Video Transcript
The flowchart outlines the stages
of budding, an asexual process used by Hydra. Which of the following correctly
completes the flowchart? (A) The bud develops into a small
individual that detaches from the parent. (B) The bud splits into two new
Hydra organisms. Or (C) the bud attracts another
Hydra to mate with the original parent.
The question is asking about
budding, so let’s have a quick review of this process before we take a closer look
at the flowchart.
We’re told that budding is a method
of asexual reproduction. And you may remember that asexual
reproduction involves only one parent.
Mating is a part of sexual
reproduction, a process in which two parents produce genetically unique offspring,
so we can quickly rule out choice (C).
Offspring produced through asexual
reproduction are usually clones; that is, they are genetically identical to the
parent and to each other. Budding, shown here in a yeast
cell, occurs when a new organism develops from a bulge or bud attached the parent
organism.
The flowchart describes the
different phases of budding in Hydra, which are small organisms belonging to
the phylum Cnidaria. First, a single Hydra finds
itself in the right conditions for reproduction. Hydra live in freshwater, so
for them to reproduce, environmental variables such as temperature, pH, and salinity
must be within their tolerance range, and food must be plentiful. Next, the parent Hydra
develops a growth, or bud. Because budding is a form of
asexual reproduction, the bud and the parent Hydra are genetically
identical.
The bud continues to grow, but what
happens next? The answer depends on the organism
in question. In some types of yeast, buds may
stay attached to the parent cell as they develop their own buds, temporarily forming
branched chains. Eventually, though, the daughter
yeast cells will break apart from their parent cell. In Hydra, the bud will
continue growing until it reaches maturity. It will then break off from its
parent and settle elsewhere as an independent clone.
Although the end result of budding
is two separate organisms, the bud itself does not split into two, so we can rule
out answer choice (B).
Therefore, the correct answer
choice is (A). The statement that correctly
complete the flowchart is “The bud develops into a small individual that detaches
from the parent.”
