Friday, July 10, 2009

How does asexual reproduction in animals occur?

Animals such as starfish of sea anemones reproduce through asexual reproduction. They give birth asexually through a process known as "mitosis"(nuclear division).
There are different phases of mitosis, which, according to chronological order are: interphase, prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, cytokenesis.
During the interphase stage, DNA from the parent cell is replicated, centrioles(microtubules) and proteins for the development of the cells are produced.
During the prophase stage, The parent DNA and proteins and then codensed into chromosomes.
During the prometaphase stage, the nucleus disappears, the centrioles reach for the poles of the cell, and the chromosomes contract.
During metaphase, chromosomes are aligned at the center of the cell by spindle fibres located from two poles of the cell.
During anaphase, the fibres shorten and the chromsomes are gradually pulled apart.
During telophase, the chromosomes reach the poles and the spindle fibres vanishes.
Finally, at cytokenesis, the cell is split into two.
This proccess will then be repeated over and over again until it's offspring is formed. Perhaps when we are more teachnologically advanced in future, we are able to extract this trait and gnetically modify it for our own.

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