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examBoard: Pearson Edexcel
examType: IGCSE
lessonTitle: Natural Asexual Reproduction
Plants are amazing organisms that can reproduce in different ways. While many plants reproduce sexually (involving flowers, pollen and seeds), lots of plants can also reproduce without any help from another plant. This is called asexual reproduction and it's a fascinating way that plants can make exact copies of themselves!
Key Definitions:
Plants reproduce asexually for several reasons:
Unlike sexual reproduction, asexual reproduction:
Plants have evolved several fascinating ways to reproduce asexually in nature. Each method involves different plant structures and has specific advantages for the plant species that use them.
Runners are horizontal stems that grow above the ground and can produce new plants at nodes along their length.
A runner grows horizontally from the parent plant along the soil surface. At certain points (nodes), the runner can develop roots that grow down into the soil and shoots that grow upward. This creates a new plant that is initially connected to the parent but can eventually become independent if the runner breaks or dies.
Examples: Strawberry plants, spider plants and mint
You can identify runners by looking for:
Rhizomes are specialized stems that grow horizontally underground and can produce new plants from nodes.
Rhizomes are thick underground stems that grow horizontally beneath the soil surface. They store food reserves and have nodes from which new shoots and roots can develop. When a rhizome is broken (naturally or artificially), each piece with at least one node can grow into a new plant.
Examples: Ginger, bamboo, irises and many grasses
Rhizomes can be identified by:
Bulbs are underground storage organs that can produce new plants through the development of bulblets.
A bulb is a short, vertical underground stem surrounded by fleshy leaf bases or scales that store food. Bulbs can produce small secondary bulbs called bulblets or offsets. These develop from buds in the axils of the bulb scales and can grow into new plants.
Examples: Onions, tulips, daffodils and lilies
A typical bulb consists of:
Tubers are swollen underground stems or roots that store nutrients and can produce new plants.
Stem tubers are enlarged portions of underground stems called rhizomes. They have nodes (eyes) from which new shoots can grow. When a tuber is cut into pieces, each piece with at least one eye can develop into a new plant.
Example: Potatoes
Root tubers are swollen roots that store food. Unlike stem tubers, they don't have nodes or eyes. New plants typically grow from the crown (where the stem meets the root) or from adventitious buds that form if the tuber is damaged.
Examples: Sweet potatoes, dahlias and cassava
Suckers are shoots that arise from underground roots some distance from the parent plant. They develop from adventitious buds on the roots and grow upward to form new plants.
Examples: Raspberries, blackberries and poplars
Offsets are short, lateral shoots that develop from the base of the parent plant. They grow a short distance before taking root and establishing as new plants.
Examples: Aloe vera, sempervivum (houseleeks) and many aquatic plants
Some plants produce miniature plants (plantlets) on their leaves or stems. These eventually fall off and take root in the soil.
Examples: Kalanchoe (mother of thousands), Bryophyllum and some ferns
Strawberry plants are excellent examples of asexual reproduction through runners. A single strawberry plant can produce up to 30 runners in one growing season! Each runner can create multiple daughter plants, allowing strawberries to spread rapidly.
Farmers take advantage of this by:
This ensures that all new plants have identical genetic makeup to the parent, maintaining consistent fruit quality and characteristics.
Understanding natural asexual reproduction in plants has important applications in agriculture, horticulture and conservation:
Farmers use knowledge of asexual reproduction to:
Gardeners apply these principles to:
Conservationists use asexual reproduction to:
The oldest known living organism on Earth is a clonal colony of quaking aspen trees called Pando in Utah, USA. This single organism consists of about 47,000 genetically identical tree trunks that have all grown from a single root system through asexual reproduction. It's estimated to be at least 80,000 years old and weighs around 6,000 tonnes!
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