Budding

Budding is a way some living things make new individuals without needing another organism. It is a type of asexual reproduction.

In yeast, a small bump called a bud appears and becomes a new yeast cell. This new cell is almost like the parent, but with small changes.

Some animals, like the hydra, also use budding. A little growth forms from the parent's body. It grows into a tiny version of the parent and then breaks away to live on its own.

Some parasites, such as Toxoplasma gondii, use a special kind of budding inside the parent cell. New cells form inside the parent and then separate.

Cellular reproduction

Some cells split into two parts by a process called budding. An example is Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the type of yeast used when making bread or beer. This creates a larger "mother" cell and a smaller "daughter" cell. Tiny parts inside cells, called mitochondria, can also divide in the same way.

Animal reproduction

In some animals with many cells, baby animals can grow out from the parent. Animals that make new babies this way include corals, some sponges, some acoels (for example, Convolutriloba), echinoderm babies, placozoans, symbions, pterobranchians, entoproctans, some polychaetes, bryozoans, tunicates, flatworms and one kind of phoronid.

Colony division

Some bee species, like Apis dorsata, show a behavior called budding. In this process, a group of worker bees leaves their original nest and builds a new one close by. This behavior is not common in these bees but has been seen in nature.

Virology

In virology, budding is a way that viruses spread. Some viruses get their outer layer from the host cell. The cell membrane pushes out and wraps around the virus, helping it to move away. This process is important for how these viruses live and spread.

Plant multiplication

See also: Shield budding, Vegetative reproduction, and Chip budding

In farming and gardening, budding is a way to grow new plants. It means putting a bud from one plant onto another plant. This joins parts from different plants to make a new one.