Why does asexual reproduction produce offspring that are genetically identical to the parent?
Asexual reproduction involves a single parent and produces offspring that are almost exact copies of the parent. The central process behind asexual reproduction is mitosis, a type of cell division.
During mitosis, a parent cell divides to produce two daughter cells. Each daughter cell has the same number of chromosomes identical to the parent cell.
Because the chromosomes are exactly copied and passed down without any mixing of genetic material from another parent, the offspring produced are genetically identical to the parent. These genetically identical offspring are called clones.
Explanation
The textbook context states that the central process behind asexual reproduction is mitosis. Mitosis is a cell division that produces daughter cells with the same number of chromosomes identical to the parent cell. Because of this exact chromosome copying without any mixing from a second parent, the offspring are genetically identical to the single parent and are termed clones.