Question

What are the advantages of sexual over asexual reproduction?

Answer 1

Hint: Reproduction is a biological process in which an organism gives rise to young ones similar to itself. There are two major types of reproduction in biological world Asexual and Sexual.

Complete Answer:
Sexual reproduction:
- In sexual reproduction, individuals are formed by the fusing of male & female gametes. On the other hand in asexual reproduction no fusion of gametes takes place and the offspring is genetically similar to the parent.
- In sexual reproduction offspring possess the characters of both parents, but in asexual reproduction they possess only one parent characters.
- In sexual reproduction gametes are produced in gonads which are mesodermal in origin.
- Male gamete produced from one sex i.e. male. Male gamete i.e. sperm motile in nature and haploid.
- Female gamete produced from another sex i.e. female. Female gamete, i.e. ovum non motile in nature & haploid.
- Fusion of two haploid gametes form a diploid zygote. Fusion of gametes is called syngamy.

Asexual reproduction:
- In asexual reproduction, no gametes are formed.
- In sexual reproduction mitosis and meiosis occur, but in asexual reproduction only mitosis occur.
- In sexual reproduction variations occur due to generic recombination these recombination are responsible for variations asexual reproduction.
- Sexual reproduction provides gametes diversity in the genetic make-up of the offering this is due to combination of genes from two different individual but this is not show in asexual reproduction.
- Asexual reproduction is less diverse in nature.
- The chance of survival of sexual reproduction organism is more than those produced by asexual reproduction, this is because genetic variation help them to adopt in different environment.

Note:
- Due to sexual reproduction variation occurring, variation plays an important role in evaluation.
- Sexual reproduction occurs in all types of animals & Plants mostly in higher plants & animals.
- Asexual reproduction occurs in lower invertebrates, lower chordates & lower plants.