Types of Asexual Reproduction
Cell Division
In unicellular organisms, cell division is a way to make identical copies of itself. Bacteria is an organism which uses this form of asexual reproduction. The bacterial cell copies its DNA and passes its genetic material onto the new bacterial cell.
Image sourced from http://www.historyoftheuniverse.com/?p=celldivi.html
Binary Fission
Binary Fission is when a unicellular organism splits into two. This is the common way for Bacteria to reproduce.
Image sourced from http://biology.about.com/od/cellanatomy/ss/prokaryotes_2.htm
Budding
This is when unicellular organisms start to grow new cells off their old cells. When these cells are fully developed, they fall off and a new organism is produced.
Yeast are an organism which often go through this process of reproduction.
Yeast are an organism which often go through this process of reproduction.
Image sourced from http://www.devbio.biology.gatech.edu/?page_id=484
Splitting
This is when an organism splits directly in half and creates a new, identical organism. An example of a plant who undergoes this type of reproduction is a sea anemone and some worms.
Imaged source by http://johnfriedmann.com/biogloss/fission.html
The image below is a venn diagram of the similarities and differences between Sexual and Asexual reproduction.
Image sourced from:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk2RJm5RBEk