2007-03-21 14:11:28 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Natural selection requires a huge number of varieties in a species to be sucessful. For example, if a certain disease comes around, and everyone has relatively the whole species will die out. If there is varitation in the DNA of the species, some will be resistant to the disease, and the species will live on. Meiosis contributes to this wide variety of DNA of a species. If 23 chromosomes from one parent simply combined with the 23 from the other, eventually, the whole human species would meld together into one very similar race. In meiosis, genes can cross between homologous chromosomes, creating new possibilities for DNA combinations. This contributes to a wider variety of human DNA, and a greater chance that the human race will survive.
2007-03-21 15:05:05 · answer #1 · answered by redsox579 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
meiosis helps create genetic diversity
first, the tetrads (pairs of homologous chromosomes) separate, and if they crossed over, then the offspring will have a new mix of genes.
If the mix is a good one(naturally selected), the organism is likely to survive, reproduce, and pass on the genes
2007-03-21 21:17:49 · answer #2 · answered by jeffz6 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋