Asexual reproduction and mitosis

• what is asexual reproduction?

  • involves only one parent - offspring has identical genes to the parent - no variation between parent and offspring
• define mitosis?

  • when a cell reproduces itself by splitting to form two cells with identical sets of chromosomes
• how does mitosis take place?

  • non dividing cell - DNA spread out in long strings
  • cell gets a signal to divide - must duplicate the DNA - one copy of each cell - DNA forms X shaped chromosomes - each arm of chromosome is an exact duplicate of the other
  • chromosomes line up at centre of cell - cell fibres pull them apart - the 2 arms of each chromosome go to opposite ends of the cell
  • membranes form around each of the set of chromosomes - nuclei for 2 new cells
  • cytoplasm divides
  • now got 2 new cells - exact same DNA - genetically identical