Reproduction CASE STUDY
NATIONAL CENTER FOR CASE STUDY TEACHING IN SCIENCE
An Unusual Case of
Animal Reproduction by Joann B. Powell
Department of Biological Sciences
Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA
Elethia W. Tillman
Department of Biology
Spelman College, Atlanta, GA
Part I – Andrea Smith’s Dilemma
Andrea Smith was taking notes for her biology exam. Her professor has told her that the exam would cover, in part, the differences between sexual and asexual reproduction. As she reviewed her notes and prepared for today’s class, she was thinking about her own reproductive dilemma. If only asexual reproduction were the case for humans, maybe she wouldn’t be in this mess. Or at least there wouldn’t be questions about who was the father of her twins. “Dwelling on it isn’t going to help me prepare for class, and right now I have got to finish this chapter on animal reproduction,” she thought.
She tried to concentrate and forget about her current dilemma as she feverishly typed on her notepad:
Asexual or sexual reproduction: 3 types of asexual reproduction: (1) fission: separation of a parent organism into two or more individuals of equal size, (2) budding: growth of new individuals from outgrowths of existing organisms, and (3) fragmentation accompanied by regeneration: the breaking of the body into several pieces, some or all of which develop into new complete individuals through the regrowth of lost body parts. NOTE: Be able to explain the differences between sexual and asexual reproduction!
She suddenly let out a long sigh. “It’ll be fine,” she thought. “I just hope that none of my family or friends watches the show. What was I thinking when I agreed to this? But that’s what Xavier wanted, and I will do whatever it takes to prove he is the father. Besides I am going to need the money if I have to take care of these babies on my own!”
The next day in class she was feeling even more nervous and was becoming increasingly angry as she thought about her current situation. Her thoughts were
An Unusual Case of
Animal Reproduction by Joann B. Powell
Department of Biological Sciences
Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA
Elethia W. Tillman
Department of Biology
Spelman College, Atlanta, GA
Part I – Andrea Smith’s Dilemma
Andrea Smith was taking notes for her biology exam. Her professor has told her that the exam would cover, in part, the differences between sexual and asexual reproduction. As she reviewed her notes and prepared for today’s class, she was thinking about her own reproductive dilemma. If only asexual reproduction were the case for humans, maybe she wouldn’t be in this mess. Or at least there wouldn’t be questions about who was the father of her twins. “Dwelling on it isn’t going to help me prepare for class, and right now I have got to finish this chapter on animal reproduction,” she thought.
She tried to concentrate and forget about her current dilemma as she feverishly typed on her notepad:
Asexual or sexual reproduction: 3 types of asexual reproduction: (1) fission: separation of a parent organism into two or more individuals of equal size, (2) budding: growth of new individuals from outgrowths of existing organisms, and (3) fragmentation accompanied by regeneration: the breaking of the body into several pieces, some or all of which develop into new complete individuals through the regrowth of lost body parts. NOTE: Be able to explain the differences between sexual and asexual reproduction!
She suddenly let out a long sigh. “It’ll be fine,” she thought. “I just hope that none of my family or friends watches the show. What was I thinking when I agreed to this? But that’s what Xavier wanted, and I will do whatever it takes to prove he is the father. Besides I am going to need the money if I have to take care of these babies on my own!”
The next day in class she was feeling even more nervous and was becoming increasingly angry as she thought about her current situation. Her thoughts were