BIOL1002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Corm, Asexual Reproduction, Plant Reproduction
6 Nov 2018
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Document Summary
Most plants reproduce sexually, but many are also capable of reproducing asexually. Asexual reproduction does not involve fertilization or flowers and results in the production of (cid:272)lones geneti(cid:272)ally identi(cid:272)al (cid:272)opies of the parent plant. The advantage of asexual reproduction is that it is very efficient. The major disadvantage is that genetically similar populations are more likely to succumb to diseases. Stolons (also known as runners) are above-ground stems which develop horizontally above the surface of the soil. A new plant can be produced at each node; adventitious roots form, and a new bud is produced. This can be seen in species like mint and strawberry. Rhizomes are horizontal stems from which shoots and roots emerge. Like stolons, if the individuals emerging from the nodes become separated from the parent plant they produce offspring. The most common example species which produce rhizomes is the potato. Some species asexually reproduce via plantlets, which form along the margins of their leaves.
