1)Sexual And Asexual Reproduction

• Asexual reproduction involves:

  only one parent

  • no fusion of gametes, so no mixing of genetic information
  • the production of genetically identical offspring (clones)
  • mitosis
• Many plants reproduce asexually and in different ways, e.g.

  • strawberry plants send out long shoots called runners, which touch the ground and grow a new plant
  • daffodils produce lots of smaller bulbs, which can grow into new plants.
• Many fungi reproduce asexually by spores.

  • Malarial protists reproduce asexually when they are in the human host.
• Sexual reproduction involves the fusion (joining) of male and female gametes:

  • sperm and egg cells in animals
  • pollen and egg cells in flowering plants.
• This leads to a mix of genetic information, which produces variation in the offspring.