Short answers, pulled from the story.
Asexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that does not involve the fusion of gametes or any change in chromosome number. Offspring inherit the full gene set from a single parent, making them genetically identical or near-identical clones, whereas sexual reproduction combines genetic material from two parents.
The Komodo dragon is the largest documented animal capable of parthenogenetic reproduction, reaching ten feet in length and over three hundred pounds. Female Komodo dragons can produce offspring without a male.
Aphids practice heterogony, alternating between asexual and sexual reproduction. During the growing season, females reproduce asexually and are born pregnant, producing only female offspring. In the fall, environmental cues trigger sexual reproduction and egg-laying to prepare for the next season.
Androgenesis is a form of reproduction in which offspring carry exclusively paternal nuclear genes. It occurs when the maternal nuclear genome is eliminated from the zygote or when the female produces an egg with no nucleus. It has been observed naturally in clams, stick insects, ants, some fish, and other animals.
Bdelloid rotifers have reproduced exclusively asexually for millions of years, and all individuals in the class Bdelloidea are female. They have persisted through this period partly due to an efficient mechanism for repairing DNA double-strand breaks.
In facultative parthenogenesis, females can reproduce both sexually and asexually, typically switching to asexual reproduction only when a mate is unavailable, as seen in female zebra sharks. In obligate parthenogenesis, females reproduce asexually exclusively; the desert grassland whiptail lizard is one example, and it has established stable populations through this method alone.