What reproduction is called asexual in animals and plants

Reproduction of organisms is reproductive reproduction of similar individuals with the participation of the sex cells of both partners, therefore by default it is considered sexual. This is a characteristic distinguishing feature of all life on Earth. With this, everything is clear. And now let's find out what reproduction is called asexual, and in what ways it happens.

What reproduction is called asexual

Before formulating this concept, we note that the form of asexual reproduction is common in both multicellular and unicellular organisms. Who is not in the subject, we will explain that the first include plants and fungi, and to the second - the simplest living organisms (for example, amoebae). The name of this method of reproduction speaks for itself - without the participation of sex cells. This is how amoeba, infusoria-shoes and other protozoans multiply. Note that this reduces the variability of the organism to no. The only "loophole" in the natural selection of unicellular organisms is only random mutations.

So, reproduction in plants and animals, which occurs asexually, is the reproduction of oneself, not related to the exchange between two individuals of genetic information.

Methods of Asexual Reproduction

After we figured out what multiplication is called asexual, it would not be superfluous to mention his methods, which are many. The first is division. From one specimen, for example, amoebae, two others are formed - the daughter. The nucleus begins to divide, while the cytoplasm begins to disintegrate into two parts. The second way is spore propagation or spore formation. It requires spores of multicellular organisms, such as plants or fungi. Important! Spores of bacteria in reproduction do not participate, because one bacterium can form only one spore. The next method is budding. Thus, for example, the coelenterate protozoan, the hydra, multiplies. Subsidiaries are formed from the "mother" body. By the way, budding and division refer to a special method of asexual reproduction - vegetative. We will discuss this in more detail below. For example, starfish have a fragmented method of asexual reproduction . It happens this way: the body of the "mother" begins to be divided into parts. Each of them becomes a child organism. Vegetative reproduction in animals and plants

A special way of asexual reproduction of plants and lower animals is vegetative. Reproduction occurs by means of vegetative organs, such as roots, leaves or modified shoots. For example, raspberries reproduce themselves by roots (see the figure), violet leaves, and so on. By the way, this method of reproduction is the most popular among wild plants. From the point of view of biology, this process of reproduction is explained by the desire of the plant to restore its lost parts. Reproduction by the vegetative method can take place both naturally and artificially, for example, with the help of a human. Many plants that reproduce sexually are also able to reproduce this way. In animals, however, fission or budding is carried out vegetatively.

So, quite a large number of reproductive ways on their own examples show us what reproduction is called asexual.