In GCSE Science students will look at genetic variation and its control. This is the second of four quizzes on that topic and it looks in particular at sexual and asexual reproduction.
Reproduction can be either asexual or sexual. Plants can reproduce asexually, as can simple single celled organisms like bacteria and protozoa. Most animals and plants reproduce sexually which creates variation in populations. This variation can lead to natural selection and therefore evolution of a species.
Asexual reproduction in single celled organisms takes the form of budding or binary fission. In plants, it can be carried out artificially by taking cuttings or tissue culture and happens naturally by runners and rhizomes. Asexual reproduction gives rise to offspring that are genetically identical to each other and the parent.