Asexual Reproduction Look Ma! No Pa!

Asexual Reproduction Reproduction of organisms by mitosis • Only one parent required • Process is very quick • Offspring are clones - genetically identical • High risk of population collapse Fission Budding Spores Grafting Cloning 

Fission Organism splits into two equal sized offspring Protist (Paramecium caudatum) Common in single celled organisms (like bacteria and protists; the nucleus replicates first then the cytoplasm divides through cytokinesis.

Fission - Sea Anemone Sea anemones are multi-celled organisms that commonly reproduce through fission to form dense colonies of clones

Budding (Hydra sp.) Offspring starts as a growth (bud) on the parent When old enough to survive on its own, bud detaches from parent Bud Mouth Tentacles Foot

Spores Spore cells produced by parent that are specialized for reproduction Each spore contains a nucleus and some cytoplasm Spore will develop into a new organism if it likes where it lands

Grafting Part of a plant is attached to the root system of another plant The two unite to form a new plant containing the roots of one and the stem and leaf structure of the other.

Cloning Clones are genetically identical to to the parent (a twin), except younger Clones have the same genes as the parent, but environmental factors affect how they are expressed. E.g. “Copy Cat”

Dolly – 1st Cloned Mammal, 1997

Cloning - Stem Cells Unspecialized cells that have the ability to reproduce itself and differentiate into a specialized cell Found in bone marrow, blood of umbilical cord, embryos etc.