Question

now that you have learned about asexual reproduction, revise the explanations that you wrote at the beginning of the concept. review the explanations that were written at the beginning of the concept and discuss with your classmates ways to revise and refine them. as you share with one another, cite evidence from each lesson that supports the components of your explanation.
revised explanation write your new or revised explanation for starfish reproduction.

Explanation:

The revised explanation for starfish asexual reproduction incorporates core evidence about their fragmentation mechanism, a key asexual reproductive strategy. Starfish use fragmentation: if an arm with a portion of the central disc detaches, specialized cells in the remaining tissue can regenerate a full new organism, and the original starfish regrows the lost arm. This is a verified biological trait of many starfish species, fitting the definition of asexual reproduction (no gamete fusion, genetically identical offspring to parent).

Answer:

Starfish reproduce asexually primarily through fragmentation. When a starfish loses an arm that includes a section of its central disc, the detached arm can regenerate into a complete, genetically identical starfish over time, while the original starfish regrows the missing arm. This process requires no fusion of gametes, meaning the new organism inherits exact genetic material from the single parent individual, which is the defining characteristic of asexual reproduction.