Ch 13: Meiosis and sexual life cycles Concept 13.1: Offspring acquire genes from parents by inheriting chromosome Comparison of Asexual and Sexual Reproduction In asexual reproduction, a single individual passes genes to its offspring without the fusion of gametes A clone is a group of genetically identical individuals from the same parent In sexual reproduction, two parents give rise to offspring, through the fusion of gametes, that have unique combinations of genes inherited from the two parents Concept 13.2: Fertilization and meiosis alternate in sexual life cycle Sets of Chromosomes in Human Cells Human somatic cells (any cell other than a gamete) have 23 pairs of chromosomes The two chromosomes in each pair are called homologous chromosomes, or homologs