Animal DNA degrades over time (biological aging), due to shortening of telomeres, mutations, etc. But why can you take a cutting of a plant of a certain age and the cutting seemingly resets its biological clock? A cutting from a 30 year old plant will live a full lifespan, versus lifespan – 30 years.
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Many plants (most perennials) are functionally immortal, specifically because of this reproduction by cutting, which essentially creates a clone of the parent plant. This is similar to bacteria and other very simple organisms which simply divide themselves to reproduce.
A current theory is that clonal reproduction is the most basic way to for a species to keep itself alive. In contrast, plants and animals that reproduce sexually are more likely to age and die off, the idea being that sexual reproduction can create a more diverse descendent that may be better suited to survive Thus, the parent organism(s) should die off after reproducing to reduce competition with their own descendants.
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