Which organisms exhibit parthenogenesis?

• Parthenogenesis is a type of asexual reproduction where an embryo develops into a new individual without fertilization by sperm. It occurs in a variety of organisms, including:
● Honey bee: In honey bees, unfertilized eggs develop into male drones through a process called arrhenotoky. However, queen bees and female workers develop from fertilized eggs.
● Aphid: Many species of aphids reproduce through thelytoky, where unfertilized eggs develop into female offspring. Some aphid species even have cyclical parthenogenesis, alternating between sexual and asexual reproduction throughout the year.
Therefore, both honey bees and aphids exhibit parthenogenesis, although in different forms.

Important 🔑Key Points:
Reproduction is the biological process in which the organism gives rise to young ones or offspring similar to itself. It is responsible for the continuity of species generation after generation.

• Reproduction is mainly divided into two types:

• 1. Sexual reproduction:
• Involves the formation of the male and female gametes, either by the same individual or by different individuals of the opposite sex.
• These gametes fuse to form the zygote which develops to form the new organism. Eg. Mammals

• 2. Asexual reproduction:
• The reproduction in which an offspring is produced by a single parent without the fusion of gametes is called asexual reproduction. (E.g. Amoeba, Hydra)
• The offspring are exact replica of their parents and genetically identical.
• Asexual reproduction is of many types: Sporulation, Fission, Fragmentation. Budding, Plasmotomy, vegetative propagation, Apomixis & Parthenogenesis

✅Explanation:
• Parthenogenesis: Development of unfertilized egg or ovule into a new organism. It occurs in both plants & animals
• Examples: Honeybee, Rotifers, Some lizards & birds

• Natural Parthenogenesis in Honeybee:
• Every honey bee colony comprises a single queen, a few hundred drones, and several thousand worker castes of honey bees.
• The drones are male bees with no sting.
• The drones are produced by unfertilized eggs of the queen, or by those workers which take up the reproductive function due to the absence of a queen in a colony.
• Thereby In the honeybee colony, the drones are produced by unfertilized eggs and show natural parthenogenesis