A hydra is an animal that reproduces by forming a bud that eventually splits off and becomes an offspring with the same genetic makeup as its parent. Is this sexual or asexual reproduction? Explain.

Answer: Budding is a type of asexual reproduction.

Explanation: Generally, reproduction can be defined as the production of a new organism from existing organisms of their type. There are two types of reproduction: asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction.

Asexual reproduction is a type of reproduction by which one or more offspring is produced from a single individual or parent without involving special sex cells known as the gametes. Asexual reproduction produces offsprings that have the same genetic makeup as the parent because it is produced from one parent organism.

There are different types of asexual reproduction which include: fission, spore formation, budding and fragmentation.

In budding, a portion of the parent's body grows by cell division to form an outgrowth or appendage which finally becomes a new smaller organism and breaks away from the parent. The new individual that grows out of the body of the parent is known as the bud.

Budding is a type of asexual reproduction that occurs in coelenterates such as hydra.