Reproduction technologies

Cloning of sexual organisms To create clones, the genetic information comes from one parent. Asexual reproductive strategies are used artificially to produce a new identical organism These strategies have been occurring in horticulture for many years, but it’s a fairly new area for mammals

Cloning plants from tissue culture A small amount of tissue from a single plant can be cultured in a lab to grow many identical offspring. This may be useful when attempting to replenish populations of endangered plants

Artificial cloning of mammals There are currently two ways this can be achieved: Using embryo cells (cells from a newly developing baby) Using somatic cells (all other body cells)

Using embryonic cells There is a big debate at the moment as to the ethics of using embryonic cells, as to do so a growing embryo (the stage between zygote and fetus) must be aborted. The cells are grown in a laboratory, then separated into the uterus of surrogate mothers This results in identical twins, triplets or larger multiple identical siblings in mammals

Using somatic cells This is a much less contentious political issue, as cells are removed from adults with no intrusion or harm inflicted Dolly the sheep was the first example of this kind of cloning Pet cloning is available in the US for around US$50,000

Somatic cell cloning method The nucleus from a cloned somatic cell is placed within an egg cell This egg cell is placed within a surrogate, and it develops normally The success rate is very low

Natural mammalian “clones” Identical twins (or triplets etc) are natural clones of one another Their genetic material is identical, as they have developed from a zygote which has split into two However, their environment (eg. Their diet, peers, family) means that as they grow up, they become very different people, with variation in personality and behaviour, but also in the way they look

Technology can also assist sexual reproduction Procedures like IVF (in vitro fertilisation) are popular ways to help gametes to fuse and develop a normal baby Artificial insemination happens in livestock, like cows and sheep Artificial pollination happens in plants