explain with examples - different methods of asexual reproduction in plants
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asexual reproduction, which is a type of reproduction in which only one parent is involved. This is how the bacteria cell reproduces. With asexual reproduction, all of the genes come from a single parent, so the offspring are genetically identical to the parent. There are different ways organisms reproduce asexually. Let's take a look at some of the most common types.
Binary Fission
For many one-celled organisms, like bacteria, binary fission is the way to go. This is a type of asexual reproduction in which a cell divides into two cells. This is a fairly easy term to remember if you recall that the prefix 'bi' means two, like a bicycle has two wheels. The word 'fission' means dividing, so binary fission is literally dividing in two. When a bacterium is ready to reproduce, it makes a copy of its DNA and then splits, giving the copy to a newly formed and identical bacteria cell. This can be a very quick process allowing bacteria to multiply several times an hour if conditions are right. That means a single bacteria cell could grow into millions in less than a day. Fortunately, conditions for bacterial reproduction are rarely ideal or our world would be overrun by bacteria.
Fragmentation
Another type of asexual reproduction is called fragmentation. With this process, we see that an organism splits into pieces and each piece develops into a new organism. There are some creatures of the land and sea that will do this. For example, some worms have the ability to split in two and continue life as two separate worms. Likewise, you could slice a starfish into pieces and make new starfish. You can chop off a starfish's leg and as long as it has some of the central disc attached, it will regenerate into a new offspring.
Budding
Budding is another type of asexual reproduction. This happens when an organism forms a growth that develops into a new organism and then breaks off. For example, a cellular organism, like a yeast cell, can grow a bud filled with its own cells. That bud will stay attached until it's grown and developed. At that time it will drop off forming an identical offspring. We also see budding in some basic sea creatures, like some species of jellyfish. Jellyfish don't rely solely on asexual reproduction, but it is part of the process of making a new offspring. First a fertilized egg from jellyfish parents grows into a polyp that attaches itself to a rock. The polyp then grows genetically identical buds that get released and become new jellyfish.
Asexual reproduction requires only one parent which means there is no exchange of genetic material hence the offspring are the clones of the parent. In plants, there are 3 common ways of asexual reproduction:
1. Budding
2. Vegetative propagation
3. Fragmentation
The best example to explain budding is growing a new potato by using overgrown nodules (buds) from a parent potato placed in your cupboard from a very long time.
Vegetative propagation is using a vegetative part of a plant to grow a new plant such as root, stem etc. A small stem taken from a parent strawberry plant can be grown into a new strawberry plant if provided a suitable conditions.
Fragmentation is a splitting of a parent plant in to two, both capable of growing into a new plant. This method is mainly used in nurseries to grow plants.