Directions: Use the information provided and your knowledge of Life Science to answer the following questions. Show all work where necessary.
Directions: Use the information provided and your knowledge of Life Science to answer the following questions. Show all work where necessary.
Reproduction is how living things make more of their kind, but not all reproduction produces the same kind of offspring. Asexual reproduction involves just one parent and produces offspring with identical genetic information - essentially clones. Sexual reproduction combines genetic material from two parents, producing offspring with unique genetic combinations.
Strawberries are an ideal example of both processes. In asexual reproduction, the parent plant sends out horizontal stems called runners (or stolons). Cells in the runner divide by mitosis, creating new plants that are genetically identical to the parent. Because they share the same DNA, cloned plants look the same and have the same strengths - but also the same weaknesses. If a fungus or insect harms one, it can harm them all.
In contrast, when strawberries reproduce sexually, flowers are pollinated, and seeds form. Each seed contains DNA from two parents, creating a new combination of traits. This diversity helps the species survive changes in the environment - such as new pests, droughts, or temperature shifts.
Farmers often use asexual reproduction for uniform crops with predictable flavor and size, while plant breeders use sexual reproduction to develop new varieties with disease resistance or different fruit colors.
This dual strategy highlights a key biological principle:
Asexual reproduction offers speed and consistency,
Sexual reproduction provides diversity and resilience.
Both are successful under different conditions - one ensures stability, the other ensures adaptability.
Graph of Information - Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Using Table 1, compare the percent DNA match and flower color variation for runner-produced plants and seed-produced plants. What pattern do you observe?
Explain why a population of cloned strawberry plants may all be harmed by the same disease or pest.
According to Table 1, which reproduction type produces higher disease-resistance scores?
Which statement best explains why seed-produced strawberries have higher variation in traits such as flower color?
Does the data support the idea that asexual and sexual reproduction produce different results in offspring? Write a CER.
Claim:
Evidence:
Reasoning:
Using Table 1, compare average fruit weight between the two reproduction methods. What does this show about trait differences in cloned versus genetically varied plants?