AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -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-2: -Mutations and recombination are major sources of variation.

Detailed explanation-3: -Genetic variation can be caused by mutation (which can create entirely new alleles in a population), random mating, random fertilization, and recombination between homologous chromosomes during meiosis (which reshuffles alleles within an organism’s offspring).

Detailed explanation-4: -Genetic variation is also introduced by random fertilization of the gametes produced by meiosis. Any of the genetically unique sperm generated by a male may fertilize the genetically unique egg produced by a female.

Detailed explanation-5: -The crossover events are the first source of genetic variation produced by meiosis. A single crossover event between homologous non-sister chromatids leads to an exchange of DNA between chromosomes.