Question

A strawberry plant is an example of a plant that can reproduce through the process of vegetative reproduction. Are the offspring of the strawberry plant genetically identical or genetically different from the parent? Explain your answer.

Answer 1

There are two ways of reproduction; sexual and asexual. In case of sexual reproduction the genes of two parent-organisms are combined into a new combination which gives genetic variation. In case of asexual reproduction there is only one parent and thus no new combinations are formed. You could state in general that the offspring is geneticly identical. Vegetative reproduction is an example of asexual reproduction (a root of the plants comes up out of the ground somewhere near and forms an 'identical sister'.

However, the strawberry plant also yields flowers which, in case of pollination by an other strawberry plant (!!!) will grow into strawberries which of course hold the well know seeds on the outside. If one of these seeds were to grow into a new plant, this plant will NOT be geneticly identical.

So in short; they will be identical if the plant is formed by vegetative reproduction, and they won't be identical if the plant grows from a strawberry seed.