Definition

• Asexual reproduction is a way living things reproduce using only one parent.

• It does not involve the joining of male and female sex cells (no sperm or egg).

• The offspring produced are genetically identical to the parent (they are clones).

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Key Features

• Only one parent is needed.

• No fertilization takes place.

• The process is usually quick and can produce many offspring in a short time.

• It happens mostly in simple organisms like bacteria, fungi, some plants, and small animals.

• The new organism gets all its DNA from a single parent, so it is an exact copy.

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Examples in Nature

• Bacteria reproduce by splitting into two (binary fission).

• Yeast and hydra reproduce by budding (a small part grows into a new one).

• Starfish and flatworms can regrow from cut pieces (fragmentation).

• Strawberry plants grow runners that become new plants.

• Fungi, like mold, produce spores that grow into new organisms.

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Common Types of Asexual Reproduction

• Binary fission – one cell splits into two (bacteria).

• Budding – a small bud grows and breaks off (yeast, hydra).

• Fragmentation – a part breaks off and grows into a whole new organism (starfish).

• Spore formation – spores are made and spread (fungi).

• Vegetative reproduction – new plants grow from roots, stems, or leaves (potatoes, strawberries).

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Advantages

• Fast way to make many new organisms.

• No need to find a mate.

• Useful in stable environments where the parent’s traits already work well.

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Disadvantages

• No genetic variety.

• If the environment changes, all the identical organisms may be affected the same way.

• Diseases or problems in the parent are passed on exactly to the offspring.

Favourite part/ note/ summary- There are 2 types of reproduction, asexual and sexual. In asexual reproduction only one parent is needed unlike sexual reproduction, this takes less time, is more easy, and this doesn’t need 2 gammets, but this can come with disadvantages like the offspring will be identical to its parent, diseases can spread really fast and surviving during a climate change will be hard.