= Apomixis
In <angiosperms>, <apomixis> produces an <embryo> through <asexual reproduction> within a <seed>, bypassing the usual combination of <meiosis> and fusion of <gametes>. It can preserve a maternal genetic combination across generations. It differs from <vegetative reproduction>, which propagates an individual through structures such as shoots or <rhizomes> rather than through <seeds>.
Producing a clonal <seed> requires coordinating more than one developmental event: retaining the maternal <chromosome> complement and initiating an <embryo> without ordinary <fertilization> are separate requirements. Rice research combining altered <meiosis> with redirected embryogenic gene activity demonstrated clonal propagation through <seeds>.<A male-expressed rice embryogenic trigger redirected for asexual propagation through seeds by Imtiyaz Khanday and others>[Nature 565, pp. 91–95; embryogenesis initiation and clonal seed propagation]{ref} In some forms of <apomixis>, <fertilization> is still needed to produce supporting <endosperm>, so an asexual <embryo> does not imply that every component of the <seed> develops without <fertilization>.
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