#asexual reproduction

• Agametangia — A rare plural or adjectival form used in botany to denote asexual organs or cellular structures inside which agametes (spores or zoospores) are formed in lower plants, fungi, or algae. The term describes the non-sexual reproductive apparatus before modern morphological standardization.
• Agamete — A primitive reproductive cell form or an undifferentiated gamete that develops directly, without fertilization, giving rise to a new organism. It represents a biological unit of asexual reproduction, found in certain protozoans, algae, and lower fungi, where multiplication does not involve the fusion of complementary genetic material.
• Agamogenesis — A form of asexual reproduction in which the development of a new organism occurs without the participation of sexual cells (gametes) and without the process of fertilization; a mode of structural biological multiplication found in protozoans, coelenterates, worms, and certain lower plants. This phenomenon includes varied methods such as direct division, budding, or mitotic sporogenesis, guaranteeing the faithful perpetuation of the parental genome.
• Aplanospore — A non-motile asexual spore, lacking cilia or flagella, provided with its own cell wall that is distinct from the membrane of the mother cell inside which it formed. This structural type of spore is characteristic of certain species of green algae and fungi, being adapted for survival and passive dissemination through air or water currents, unlike motile zoospores.
• Apogamous — Developing through apogamy, pertaining to the formation of a sporophyte directly from a vegetative cell of the gametophyte, without the occurrence of fertilization or gametic fusion; characterized by independent asexual reproduction. This biological phenomenon is frequently found in certain species of pteridophytes (ferns) and angiosperms, ensuring species perpetuation under ecological isolation.
• Apogamic — Pertaining to apogamy, specific to the asexual developmental process where a sporophyte arises from a gametophyte cell without prior fusion of sexual gametes; synonymous with apogamous. In plant histology, the term characterizes embryonic structures that maintain chromosomal consistency by avoiding typical syngamy phases, opening alternative pathways for natural cloning.
• Apogamy — A biological phenomenon and type of asexual reproduction in plants (a form of apomixis) consisting of the development of a sporophyte directly from the vegetative cells of the gametophyte (such as synergids or antipodals), without gametic participation and without fertilization occurring. It represents a crucial anatomical mutation studied in angiosperm and pteridophyte evolution, allowing multiplication without genetic recombination.
• Apogeny — A rare form of asexual reproduction or embryonic development where offspring arise without a fertilization phase or genetic fusion, maintaining the maternal organism's characteristics unchanged; a particular type of apomixis. In cytogenetic studies, the term denotes the absence of functional gamete formation or fusion, dictating a strict structural stability of clonal lines.
• Apomixis — A biological phenomenon and mode of asexual reproduction in higher plants (angiosperms and pteridophytes) consisting of embryo formation and viable seed production directly from the ovule's maternal tissues, without gametic fusion and without fertilization occurring; natural seed cloning. It represents a major evolutionary strategy studied in phytogenetics for the integral preservation of the maternal genotype.
• Sexless — 1. (In biology) Lacking sexual organs, a determined sex, or differentiated sexual characteristics; a type of reproduction occurring without gamete fusion. 2. (In an extended sense) Appearing devoid of sensuality, passion, or obvious gender traits. This structural term describes a neutral or agamic state, frequently used in taxonomy to classify delicate organisms or in literature to portray characters detached from instincts.