Find out what asexual reproduction is

One of the main vital functions of living beings is the reproduction, an action that can vary greatly between the different classes of living beings. We can speak of two types of reproduction, sexual and asexual, within which there are a great variety of types, depending on the characteristics of the living being in question. Therefore, in this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to talk about what is asexual reproduction and with examples.

Reproduction is, together with nutrition, one of the vital functions that all living beings make. It is necessary, since through it new beings of the same species can be generated, so without its use the species would disappear. Therefore, the reproduction is vital for the perpetuation of living beings.

The way of reproducing can vary between the different classes of living beings, mainly sexual and asexual. The sexual is the one that is carried out by means of the fusion of the sexual cells of two different progenitors, being carried out mainly by the animals. Sexual reproduction can be divided into several types, for example there are three types in animal sexual reproduction, dividing into viviparous, oviparous and ovoviviparous.

On the other hand is the central reproduction of this lesson, the asexual. This type of reproduction is based on the formation of a new living being from the cells of a parent, thanks to the so-called mitosis. One of the greatest characteristics of this type of reproduction is that you only need one parent and sex cells or gametes are not used, unlike in sexual cells, for which the intervention of two parents is necessary.

In practically all large groups of living beings there are examples of types of asexual reproduction, but it must take into account that not all cases are the same, there are different types depending on factors such as the number of cells.

To continue this lesson on what asexual reproduction is with examples, let's talk about the different advantages and disadvantages that this kind of reproduction has, compared to sexual reproduction. Some of its advantages are the following:

• It is a type of reproduction much more quick than the sexual one, being able to expand quickly the creatures that use it.
• It does not need the parent to move, which is essential for all those living beings that do not have the ability to move.
• It only takes a parent, so a couple is not necessary to populate a new area.
• Asexual living beings do not spend energy on reproduction, since they do not carry out fertilization.
• It is a much simpler system than the sexual one.

Disadvantages of asexual reproduction

But not all of them are advantages, since asexual reproduction also has a series of disadvantages compared to sexual reproduction. Some of these disadvantages are as follows:

• There is no genetic diversitySince new beings are born they share the genetic code of the parent, all beings being the same.
• If the parent has a mutation, it remains in the offspring.
• The new beings are unable to adapt to a new environment, since they maintain the weaknesses of the parent.
• Natural selection does not affect them, so they are unable to adapt to new situations to survive.

As in sexual reproduction, in asexual there are also numerous different cases of reproduction, depending on the type of living being and the number of cells. Therefore, below we are going to talk about some examples of this type of reproduction.

Animals

Asexual reproduction is characteristic of animals with the simplest organizations and with little mobility, such as sponges or annelids. The types of asexual reproduction of animals are the following:

• Gemmation.
• Fragmentation.
• Bipartition.
• Sporulation
• Polyembryony.
• Parthenogenesis.

Plants

Plants perform asexual reproduction when one of their parts divides from them, forming a new plant. The great variety of plant species means that there are many different kinds of asexual reproduction, being the following:

• Mitospores.
• Propagules
• Apomixis.
• Different kinds of artificial vegetative multiplication.

Microorganisms

Microorganisms are the beings most related to asexual reproduction, with very few cases of microorganisms that reproduce sexually. The types of asexual reproduction of microorganisms are the following:

• Binary division.
• Sporulation
• Binary fission.
• Multiple fission.
• Gemmation.