Asexual reproduction involves the replication of individuals without mating or breeding with another member of the species. Asexually reproducing organisms pass on their genetic material to offspring without diluting the gene pool with a mate's contributions. The result is that offspring created by asexual reproduction are duplicates of their parent.
There are a variety of forms of asexual reproduction employed by countless species such as budding and fission. Organisms that reproduce by budding produce young that develop while physically attached to the parent (Sikes and Bely, 2008). Fission occurs when the parent splits along its body axis and generates another individual (Sikes and Bely, 2008).
Sikes, J. M., & Bely, A. E. (2008). Radical modification of the A–P axis and the evolution of asexual reproduction in Convolutriloba acoels. Evolution & Development,10 (5), 619-631.
