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In biology, *** reproduction is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often
resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety, each known
as a sex. *** reproduction involves combining specialized cells (gametes) to form offspring
that inherit traits from both parents. Gametes can be identical in form and function (known
as isogametes), but in many cases an asymmetry has evolved such that two sex-specific types
of gametes (heterogametes) exist: male gametes are small, motile, and optimized to transport
their genetic information over a distance, while female gametes are large, non-motile
and contain the nutrients necessary for the early development of the young organism.
An organism's sex is defined by the gametes it produces: males produce male gametes (spermatozoa,
or ***) while females produce female gametes (ova, or egg cells); individual organisms
which produce both male and female gametes are termed hermaphroditic. Frequently, physical
differences are associated with the different sexes of an organism; these *** dimorphisms
can reflect the different reproductive pressures the sexes experience.