4.6.1.3 Advantages and disadvantages of sexual and asexual reproduction

Question 1

What are the advantages of sexual reproduction?

Answer 1

• Produces variation in the offspring
• If the environment changes variation gives a survival advantage by natural selection
• Natural selection can be speeded up by humans in selective breeding to increase food production
• Adapt to changing conditions

Question 2

What are the advantages of asexual reproduction?

Answer 2

• Only one parent needed
• More time and energy efficient as do not need to find a mate
• Faster than sexual reproduction (allows the single organisation to quickly colonise a new area)
• Many identical offspring can be produced when conditions are favourable

Question 3

What are the disadvantages of asexual reproduction?

Answer 3

• If a new disease comes along and one of the offspring (clones) are susceptible to it, it can wipe out the whole population
• The offsprings have a less chance of adapting to new conditions such as:
  
  • Changes in the climate
  • Introduction of a new competitor

Question 4

What are the disadvantages of sexual reproduction?

Answer 4

• Takes more time and energy:
  
  • Animals have to find potential mate
  • Need to impress their mate (why some
    birds have colourful feathers)

Question 5

Some organisms reproduce by both methods depending on the circumstances.
- How do malarial parasites reproduce?

Answer 5

• Asexually in the human host
• Sexually in the mosquito

Question 6

Some organisms reproduce by both methods depending on the circumstances.
- How do fungi reproduce?

Answer 6

• Asexually by spores
• Also sexually to give variation

Question 7

Some organisms reproduce by both methods depending on the circumstances.
- How do plants reproduce?

Answer 7

• Produced seeds sexually
• Reproduce asexually by runners such as strawberry plants or bulb divisions such as daffodils