Sexual production / Asexual production-What are the benifts?

[handbanana]

Many organisms can survive w/asexual reproduction (amoeba, plants like ferns). So why the evolution to sexual? What make sexual better that asexual? Examples?

thanks!

[alextemplet]

Sexual reproduction allows more diversity in the gene pool, which enavles evolution to progress at a faster rate and makes the species more adaptable.

[woolleyy]

and its a hell of a lot more fun!

[Sarah-kathleen]

asexual = small gene pool. this causes many genetic disorders and is dangerous for the species because should a disease or virus overcome a species such as an epidemic, then the rest of the population either adapt or are surely doomed.

sexual= more diverse gene pool, better chance for survival, and is more likely to cause variation

[Lupus_Romanus]

One advantage of asexual reproduction is the ability (in general) to colonise an area a lot more rapidly than a species that reproduces sexually. However, any disadvantageous mutations in an asexual population are quickly fixed and passed on to all offspring.

[alextemplet]

Hey, your screen name is Roman Wolf. That's interesting.

[mathkilla]

as Sarah stated, asexual mechanism leaves the pop. vulnerable, so sexual reproduction was evolved. Their happens to be a hypothesis, called the Red Queen hypothesis, (don't know if it was made up or not) that states that viruses (pathogens also like bacteria) help create the mechanism of sexual reproduction. Viruses constantly change and find new ways to infect its host which causes the host organism to change its genetic makeup to deter the viruses, its like a cat and mouse game.

[AstusAleator]

Hey, your screen name is Roman Wolf. That's interesting.

Ok Mr. smartypants, what's my name?

[alextemplet]

Mind you it is not my pants that are smart at all; it's my shoes.

[Darby]

You could make a case for sexual reproduction being necessary in the evolution of greater size.

Asexual reproduction has the advantage of being actual reproduction (think about it), but that brings about the weaknesses mentioned above. They aren't overwhelming weaknesses - there are more asexual organisms by far on the planet. But getting around the "copies are all equally vulnerable" problem requires the production of huge numbers of offspring (this produces variation and lowers the odds of them all being "gotten" by something).

It's hard to be multicellular (sort of okay if you're tiny) and be that prolific, but variation is important. The weird development of genetic mixing set up a world of trees and mushrooms and zebras.