ABSTRACT

This research project will discuss the fundamentals of

asexual reproduction and go more into detail about it,
why it’s important to us and why we need it.

Milka Kayumba
Asexual reproduction

Asexual reproduction.
Research project
 Table of contents.
Contents
The basis: Asexual reproduction.........................................................................................................2
What is asexual reproduction and cloning?................................................................................................2
Identification of asexual reproduction through images..................................................................................2
Introduction to a method(s) of asexual reproduction and correlation to agriculture...................................3
AGRICULTURE AND ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION: pro’s and con’s.....................................................3
Further discussion..........................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES...............................................................................................................................................4
The basis: Asexual reproduction
Life? Reproduction? Species and repopulation, all of which correlate with each other. Life is something
that can’t go by unnoticed every day. We see it in our homes, when bread moulds in a certain area and is
left near proper food, the mould spreads and infests other food. This infestation and repopulation will be
the basis of this research experiment. Reproduction. For this paper we’ll specifically delve deep into
asexual reproduction.

What is asexual reproduction and cloning?

According to Wikipedia “cloning is an asexual method of reproduction” but to further understand this
we’ll have to comprehend the two individual terms asexual and cloning. Asexual reproduction is the mode
of reproduction in which an offspring has been created by a single parent. Cloning is defined as various
methods of producing genetically identical offspring from one biological entity. The key idea to be derived
from the two definitions are/is that both methods involve the reproduction of particular species to deliver
genetically identical offspring from one parent. This suggests that this type of reproduction, or
repopulation, does not need a second parent as this would result to variation between the parent and
offspring. With this we can agree that cloning is an asexual method of reproduction.

Identification of asexual reproduction through images

Asexual reproductions results in products which are genetically identical to one parent. To supplement,
we’ll look at an image of one of the smallest life cycles on earth. Micro-organisms, and their process of
reproduction through cell division.

The micro-organism cell develops a ‘bulge’, this bulge is in the process of

becoming an individual cell, and this individual cell will be genetically identical
to its parent cell. In this process the DNA material is split between a parent and
its offspring, this only happens with one parent; therefore it is a form of asexual
reproduction.

This could be the basis of plant life reproduction, in such a plant as hydra.
Hydra is as small as a grain of rice, it lives in fresh water. The Hydra uses
its tentacles to trap micro-organisms for food; this food is used to generate
a genetically identical offspring. This happens when the hydra produces a
bulge, this bulge later on feeds from the parent plant and develops into a
hydra sapling, and this sapling detaches from the parent plant and
eventually evolves into a full sapling with genetically identical material to
its parent.

Mushrooms/fungi are the perfect research specimens for asexual reproduction.

They reproduce, asexually, through the use of spores which they shoot into the air.
Like the image on the right, the spores (In the form of dust) can be dispersed to
suitable regions for further growth. This also happens in bread mould where the
mould grows spores, the spores are transported to multiply in the same way the
dust spores of the puffball fungus mushroom reproduces.
Introduction to a method(s) of asexual reproduction and correlation to
agriculture
Regeneration is commonly confused with asexual reproduction, while these may appear similar, they must
not be confused. Regeneration can be considered a factor in the progression of asexual production, for
instance in vegetation propagation, cutting out a piece of tissue and isolating it with the sufficient amounts
of ‘nutrient jelly’ for the plant growth, through this the tissue will grow into a block and later develop into
a full plant. This method is called tissue culture and it is sparsely used in various parts of the world to
promote agricultural growth.

AGRICULTURE AND ASEXUAL

REPRODUCTION: pro’s and con’s.
There are a few positives and negatives to asexual reproduction in population of a species in the wild and
crop production, these will be summarized in the table below.

Pro’s Con’s

Less energy required It does not lead to genetic variation in a

population.

The population has a higher chance of increasing Species may only be suited to one habitat leading
rapidly in favourable conditions to a higher possibility of extinction

Only one parent is needed, which results to less A disease may wipe-out the entire species
time used on finding a mating partner
It is much faster than sexual reproduction The populations have a lower genetic diversity
range.

The information provided in the table facilitates the pros and cons of asexual reproduction in population of
a species in the wild and crop production.

Further discussion
Asexual reproduction can be the basis of something great. I always ask myself weather organisms which
reproduce asexually never die, if their offspring has genetically identical material to the parent this means
there is no genetical differentiation between the parent and child plants. Or rather a way to replenish their
youth? One amazing theory or hypothesis would be one I’ve thought about throughout my learning
experience, asexual reproduction may defy certain laws, for instance how can something reproduce itself
and still thrive with its younger, growing clone? Two of the same versions of a biological entity coexist
with each other but with different age gaps. Questions to ask about this topic are/is, do asexually produced
offspring really die? Or are they just getting younger? A good way of envisioning this would be using
hydra. Would it be right to say asexually produced offspring are older than us, as they’ve been reproduced
for ages.
Scientists call hydra an immortal sea monster for this reason, as it never dies depending on its conditions.
An experiment was done by… where hydra was cut into half, both ends grew back, another was done
where the hydra was blended into a clump of disorganized cells. The hydra cell clump re-organized to its
basic structure and carried on living as it would before, still able to reproduce. (The hypothesis only
applies to certain species of asexual reproduction.)

Thank you for reading.

REFERENCES
BBC biology
Pinterest images
Google
YouTube videos on hydra and experiments.