Editing Mating (section)

{{Short description|Process of pairing in biology}}{{about|sexual reproduction|the mating of mechanical components|Engineering fit|the 1991 American novel|Mating (novel)}}
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[[File:Blue-tailed damselflies (Ischnura elegans) mating, female typica 2.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Blue-tailed damselfly|Blue-tailed damselflies]]<br>(''Ischnura elegans'') mating]]

In [[biology]], '''mating''' is the pairing of either opposite-sex or [[hermaphrodite|hermaphroditic]] [[organism]]s for the purposes of [[sexual reproduction]]. ''[[Fertilization]]'' is the fusion of two [[gamete|gametes]].<ref>{{cite web|last=The Free Dictionary|title='Fertilization' – definition of|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fertilization|publisher=Farlex, Inc.|access-date=25 January 2014|archive-date=28 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528130546/https://www.thefreedictionary.com/fertilization|url-status=live}}</ref>  ''[[Copulation (zoology)|Copulation]]'' is the union of the [[sex organ]]s of two sexually reproducing animals for [[insemination]] and subsequent [[internal fertilization]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Naguib |first=Marc |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KgTeDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA69 |title=Advances in the Study of Behavior |date=2020-04-19 |publisher=Academic Press |isbn=978-0-12-820726-0 |language=en}}</ref> Mating may also lead to [[external fertilization]], as seen in [[amphibians]], fishes and plants. For most species, mating is between two individuals of opposite sexes. However, for some hermaphroditic species, copulation is not required because the parent organism is capable of self-fertilization ([[autogamy]]); for example, [[banana slug]]s.

The term ''mating'' is also applied to related processes in bacteria, [[archaea]] and viruses.  Mating in these cases involves the pairing of individuals, accompanied by the pairing of their [[homologous chromosomes]] and then exchange of genomic information leading to formation of [[Genetic recombination|recombinant]] progeny (see [[mating systems]]).