The diagram shows a strawberry plant growing in a school garden. During summer, the original plant produces a long horizontal stem. At several points, this ...
Question 1 Report
The diagram shows a strawberry plant growing in a school garden. During summer, the original plant produces a long horizontal stem. At several points, this stem touches damp soil and forms roots and a new leafy plant. The students remove one new plant and grow it in a separate pot. They observe that its flowers and fruit have the same colour and shape as those of the original plant, even though no pollen was transferred between flowers. The gardener uses this method to increase the number of plants quickly.
(a) Name the type of reproduction shown in Fig. 1. [1]
(b) Explain why the new plant is genetically identical to the original plant. [2]
(c) State one disadvantage of producing many plants in this way. [1]
Answer Details
(a) This is asexual reproduction, also called vegetative propagation. [1]
(b) Only one parent plant is involved, so there is no fusion of gametes. New cells are produced by mitosis and receive the same genes or genetic information as the original plant, making the new plant genetically identical. [2]
(c) The plants have little genetic variation, so all may be vulnerable to the same disease, pest or environmental change. [1]
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