LIFE SCIENCE

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: -Sexual reproduction results in genetic variation, or genetic differences, between parents and offspring. Offspring inherit one set of chromosomes from each parent. So, an offspring has a mixture of chromosomes (and alleles) from its two parents. Sexual reproduction also results in genetic variation among siblings.

Detailed explanation-3: -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-4: -This leads to the paradoxical result that sexual reproduction can increase genetic variation but reduce species diversity. These results suggest that reducing the rate of appearance of genetic variation and the speed at which new species emerge may increase biodiversity in the long-term.

Detailed explanation-5: -Random fertilization increases genetic diversity. When a male gamete and a female gamete finally meet, each is the result of an immense number of genetic possibilities created during independent assortment and crossing over. Human diploid cells have 23 pairs of chromosomes.