Parthenogenesis in Plants

What is Parthenogenesis?

Parthenogenesis Definition: Parthenogenesis is the process of reproduction without fertilization....

Examples of Parthenogenesis

Examples of parthenogenic organisms: are ants, mites, the zebra shark, water fleas, wasps, some bees, and other insects, etc....

Mechanism of Parthenogenesis

Parthenogenesis is a type of asexual reproduction. However, it can be considered more accurately as incomplete sexual reproduction because the offspring produced are developed from the gametes, and gametes are reproductive cells formed as a result of reduction division i.e. meiosis. It can occur mainly in the following two ways:...

Parthenogenesis Types

Based on the ways by which parthenogenesis occurs, it has been classified into the following two types:...

Significance of Parthenogenesis

Parthenogenesis is common in lower plants and invertebrate animals and rarely found in higher vertebrates. Parthenogenesis is an interesting phenomenon among different reproduction processes. The following are the significance of parthenogenesis:...

Parthenogenesis in Animals

In animals, parthenogenesis occurs spontaneously or as a natural form of asexual reproduction. It is very common in the animal kingdom. Animals can have either apomictic parthenogenesis or automictic parthenogenesis. Animals that are produced by apomictic parthenogenesis are usually full clones of their mothers. While animals produced via automictic parthenogenesis are not clones of their mothers....

Parthenogenesis in Insects

Parthenogenesis is found in several species of insects as well. The Indian or Laboratory stick insect is the most common and well-known example of parthenogenesis in insects. Some other examples of insects that show parthenogenesis are mites, wasps, water fleas, ants, etc. Some insects exhibit obligate parthenogenesis (reproduce only by parthenogenesis) and some exhibit facultative parthenogenesis (switch between sexual reproduction and parthenogenesis). Parthernogenesis in honey bee is also a common example of parthenogenesis in insects....

Parthenogenesis in Plants

Parthenogenesis is not limited to animals & insects only. It can also occur naturally in plants. Plants such as algae, mosses, some ferns, and rarely higher flowering plants also possess this trait. It is usually found in plants as a combination of endospore formation and apomeiosis. Together it is referred to as clonal seed production. Different mechanisms, such as apospory, diplospory, apogamy, etc, are involved in plant parthenogenesis where they produce either true or partial clones of the maternal genome....

What Variations are Seen in Parthenogenesis?

Several variations have been observed in parthenogenesis. In some species such as in aphids and water fleas, there is an alternation of generations of offspring produced from fertilized eggs and generations of offspring produced from unfertilized eggs. Such variation in parthenogenesis is called heterogony or cyclic parthenogenesis. There is another type of variation known as pseudogamy or sperm-dependent parthenogenesis. In this type of variation, the sperm is utilized only to stimulate the initial development of the egg, the genetic material of sperm is not used. This type of variation has been seen in the life cycle of a few mites, salamanders, flatworms, etc....

Conclusion – Parthenogenesis

Parthenogenesis is a process of reproduction of organisms without fertilization. Usually, reproduction requires mating of males and females but parthenogenesis is a form of reproduction that does not require males. However, most organisms that exhibit parthenogenesis also utilize sexual behavior or sexual reproduction. Lots of diversity is found in nature for the adaptation of organisms and parthenogenesis is a part of that wide diversity. It helps in the continuation of the lineage of organisms. It can occur naturally or can be triggered artificially both in animals and plants....

FAQs on Parthenogenesis

Can Parthenogenesis Occurs in Humans?...