Transcript Asexual Reproduction - Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School

Asexual Reproduction
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Cloning in the media
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Asexual reproduction
In asexual reproduction, a single organism makes a copy
of itself with exactly the same genetic code. There is no
fusing of gametes or mixing of genetic information, and so no
variation occurs.
The new organism is a clone of the original.
Many plants, such as spider plants,
strawberries and potatoes, produce bulbs
or runners for asexual reproduction.
In asexual reproduction, the cells of the
offspring are produced by mitosis from the
parent cells. This means the alleles in these
cells are identical to the parent plant.
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Taking cuttings
A plant can easily and quickly be cloned by taking a cutting.
The new plants are genetically identical to the parent plant.
This is a fast and cheap way of cloning.
stem cut from
parent plant
cutting dipped in rooting
powder and planted
Cloning plants is much easier than cloning animals. This is
because plant stem cells, found in meristems, can
differentiate to form specific cells throughout the plant’s life.
Animal cells lose this ability early in their life cycle.
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Tissue culture
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Advantages and disadvantages
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Summary activities
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Glossary
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Asexual reproduction – true or false?
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