Biosphere Contents

2. Diversity

Sexual reproduction may facilitate more rapid evolution than asexual reproduction

At first sight, sexual reproduction would appear to be less efficient than asexual reproduction; additional males in particular add nothing to the potential rate of increase of a population. The major advantage of sexual reproduction is that in each generation a new mix of genes is present in each individual. In this way, sexually reproducing organisms have more genetically diverse populations, that may be able to evolve more rapidly in response to changes in their environment. This is a key element in allowing them to survive in the face of disease-forming micro-organisms that can reproduce far more quickly.

Animals that reproduce sexually

What are the advantages of sexual over asexual reproduction?