In sexual reproduction, a male gamete and a female gamete join together. This is called fusion. In animals the gametes are sperm and egg cells. In flowering plants they are pollen and egg cells. The gametes are made by meiosis, and meiosis forms cells that are not identical to each other. Because genetic information from two parents is mixed, the offspring show variety.
In asexual reproduction, only one parent is needed and no gametes fuse. There is no mixing of genetic information, so the offspring are genetically identical to the parent and to each other. Offspring like this are called clones. Only mitosis is involved, and mitosis forms identical cells.
