Advantages and disadvantages of sexual and asexual reproduction
Sexual reproduction involves two parents and the joining of male and female gametes during fertilisation. The offspring inherit a mixture of genes from both parents, so are different to each other and their parents.
The advantages of sexual reproduction:
produces genetic variation in the offspring
the species can adapt to new environments due to variation, which gives them a survival advantage
a disease is less likely to affect all the individuals in a population
In asexual reproduction there is only one parent. The offspring are clones of the parent and each other.
The advantages of asexual reproduction include:
the population can increase rapidly when the conditions are favourable
only one parent is needed
it is more time and energy efficient as you don't need a mate
it is faster than sexual reproduction
The disadvantages of sexual reproduction:
time and energy are needed to find a mate
it is not possible for an isolated individual to reproduce
The disadvantages of asexual reproduction include:
it does not lead to genetic variation in a population
the species may only be suited to one habitat
disease may affect all the individuals in a population
Examples in the natural world
Bacterial reproduction
Bacteria, such as E. coli, reproduce asexually. An advantage of this is that they can produce many bacteria very quickly. A disadvantage is that all of the bacteria are genetically identical. If an antibiotic was used on the bacteria, then all of them would die. The population would be wiped out. The only way for variation to be introduced into the population is by random mutation.
Rabbit reproduction
Most animals reproduce sexually, for example, rabbits. The process of sexual reproduction introduces variation into the species because the alleles that the mother and the father carry are mixed together in the offspring. A disadvantage is that sexual reproduction takes longer than asexual reproduction. A mate must be found, the egg must be fertilised by sperm, and then the offspring develop. The benefit of introducing genetic variation into the species, however, outweighs this disadvantage. If a disease were to hit the rabbit population, then perhaps not all of the rabbits would be affected because of the variation in the population. This means that some individuals would survive and be able to reproduce and generate more offspring.
Asexual and sexual reproduction in fungi
Some fungi are able to reproduce both sexually and asexually. Fungi reproduce using spores which they release into the environment. A new fungus will grow from the spore. The Coprinus cinereus fungus can produce spores by sexual reproduction to help create variation in the species. This method of reproduction is advantageous when the environment is changing because the variation introduced leads to an increase in the probability that a variant that can deal with the change. Coprinus cinereus also produces spores by asexual reproduction. These spores can be produced quickly and in large numbers to enable many individual fungi to develop. A disadvantage of these spores is that they generate offspring that are unlikely to be resistant to unfavourable conditions because they are all genetically identical.
Common inkcap mushrooms
Some mushrooms can carry out both asexual and sexual reproduction depending on their environment
Explanation:spores can be produced quickly and in large numbers to enable many individual fungi to develop. A disadvantage of these spores is that they generate offspring that are unlikely to be resistant to unfavourable conditions because they are all genetically identical.
Common inkcap mushrooms
Some mushrooms can carry out both asexual and sexual reproduction depending on their environment
