Natural Factors Helping Prostate Cell Production. For bacterial and viral reproduction, natural factors influencing reproduction must be considered. In single-celled animals (e.g., eukaryotes, prokaryotes, prochlorophytes, and bacteria), cell and organ reproduction are generally synonymous. Cell and organ reproduction is often very rapid, leading to a tremendous increase in the numbers of cells and organisms. Details of this process vary greatly in detail, however, from one organism to another and, if the prokaryotes are involved, can be remarkably complex.
The major natural factor in cell reproduction is temperature. In eukaryotes, temperature effects both cell and sperm production. For example, in a warm sea, sperm produced at warmer temperatures have a greater chance of reaching the egg. At the same time, some species of green leafy algae (i.e., chlorophyll) are an excellent source of food for bacteria and other prokaryotic organisms with a prokaryotic nature.
In a more complex example, the budding of bacteria is aided by the presence of another important factor: the absence of oxygen. Without sufficient levels of oxygen, or oxygen deprivation, the germ cells will die before even being fertilized. This again is why sexual reproduction by insects is often impeded by disease.
There are several examples where external factors can interfere with cell reproduction. For example, certain types of fungi are able to produce spores, which may then be released into the environment. If these spores are inhaled or ingested, they can cause severe health problems. Similarly, airborne viruses often interact with insect cells, interrupting reproduction.
Other forms of viral interference with reproduction include sperm infectivity, which results when an invading virus affects the structural components of a cell (like DNA and RNA). The structural proteins are essential to cell functioning, but if they are affected by the invading virus, reproductive processes will be interrupted. Finally, enveloped viruses, which are enveloped within other cells, can cause a variety of changes that interfere with reproduction. Examples include retroviruses, enveloped plaques of epitopes, and sperm-DNA interactions.
It’s not just invading viruses that interfere with cell reproduction. Intrinsic abnormalities, which do not develop until after birth, can also interfere with cell reproduction. Some intrinsic abnormalities can lead to conditions like hyperthermia, hypothermia, and oogenesis, which are known to affect reproduction. Some tumors, such as those arising from malignancy or cancer, interfere with reproduction due to their size and aggressive nature. Other intrinsic abnormalities, such as those caused by genetic or hormonal disorders, are not well understood but may adversely affect cell reproduction.
Environmental factors are also known to affect reproduction of organisms. These include temperature, extreme temperatures, chemicals, and stress. In experiments with animals, when the animals are kept in extremely cold or warm conditions, the number of times that they reproduced fell dramatically. Similarly, exposing animals to chemical substances in controlled environments can reduce their number of offspring.
Many reproductive organs are structured differently in different species. The male reproductive organ is called the penis, whereas the female reproductive organ is called the vagina. In both these organs, the receptive (receptive) cell is shaped somewhat differently. This structural difference results in different patterns of cell reproduction. For instance, in humans, the vagina has G-spot cells that are highly sensitive to stimulation, making it the ideal location for many women when it comes to achieving orgasm during intercourse. In other species, these G-spot cells are enclosed in a tight “spongy” area that does not respond to stimulation.
Sexually transmitted diseases can also affect reproduction of organisms. Some examples of such sexually transmitted diseases are genital warts, syphilis, gonorrhea, and AIDS. These diseases impact upon the reproductive system by altering cell reproduction. In the case of genital warts, sexual transmission of this disease occurs through oral, anal, or vaginal sex. In the case of syphilis and gonorrhea, the disease is transmitted through skin to skin contact.
Other environmental factors that affect reproduction of organisms include parasites, free radicals, and excessive oxygen in the environment. When reproduction of organisms is affected by these factors, the result is abnormal cell reproduction. Examples of these environmental factors are excessive levels of acid in the body, radiation, chemo therapy, chemotherapy, pesticides, and heavy metals in the environment. These factors alter cell reproduction in such a way that the organisms do not properly differentiate between their genetic code and the external environment.
Any disruption in cell reproduction can interfere with reproduction of organisms. This is usually caused by the death or interference of reproductive cells with other cells. When this happens, the effect can be dramatic. Some examples of cell death include necrosis, cessation of all cell reproduction, and structural disturbance. When cell reproduction is disrupted in the marine hermit crustacean Pterophyllum scalare, reproduction of the organisms ceases completely.