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Sexual maturity is the stage at which an organism can reproduce. It is sometimes considered synonymous with adulthood, though the two are distinct. In humans, the process of sexually maturing is termed puberty. In biology and ecology, an organism (in Greek organon = instrument) is a living being. ...
Reproduction is the creation of one thing as a copy of, product of, or replacement for a similar thing, e. ...
See Adult. ...
Puberty refers to the process of physical changes by which a childs body becomes an adult body capable of reproduction. ...
Most multicellular organisms are not born (or germinated) able to sexually reproduce, and depending on the species, it may be days, weeks, or years until their bodies are able to do so. Also, certain cues may cause the organism to become sexually mature. They may be external, such as drought, or internal, such as percentage of body fat (such internal cues are not to be confused with hormones which directly produce sexual maturity). Multicellular organisms are those organisms containing more than one cell, and having differentiated cells that perform specialized functions. ...
Sexual maturity is brought about by a maturing of the reproductive organs and the production of gametes. It may also be accompanied by a growth spurt or other physical changes which distinguish the immature organism from its adult form. These are termed secondary sexual characteristics, and often represent an increase in sexual dimorphism. For example, human children have flat chests, but adult females have breasts while adult males do not. Gametes (in Greek: γαμέτες) —also known as sex cells, germ cells, or spores—are the specialized cells that come together during fertilization (conception) in organisms that reproduce sexually. ...
Secondary sex characteristics are traits that distinguish the two sexes of a species, but that are not directly part of the reproductive system. ...
Male and female Common Pheasant, illustrating the large degree of sexual dimorphism between the sexes Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. ...
The term breast can refer to the upper ventral region of the human torso. ...
After sexual maturity is achieved, it is possible for some organisms to become infertile, or even to change their sex. Some organisms are hermaphrodites and may or may not be able to produce viable offspring (see perfect). Also, while in many organisms sexual maturity is strongly linked to age, many other factors are involved, and it is possible for some to display most or all of the characteristics of the adult form without being sexually mature. Contrariwise, it is also possible for the "immature" form to reproduce (see neoteny). In zoology, a hermaphrodite is a species that contains both male and female sexual organs at some point during their lives. ...
The term perfect has different meanings: For the mathematical concept, see perfect number. ...
Neoteny is a term in developmental biology that describes the retention of juvenile characteristics in the adults of a species or the attainment of sexual maturity by an organism still in its larval stage, as is found among certain amphibians and insects. ...
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