Question

A new combination of hereditary material is produced in offspring through _____.

Answer 1

Answer:

The correct answer would be sexual reproduction.

Sexual reproduction leads to the development of genetic variation in the offspring in two ways:

Crossing over: Exchange of genetic material between non-sister chromatids of homologous chromosomes takes place during the formation of gametes.  

Fertilization: The two gametes fertilize to form a zygote. Thus, the genetic material of zygote is contributed by both the parents.

These two factors form a new combination of genes in an offspring which is different from either parent.

Answer 2

sexual reproduction


Sexual reproduction provides genetic variation because the sperm and egg that are produced contain different combinations of genes than the parent organism.  Sexual reproduction involves meiosis which is the process of a cell doubling its DNA, shuffling its genes and then dividing the shuffled DNA among four cells.