DNA

Alleles
MITOSIS
How do little elephants grow up to be BIG elephants?
Why do animals shed their skin?
 The process of asexual
reproduction begins after a
sperm fertilizes an egg.
Three reasons why cells reproduce by
asexual reproduction:
1. Growth
2. Repair
3. Replacement
Skin cancer - the abnormal growth of
skin cells - most often develops on skin
exposed to the sun.

Cell that reproduce by asexual

reproduction reproduce constantly.
 Interphase
Animal Cell Plant Cell

Photographs from: http://www.bioweb.uncc.edu/biol1110/Stages.htm

 Prophase
Animal Cell Plant Cell

Spindle fibers

Centrioles

Photographs from: http://www.bioweb.uncc.edu/biol1110/Stages.htm

 Metaphase
Animal Cell Plant Cell

Photographs from: http://www.bioweb.uncc.edu/biol1110/Stages.htm

 Anaphase
Animal Cell Plant Cell

Photographs from: http://www.bioweb.uncc.edu/biol1110/Stages.htm

 Telophase
Animal Cell Plant Cell

Photographs from: http://www.bioweb.uncc.edu/biol1110/Stages.htm

Role of mitosis in Asexual Reproduction.
• Mitosis is the process which causes asexual reproduction in plants
a.k.a. vegetative reproduction (e.g. sugarcane and Bryophyllum) and
fungi.
• If it occurs in humans, identical twins are produced. All organisms
produced asexually are genetically identical, i.e., clones of each other.
Asexual reproduction gives rise to genetically
identical offspring.

• At the beginning of mitosis, DNA replications occurs, i.e.,

all chromosomes become duplicated and have a sister
chromatid (two copies of the chromosome attached by a
centromere).

• At the end of mitosis, each sister chromatid is pulled

apart and goes to opposite poles of the cell, which
eventually splits into two separate cells. Therefore, each
daughter cell produced contains the same kind and
number of chromosomes as the original cell, i.e. identical
THE END