. Ciliates exchange genetic material through conjugation, while gorillas achieve diversity through mating. A key difference is that ciliates are unicellular with simple reproductive systems, while gorillas are multicellular and more complex. In summary, while both exhibit sexual reproduction and genetic diversity, their methods and complexity differ significantly. (Lynn, D. H. ,2008)

Reference list