the formation of new individuals independently of gametes, e.g. budding of a new individual on the body of the parent individual
Asexual reproduction is a biological process by which a parent organism produces its clones - genetically identical organisms. It is usually considered characteristic of lower organisms.
In many higher organisms (e.g. higher plants), however, it is considered a regular alternative to sexual reproduction and is often widely used by humans in agriculture and various biotechnological fields. Many species of higher plants are well adapted to asexual reproduction. Plants use it as a means of increasing their competitiveness and crowding out competing species, because this reproduction is relatively very fast and efficient. Natural asexual reproduction also occurs in very early embryos of higher animals, including humans, when its product is identical twins or triplets.
Types of asexual reproduction:
- binary fission – classic in unicellular organisms (bacteria, protozoa, unicellular algae), which divide into two cells.
- physipary – reproduction by dividing the body of a multicellular organism (e.g., flatworms). It can be regeneration after injury or targeted disintegration.
- hemipary (budding) – is characteristic of echinoderms, bryozoans, tunicates, but also, for example, yeasts. It is a process where a new organism “buds” – grows from the old one and then separates from it.
- vegetative reproduction – this term is used mainly in higher plants – it refers to a situation where a plant can regenerate an entire organism from part of its body. However, sometimes plants even directly create organs and structures that serve for vegetative reproduction and easier control of a larger space, e.g.: strawberry (twigs), kalanchoe (vivipary - see picture), hippeastrum (false bulbs in the leaf axils) or garlic (cloves).
- spore formation - many multicellular organisms produce spores during their biological life cycle in a process called sporogenesis.
- apomixis - the formation of seeds asexually