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Meiosis Notes

Asexual reproduction results in offspring that are genetically similar to the parent with less genetic diversity than sexual reproduction. This similarity can be beneficial in a stable environment but disadvantageous if the environment changes, as the lineage has less ability to adapt. While asexual reproduction avoids complications from genetic recombination, it ultimately stifles evolutionary change by not facilitating the rapid generation of new genetic diversity needed to adapt to a changing world.

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Khadija Prescott
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46 views

Meiosis Notes

Asexual reproduction results in offspring that are genetically similar to the parent with less genetic diversity than sexual reproduction. This similarity can be beneficial in a stable environment but disadvantageous if the environment changes, as the lineage has less ability to adapt. While asexual reproduction avoids complications from genetic recombination, it ultimately stifles evolutionary change by not facilitating the rapid generation of new genetic diversity needed to adapt to a changing world.

Uploaded by

Khadija Prescott
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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A consequence of asexual reproduction, which may have both benefits and costs, is

that offspring are typically genetically similar to their parent. The lack of genetic
recombination results in fewer genetic alternatives than with sexual reproduction.
Many forms of asexual reproduction, for example budding or fragmentation produce
exact replicas of the parent. This genetic similarity may be beneficial if the
genotype is well-suited to a stable environment, but disadvantageous if the
environment is changing. For example, if a new predator or pathogen appears and a
genotype is particularly defenseless against it, an asexual lineage is more likely to
be completely wiped out by it. In contrast, a lineage that reproduces
sexually has a higher probability of having more members survive
due to the genetic recombination that produces a novel genotype in
each individual. Similar arguments apply to changes in the physical
environment. From an evolutionary standpoint, one could thus argue that asexual
reproduction is inferior because it stifles the potential for change. However, there is
also a significantly reduced chance of mutation or other complications that can
result from the mixing of genes.
Asexual reproduction is relatively rare among multicellular organisms, for reasons
that are not completely understood. Current hypotheses suggest that, while asexual
reproduction may have short term benefits when rapid population growth is
important or in stable environments, sexual reproduction offers a net advantage by
allowing more rapid generation of genetic diversity, allowing adaptation to changing
environments.

NB: Asexual reproduction has no net advantage because it does not facilitate rapid
generation of genetic diversity, allowing no adaptation to a changing environment.

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