Why is reproduction essential for organisms?

Explanation

**Step-by-Step Text Solution:**

1. **Definition of Reproduction**: Reproduction is a biological process through which parents produce new organisms known as offspring. These offspring inherit traits from their parents, both in terms of physical characteristics (phenotype) and genetic makeup (genotype).

2. **Types of Reproduction**: There are two main types of reproduction: asexual reproduction, where a single organism can reproduce without the involvement of another, and sexual reproduction, which involves the combination of genetic material from two parents.

3. **Maintaining Population Numbers**: One of the primary reasons reproduction is essential for organisms is that it helps maintain the population size of a species. Without reproduction, the number of individuals in a species would decline, leading to potential extinction.

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