Which scenario illustrates sexual reproduction?

• A. Asexual reproduction in bacteria
• B. Fragmentation in starfish
• C. Pollination in flowering plants
• D. Budding in yeast

Answer: (C)

Sexual reproduction involves genetic material from two parents coming together to form offspring with new combinations of genes. In flowering plants, pollen carries the male gametes and must reach the ovule to fertilize it, producing seeds that develop into new plants. This fusion of genetic material from two sources is what characterizes sexual reproduction.

The other scenarios are examples of asexual reproduction. Bacteria commonly reproduce by division without introducing genetic variation. Fragmentation in starfish creates a new individual from a piece of the organism, and budding in yeast grows a new individual from the parent without fertilization. These methods do not involve the fusion of gametes or two-parent genetic contribution.