What term describes producing identical offspring from a single parent?

What term describes producing identical offspring from a single parent?

• A. Sexual reproduction
• B. Asexual reproduction
• C. Cloning
• D. Mutation

Answer: (C)

Producing identical offspring from a single parent is described by asexual reproduction. This mode of reproduction does not involve fertilization or the joining of gametes from two parents, so the offspring arise from one lineage and are genetically very similar, often true clones of the parent. You can see this in bacteria dividing by binary fission, yeast budding, or plants propagating from cuttings. Cloning is a specific way to produce genetically identical copies, which is a particular outcome of asexual reproduction, but the broader idea is the asexual mode itself.

Producing identical offspring from a single parent is described by asexual reproduction. This mode of reproduction does not involve fertilization or the joining of gametes from two parents, so the offspring arise from one lineage and are genetically very similar, often true clones of the parent. You can see this in bacteria dividing by binary fission, yeast budding, or plants propagating from cuttings. Cloning is a specific way to produce genetically identical copies, which is a particular outcome of asexual reproduction, but the broader idea is the asexual mode itself.