Fragmentation and regeneration of the Luzon sea star (Echinaster luzonicus)
This sea star is common in the subtidal zone at depths of 1-5 meters in the waters around Taiwan. It mainly reproduces through fragmentation. Red or orange, it is extremely beautiful. Although sexual reproduction through the fertilization of eggs by sperm is very important, many marine organisms make good use of asexual reproduction. The Luzon sea star is one example. The advantage of asexual reproduction is that the risk to the fragmented individual is lower than that of sexual reproduction. The result is that individuals can grow larger in size and do not need to go through a long embryonic development process. There is also a higher survival rate. The disadvantage of asexual reproduction is that there is no genetic variability and therefore no driving force to evolve.
