Type of reproduction: Sexual reproduction in plants
How it happens: Fusion of gametes
Example species: Flowering plants, Ferns
(fertilization) resulting in offspring genetically
different from parents
Advantages: Spread easily
Genetic diversity
Type of reproduction: Plant budding
How it happens:
Buds are cut off of an existing plant and grafted
on to a new plant.
Advantages: Budding requires less experience
(than grafting)
Only need a small part of the plant
Type of reproduction: Binary fission
How it happens: In unicellular organisms single
cells divide into two new cells
Advantages: Single organism (no need for a
mate)
Fast method of reproduction.
Disadvantages: Requires insects or wind to
pollinate, don’t spread as much as plants with
seeds
Example species: Fruit salad tree, potato
Disadvantages: Weather adaptation may be poor.
Example species: Protozoa, Cyanobacteria (bluegreen algae).
Disadvantages: Cannot adapt to change. No
genetic diversity.
Type of reproduction: Grafting
How it happens: Part of a plant is spliced onto
another type of plant
Example species: Rose, trees
Advantages: Requires less time to grow.
Cheap way to get desired traits.
Disadvantages: May not live well in harsh
environments. DNA may change suddenly.
Type of reproduction: Spores
How it happens: Build up pressure inside a
plant, release seeds in the air.
Example species: Algae, Fungi, puffball.
Advantages: Spores can germinate after years.
May travel large distances.
Disadvantages: Spores may get buried and may
not be viable. May require an insect or animal to
help spread.
Type of reproduction: Hermaphroditic species (animals)
How it happens: Penis fencing in turbellaria.
Example species: Turbellaria, earthworm.
Both sexual organs are present so there is a
fight to determine which is impregnated.
Advantages: Ability to self replicate.
Disadvantages: Limited genetic diversity. Less
No need to find a mate in some cases.
competition for a mate results in less fit organisms
to pass down genes.
Type of reproduction: Fragmentation
How it happens: A portion breaks off, that
portion can grow into new plants
Advantages: Reproduce quickly.
Identical copies can help maintain desirable
traits.
Type of reproduction: Vegetative reproduction
How it happens: Offspring are generated from
a single part of a parent plant.
Advantages: cheap and fast
Type of reproduction: Budding in animals
How it happens: New organism from an
outgrowth or bud due to cellular division.
Advantages: less energy needed to find a mate
Type of reproduction: Parthenogenesis
How it happens: Different in different species.
Achieved by different chromosome number of
chromosome replication than normal sex cells.
Advantages: Saves time and energy. Increase
population size quickly.
Example species: Lichen
Disadvantages: No genetic diversity.
Mutations passed down to all offspring.
Example species: potatoes, onion, flower bulbs.
Disadvantages: susceptibility to disease.
Low biodiversity.
Example species: jellyfish, flatworms
Disadvantages: overcrowding can occur.
Less ability to adapt.
Example species: Stick insects, sharks.
Disadvantages: Reduce genetic diversity.
Harder to adapt.