What is reproduction? Explain the modes of asexual reproduction in the plants.
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Solution
Reproduction is a biological process by which offspring are produced by the parents.
Asexual reproduction involves only one parent. Different modes of asexual reproduction in plants are:
Budding: It is the process in which bud like protuberances are formed on the plant which detach themselves and then grow into individual plants. For example, in Hydra.
Gemmule: Gemmules, also known as propagules, are the modified branches which are rich in food and germinate into new plant after detaching from the parent. For example, in Marchantia, gemmules are multicellular and green bodies which develop in a gemma cup.
Sporulation: It is the process of formation of spores. In plants, microspores and megaspores are formed through meiosis.
Fragmentation: It is the process of breaking down of parent individual into small pieces which develop into a new individual. For example, in Marchantia.
Vegetative propagation: This type of reproduction is present in higher plants in which new plants are formed from the detached vegetative parts or propagules of the parent plant. Natural vegetative propagation in plants occur by means of roots (in Asparagus), underground stems (in Onion), subaerial stems (in Eichhornia), aerial shoots (in Opuntia), leaves (in Bryophyllum) and bulbils (in Oxalis).