Asexual Reproduction

“Animal Form and Function-II”
ZOO102
Lecture 5(Final)
“Asexual Reproduction”
By: Dr. Shandana Ali

Lecturer, Department of Zoology
KUST
ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION
“Asexual reproduction is the mode of reproduction that is involved in the

production of offspring by a single parent.”
 Asexual reproduction is a mode of reproduction in which a new offspring is produced by a single

parent. The new individuals produced are genetically and physically identical to each other, i.e., they
are the clones of their parents.
 Asexual reproduction is observed in both multicellular and unicellular organisms. This process does
not involve any kind of gamete fusion and there won’t be any change in the number of chromosomes
either. It will inherit the same genes as the parent, except for some cases where there is a chance of a
rare mutation occurring.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION
The following are the important features of asexual reproduction:

 Single parent involved.
 No fertilization or gamete formation takes place.
 This process of reproduction occurs in a very short time.
 The organisms multiply and grow rapidly.
 The offspring is genetically similar.
TYPES OF ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION
There are different types of asexual reproduction:

 Binary Fission
 Budding
 Fragmentation
 Vegetative Propagation
 Sporogenesis
BINARY FISSION
 The term “fission” means “to divide”. During binary fission, the parent cell divides
into two cells. The cell division patterns vary in different organisms, i.e., some are
directional while others are non-directional. Amoeba and euglena exhibit binary
fission.
 It is one of the simplest and uncomplicated methods of asexual reproduction. The
parent cell divides into two, each daughter cell carrying a nucleus of its own that is
genetically identical to the parent. The cytoplasm also divides leading to two equal-
sized daughter cells. The process repeats itself and the daughter cells grow and further
divide.
FRAGMENTATION
 Fragmentation is another mode of asexual reproduction exhibited by organisms such as spirogyra,

planaria etc. The parent body divides into several fragments and each fragment develops into a new
organism.
REGENERATION
 Regeneration is the power of growing a new organism from the lost body part. For eg., when a lizard loses
its tail, a new tail grows. This is because the specialized cells present in the organism can differentiate and
grow into a new individual. Organisms like hydra and planaria exhibit regeneration.
BUDDING
Budding is the process of producing an individual through the buds that develop on the parent body.
Hydra is an organism that reproduces by budding. The bud derives nutrition and shelter from the parent
organism and detaches once it is fully grown.
ADVANTAGES OF ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION
Following are the advantages of asexual reproduction:

 Mates are not required.
 The process of reproduction is rapid.
 An enormous number of organisms can be produced in very
less time.
 Positive genetic influences pass on to successive generations.
 It occurs in various environments.
DISADVANTAGES OF ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION
The major disadvantages of asexual reproduction are:

 Lack of diversity. Since the offsprings are genetically identical to the parent they are more
susceptible to the same diseases and nutrient deficiencies as the parent. All the negative
mutations persist for generations.
 Since only one organism is involved, the diversity among the organisms is limited.
 They are unable to adapt to the changing environment.
 A single change in the environment would eliminate the entire species.
ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION EXAMPLES
Following are the examples of asexual reproduction:

 Bacterium undergoes binary fission in which the cell divides
into two along with the nucleus.
 Blackworms or mud worms reproduce through
fragmentation.
 Hydras reproduce through budding.
 Organisms such as copperheads undergo parthenogenesis.
 Sugarcane can be grown through vegetative propagation.

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“Animal Form and Function-II”

By: Dr. Shandana Ali

“Asexual reproduction is the mode of reproduction that is involved in the

 Asexual reproduction is a mode of reproduction in which a new offspring is produced by a single

The following are the important features of asexual reproduction:

There are different types of asexual reproduction:

 Fragmentation is another mode of asexual reproduction exhibited by organisms such as spirogyra,

Following are the advantages of asexual reproduction:

The major disadvantages of asexual reproduction are:

Following are the examples of asexual reproduction:

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