Advantages & Disadvantages

• Sexual reproduction


  Offspring receive a mixture of genetic information from two parents
• Sexual reproduction


  • Produces variation in the offspring
  • Gives a species survival advantage by natural selection
  • Allows for selective breeding
• Asexual reproduction


  Only one parent is needed<|>More efficient in time and energy than sexual reproduction<|>Allows an organism to produce many genetically identical offspring rapidly
• Asexual reproduction


  • Risky because all offspring are genetically identical and could all die if conditions become unfavourable
• Malaria parasite life cycle

  1. Reproduces asexually in human host

  2. Reproduces sexually in mosquito vector
• Fungi


  • Reproduce asexually by producing spores
  • Can also reproduce sexually to produce variation
• Flowering plants


  • Can reproduce sexually to produce seeds
  • Can also reproduce asexually, e.g. strawberry plants sending out runners
• Daffodils


  • Can reproduce asexually by bulb division