Parthenogenesis in amphibians

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/parthenogenesis-in-amphibians

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the reproductive strategy?Parthenogenesis: development of an embryo from an unfertilized egg
2. What is the observed amphibian groups?Various species within the orders Anura (frogs) and Caudata (salamanders)
3. How does an amphibian egg become a baby without sperm?After the egg goes through meiosis, it can restore its full set of chromosomes by fusing with a polar body or by copying its own chromosomes. This lets the egg develop into a new animal.
4. Why do some amphibians use parthenogenesis instead of normal mating?When there are few mates, broken habitats, or not enough males, parthenogenesis lets the species keep growing and avoid disappearing.

Ploidy: The number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell.
Automixis: A form of asexual reproduction where meiosis occurs, but the diploid state is restored by fusion of meiotic products.
Apomixis: A form of asexual reproduction where the egg develops without meiosis, often through mitosis.