Asexual Reproduction Flashcards
1
Q
What are the advantages of asexual reproduction regarding energy expenditure?
A
- all individuals can produce offspring
- therefore no expenditure of energy to produce gametes or find a mate
2
Q
What are the advantages of asexual reproduction regarding the speed of the process?
A
- simple and fast
- as it only involves mitosis
3
Q
What are the advantages of asexual reproduction regarding stable conditions?
A
- very useful in unchanging, stable conditions
- i.e. if the parent is well adapted to a particular environment, the genetically identical offspring will also be well adapted
4
Q
What are the advantages of asexual reproduction regarding mutation?
A
- a favourable mutation can spread rapidly
- enabling the population to adapt quickly to new environmental conditions
- i.e. resistance to antibiotics and insecticides
5
Q
What are the disadvantages of asexual reproduction regarding variation?
A
- no variation in the offspring as there is no recombination of alleles
- if the environment changes, the population may be unable to adapt to the new conditions and could die out
6
Q
What are the disadvantages of asexual reproduction regarding crowding?
A
- overcrowding may occur
- resources such as food might be in short supply
