asexual

(adjective)

Having a lack of sexual attraction to anyone, or low or absent interest in sexual activity; it may also be considered the lack of a sexual orientation, or one of the variations thereof, alongside heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality.

Related Terms

Examples of asexual in the following topics:

  • Fungi Reproduction

    • Fungi reproduce sexually and/or asexually.
    • Perfect fungi reproduce both sexually and asexually, while imperfect fungi reproduce only asexually (by mitosis).
    • Fungi reproduce asexually by fragmentation, budding, or producing spores.
    • The most common mode of asexual reproduction is through the formation of asexual spores, which are produced by one parent only (through mitosis) and are genetically identical to that parent .
    • There are many types of asexual spores.

  • Methods of Reproducing

    • Animal reproduction is essential to the survival of a species; it can occur through either asexual or sexual means.
    • The known methods of reproduction are broadly grouped into two main types: sexual and asexual.
    • The division of a bacterial cell into two daughter cells is an example of asexual reproduction.
    • Organisms that reproduce through asexual reproduction tend to grow in number exponentially.
    • Many organisms can reproduce sexually as well as asexually.

  • Plant Reproductive Development and Structure

    • Plants have developed various strategies, both sexual and asexual, to ensure reproductive success.
    • Some plants reproduce sexually while others reproduce asexually, in contrast to animal species, which rely almost exclusively on sexual reproduction.
    • Plant sexual reproduction usually depends on pollinating agents, while asexual reproduction is independent of these agents.
    • Vegetative reproduction is a type of asexual reproduction.

  • Asexual Reproduction in Plants

    • Plants can reproduce asexually, without the fertilization of gametes, by either vegetative reproduction or apomixis.
    • Many plants are able to propagate themselves using asexual reproduction.
    • Plants have two main types of asexual reproduction: vegetative reproduction and apomixis.
    • An advantage of asexual reproduction is that the resulting plant will reach maturity faster.
    • Different types of stems allow for asexual reproduction.

  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Sexual Reproduction

    • Therefore, there is an obvious benefit to an organism that can produce offspring whenever circumstances are favorable by asexual budding, fragmentation, or asexual eggs.
    • These methods of asexual reproduction do not require another organism of the opposite sex.
    • In addition, in asexual populations, every individual is capable of reproduction.
    • In theory, an asexual population could grow twice as fast.
    • The only source of variation in asexual organisms is mutation.

  • Zygomycota: The Conjugated Fungi

    • Zygomycota, a small group in the fungi kingdom, can reproduce asexually or sexually, in a process called conjugation.
    • The fungi usually reproduce asexually by producing sporangiospores .
    • Zygomycetes have asexual and sexual life cycles.

  • Deuteromycota: The Imperfect Fungi

    • Phylum Deuteromycota is a polyphyletic group of asexually-reproducing fungi that do not display a sexual phase; they are known as imperfect.
    • Reproduction of Deuteromycota is strictly asexual, occuring mainly by production of asexual conidiospores .

  • Babesiosis

    • Also, protozoal piroplasms are sporozoan parasites, and so they possess both sexual and asexual phases.
    • These parasites, within the red blood cells, form a distinctive structure called a "Maltese Cross" that is composed of four attached merozoites undergoing asexual budding.
    • This asexual process results in hemolytic anemia.
    • The sporozoites enter the erythrocytes and undergo asexual reproduction as previously mentioned.
    • Babesia is capable of undergoing both sexual and asexual reproduction in its life cycle.

  • Types of Sexual and Asexual Reproduction

    • Animals may reproduce asexually through fission, budding, fragmentation, or parthenogenesis.
    • Many sea stars reproduce asexually by fragmentation.
    • Parthenogenesis is a form of asexual reproduction where an egg develops into a complete individual without being fertilized.
    • Coral polyps reproduce asexually by fission, where an organism splits into two separate organisms.
    • Hydra reproduce asexually through budding, where a bud forms that develops into an adult and breaks away from the main body.

  • Animal Reproduction and Development

    • This fact distinguishes animals from fungi, protists, and bacteria where asexual reproduction is common or exclusive.
    • However, a few groups, such as cnidarians, flatworms, and roundworms, undergo asexual reproduction, although nearly all of those animals also have a sexual phase to their life cycle.
    • Some animal species (including sea stars and sea anemones, as well as some insects, reptiles, and fish) are capable of asexual reproduction.
    • In contrast, a form of asexual reproduction found in certain insects and vertebrates is called parthenogenesis where unfertilized eggs can develop into new offspring.
    • However, for animals that are limited in their capacity to attract mates, asexual reproduction can ensure genetic propagation.