AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Sexual reproduction provides genetic diversity because the sperm and egg that are produced contain different combinations of genes than the parent organisms. Asexual reproduction, on the other hand, does not need sperm and eggs since one organism splits into two organisms that have the same combination of genes.

Detailed explanation-2: -Summary. Sexual reproduction has the potential to produce tremendous genetic variation in offspring. This variation is due to independent assortment and crossing-over during meiosis, and random union of gametes during fertilization.

Detailed explanation-3: -The genetic diversity has three different sources: mutation, recombination and immigration of genes. Mutation is the driving force of genetic variation and evolution. There are three types of DNA mutations: base substitutions (also called point mutations), deletions and insertions (Figure 1) [4].

Detailed explanation-4: -And not only does asexual reproduction lead to higher rates of genetic diversity, it also is two times more efficient than sexual reproduction.

Detailed explanation-5: -The advantage of sex has been suggested to be its ability, through recombination, to generate greater genetic diversity than asexuality, thus enhancing adaptation in a changing environment.