Asexual Reproduction The formation of a new organism from a single parent organism. Offspring are genetically identical to the parent

The new plant has the exact same hereditary material as the potato it came from.

This is a bud. It is a small but otherwise identical copy of the parent organism.

Using regeneration, this starfish is regrowing one of its rays.

Advantages and of Asexual Reproduction Asexual reproduction can be very advantageous to certain animals. Animals that remain in one particular place and are unable to look for mates would need to reproduce asexually. Another advantage of asexual reproduction is that numerous offspring can be produced without "costing" the parent a great amount of energy or time. Environments that are stable and experience very little change are the best places for organisms that reproduce asexually.

Disadvantages and of Asexual Reproduction A disadvantage of this type of reproduction is the lack of genetic variation. All of the organisms are genetically identical and therefore share the same weaknesses. If the stable environment changes, the consequences could be deadly to all of the individuals.