Question

Using specific events in the formation of gametes and zygotes, describe why there is a greater diversity in sexual reproduction than in asexual reproduction.

Answer 1

Sexual reproduction is when a new living organism is produced from two parents with different genetic information. A difference between 2 parent's genetic information creates a genetic diversity. Think of a horse and a donkey mating, they create a different animal which is a mule. This makes mules among horses and donkeys to be diverse.

Asexual reproduction organism only comes from a single parent and are genetically the same. If you know the difference between sexual and asexual reproduction, you can easily know why there's a big diversity in sexual reproduction organisms than the asexually reproductive ones.

What are gametes and zygotes ?
Gametes are sex cells. Meaning, eggs and sperms are gametes. Zygote is the fertilizer that begins by the formations of an egg cell and a sperm cell to produce a single cell.

However, biology goes in depth of how sexual reproductive are more diverse. DNA plays a major role.

Are you familiar with crossing over during meiosis?

Answer 2

@Zale101 I would not say mules make horses and donkeys more diverse. All mules are sterile and cannot reproduce, which is why they are not a species or sub-species.

Answer 3

Yes @mrdoldum. This is why i said "they create a different animal which is a mule." I didn't say species. What i meant was mules among horses and donkeys are "distinct" altogether. Asexual reproduction from the same species, on the other hand, cannot reproduce "distinct" organisms.

Answer 4

@Zale101 There are ways, though the more proper term would be parasexual. Also, there are fungi that undergo self haploidization and because this can occur in the Dikarya, you can have a single, individual organism reproduce and have a distinct and different genome than the gametophyte cells.

Answer 5

Also, my issue you is with you saying "This makes mules among horses and donkeys to be diverse. " It does not create diversity because that genome in the mule is a dead-end, any unique genes or the like in the mule are never passed on and have no affect on the genetic diversity in horses and donkeys.

Answer 6

I see. Thanks for the correction @mrdoldum ! :)