Question

Describe types of asexual reproduction.

Answer 1

Reproduction is the biological process by an organism that gives rise to young ones similar to itself. Reproduction is the process by which there is an increase in population size and it helps to maintain continuity of species generation after generation. Therefore it is an important process of life forms.

Complete answer: Asexual reproduction- It is the process that involves only a single parent with or without the formation of gamete. It is seen in lower animals and single-celled organisms including bacteria, yeast, Protists and Monerans, and also members of the kingdom Plantae.
Types of asexual reproduction:
a. Binary Fission- Simply the term fission means ‘to divide'. In this, the parent cell divides into two cells i.e., two daughter cells both carrying a nucleus and equal amount of cytoplasm and these are genetically identical to each other and their parent. This is seen in Amoeba and Paramecium.
b. Fragmentation- It is a mode of asexual reproduction in which the parent body divides into several fragments and each fragment develops into a new organism. Examples are Spirogyra and Planaria etc.
c. Regeneration- It is the process of the power of growing a new organism or new organ from a lost body part. Example- lizards.
d. Budding- It is the process in which division is unequal and small buds are produced from the parent which gets eventually detached from the parent and mature into a new organism. Example- Yeast.
e. Spore formation- It is a mode of reproduction in which an organism during the unfavorable conditions produces a sac-like structure called sporangium and when the conditions turn out to be favourable it opens up to release spores which terminate to form new organisms. Examples include Fungi and Algae.
f. Vegetative propagation- It is a type of asexual reproduction that occurs mostly on the plants without the formation of the spores or the seeds. In this type vegetative propagation may occur from any form such as runner, rhizome, sucker, bulb, tuber, etc. Examples include onion, Agave, Bryophyllum, etc.
So, these all are types of asexual reproduction.

Note: In asexual reproduction, only one parent is involved and only mitotic divisions occur. As described, the unit of reproduction can be a bud, body fragment, or any single somatic cell.