What is asexual reproduction and what are its features?

Asexual reproduction is where an organism produces offspring which is genetically identical to itself, without fertilisation happening

The main identifying feature of asexual reproduction is that there is only one parent, it is essentially making a clone of itself. This clone is made by mitosis, rather than the normal way of producing offspring - meiosis. The offspring being made by mitosis means that all of the genetic information has come from one parent, and it is not mixed in any way, like it would be in meiosis and sexual reproduction.

SW

Related Biology GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Give an example of a specialised cell and two specialised adaptations.


Define the different types of reproduction and list the advantages of each type of reproduction.


Explain the importance of body temperature regulation in humans. (3)


What can happen to a red blood cell if placed into a solution that is more dilute than its own cell contents?