Asexual Reproduction
Contents
Key Stage 3
Meaning
Asexual reproduction is when a single organism is able to produce offspring on its own.
Key Stage 4
Meaning
Asexual reproduction is when a single organism produces genetically identical offspring.
About Asexual Reproduction
- Asexual reproduction produces clones of the original organism.
- Asexual reproduction can happen more quickly than sexual reproduction as only one parent organism is needed.
- In asexual reproduction the only genetic variation will be due to mutations the DNA as it is copied.
- Unicellular organisms generally undergo asexual reproduction.
- Some multicellular organisms can undergo asexual reproduction. This is observed in a number of stick insect species and has been observed in turkeys when there are no males in the population.
Advantages of Asexual Reproduction
- There are advantages of asexual reproduction over sexual reproduction:
- Organisms which reproduce asexually do not need to search for or attract a mate in order to have offspring. This saves time and energy.
- Asexual reproduction is faster than sexual reproduction so more offspring can be made in a given time.
Disadvantages of Asexual Reproduction
- There are disadvantages of asexual reproduction compared to sexual reproduction:
- The offspring made in asexual reproduction are genetically identical to their parents (except for minor mutations) which leads to little variation in the species. As a result if conditions change sufficiently to harm one member of the species it will likely harm all of them in that habitat.
- Since asexual reproduction is faster than sexual reproduction then they are more likely to be carrying offspring when environmental conditions are poor. This makes the parent and offspring more likely to die.
References
AQA
- Asexual reproduction, page 207, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy; Biology, CGP, AQA
- Asexual Reproduction, page 67, GCSE Combined Science; The Revision Guide, CGP, AQA
- Asexual reproduction, pages 177, 178-80, 183, GCSE Biology, Hodder, AQA
- Asexual reproduction, pages 196, 200-201, 226-229, GCSE Biology; Third Edition, Oxford University Press, AQA
- Asexual reproduction, pages 252, 255, GCSE Biology, CGP, AQA
- Asexual reproduction, pages 28, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy 2, Hodder, AQA
- Asexual reproduction, pages 87, 89, GCSE Biology; The Revision Guide, CGP, AQA
Edexcel
- Asexual reproduction, page 20, GCSE Combined Science; The Revision Guide, CGP, Edexcel
- Asexual reproduction, page 27, GCSE Combined Science, Pearson Edexcel
- Asexual reproduction, pages 24, 33, GCSE Biology; The Revision Guide, CGP, Edexcel
- Asexual reproduction, pages 31, 50, GCSE Biology, Pearson, Edexcel
- Asexual reproduction, pages 60, 87, GCSE Biology, CGP, Edexcel