Term (ancient Greek klōn = branch, shoot, sapling) for offspring produced from an organism through asexual (non-generative) reproduction. In humans, identical twins form a natural clone (but with different fingerprints, as these are not exclusively genetic). In plants, this is called vegetative reproduction, when new plants are regenerated from certain tissue parts of an original plant. This initially results in genetically completely identical organisms with hereditary characteristics that are 100% identical copies (duplicates) of the original type.
Through spontaneously occurring mutations that accumulate during the life phase, these copies slowly but steadily diverge from the original vine in small steps. However, one can only speak of mutants from a certain larger morphological and genetic extent of change.
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Markus J. Eser
Weinakademiker und Herausgeber „Der Weinkalender“