Wildlife
Asexual reproduction is the production of offspring by only one parent. No fertilization of an egg cell or mixing up of the genes takes place, so all the offspring are genetically identical copies of the parent. Greenfly, hydras and strawberry plants can all reproduce asexually as well as sexually.
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Small beginnings
A phytoplankton bloom is a vital trigger for ocean life.
Phytoplankton are microscopic algae, which multiply with such amazing speed they produce more annual growth than all the plants on land put together. The immense bloom of phytoplankton spreads across the oceans and provides food for many creatures. One of those which benefits is the common jellyfish. These tiny polyps may look like anemones, but they are actually baby common jellyfish. Each separates from the stack of polyps and swims away. Eventually they will grow up and form huge swarms.
Japanese knotweed
Britain fights back against its most notorious plant invader.
Britain fights back against its most notorious plant invader.
Genetic engineering
In easy times, female aphids choose to clone themselves rather than mate.
In easy times, female aphids choose to clone themselves rather than mate.
Lesbian lizards
Whip-tailed lizards have driven males to extinction to preserve their own genes.
Whip-tailed lizards have driven males to extinction to preserve their own genes.
Asexual reproduction is a mode of reproduction by which offspring arise from a single parent, and inherit the genes of that parent only; it is reproduction which does not involve meiosis, ploidy reduction, or fertilization. A more stringent definition is agamogenesis which is reproduction without the fusion of gametes. Asexual reproduction is the primary form of reproduction for single-celled organisms such as the archaea, bacteria, and protists. Many plants and fungi reproduce asexually as well.
While all prokaryotes reproduce asexually (without the formation and fusion of gametes), mechanisms for lateral gene transfer such as conjugation, transformation and transduction are sometimes likened to sexual reproduction. A complete lack of sexual reproduction is relatively rare among multicellular organisms, particularly animals. It is not entirely understood why the ability to reproduce sexually is so common among them. Current hypotheses suggest that asexual reproduction may have short term benefits when rapid population growth is important or in stable environments, while sexual reproduction offers a net advantage by allowing more rapid generation of genetic diversity, allowing adaptation to changing environments. Developmental constraints may underlie why few animals have relinquished sexual reproduction completely in their life-cycles.
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Other Reproductive strategy behaviours
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