"asexual reproduction" značenje u engleski leksikon

Množina: asexual reproductions

Reproduction without the fusion of gametes; SYN. agamogenesis.
In biology, reproduction that does not involve the manufacture and fusion of sex cells, nor the necessity for two parents. The process carries a clear advantage in that there is no need to search for a mate nor to develop complex pollinating mechanisms; every asexual organism can reproduce on its own. Asexual reproduction can therefore lead to a rapid population buildup.
In evolutionary terms, the disadvantage of asexual reproduction arises from the fact that only identical individuals, or clones, are produced—there is no variation.
In the field of horticulture, where standardized production is needed, this is useful, but in the wild, an asexual population that cannot adapt to a changing environment or evolve defenses against a new disease is at risk of extinction. Many asexually reproducing organisms are therefore capable of reproducing sexually as well.
Asexual processes include binary fission, in which the parent organism splits into two or more “daughter” organisms, and budding, in which a new organism is formed initially as an outgrowth of the parent organism. The asexual reproduction of spores, as in ferns and mosses, is also common and many plants reproduce asexually by means of runners, rhizomes, bulbs, and corms; see also vegetative reproduction.