Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Parthenogenesis
Par`the*no*gen"e*sis\, n. [Gr. parqe`nos a virgin + E. genesis.]1. (Biol.) The production of new individuals from virgin females by means of ova which have the power of developing without the intervention of the male element; the production, without fertilization, of cells capable of germination. It is one of the phenomena of alternate generation. Cf. Heterogamy, and Metagenesis. 2. (Bot.) The production of seed without fertilization, believed to occur through the nonsexual formation of an embryo extraneous to the embrionic vesicle.Cite This Source
parthenogenesis
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Main Entry: par·the·no·gen·e·sis
Pronunciation: "pär-th&-nO-'jen-&-s&s
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural par·the·no·gen·e·ses /-"sEz/
: reproduction by development of an unfertilized usually female gamete that occursespecially among lower plants and invertebrate animals
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parthenogenesis par·the·no·gen·e·sis (pär'thə-nō-jěn'ĭ-sĭs)
n.
A form of reproduction in which an unfertilized egg develops into a new individual, occurring commonly among insects and certain other arthropods.
par'the·no·ge·net'ic (-jə-nět'ĭk) adj.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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| parthenogenesis (pär'thə-nō-jěn'ĭ-sĭs) Pronunciation Key
Reproduction in which an egg develops into a new individual without being fertilized. Aphids and certain other insects can reproduce by parthenogenesis. Parthenogenesis does not necessarily produce clones of the parent. Among hymenopterans such as honeybees and ants, the haploid males develop from unfertilized eggs laid by the queen, who is diploid. Parthenogenesis is a form of apomixis. parthenogenetic adjective (pär'thə-nō-jə-nět'ĭk) |
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parthenogenesis
biological reproduction that involves development of a female (rarely a male) gamete (sex cell) without fertilization. It occurs commonly among lower plants and invertebrate animals, particularly rotifers, aphids, ants, wasps, and bees. An egg produced parthenogenetically may be either haploid (i.e., with one set of dissimilar chromosomes) or diploid (i.e., with a paired set of chromosomes).
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