I actually expect a genuine explanation for evolution of sexes...
2007-06-29 03:55:56 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Can anyone discuss it at molecular level? If so, I welcome those guests with alerted photoreceptors...
2007-06-29 21:36:37 · update #1
Asexually organisms have no sexes; they reproduce usually by simple mitosis and offspring are (fission) genetically identical except for mutations and such. There are also some non-asexual animals that have double sexes such that it can impregnate another of its kind while being impreganated at the same time (hermaprhoditism). Also, in some cases, when two asexual organisms are in contact, they may exchange some genetic material via capsules in order to variate offspring, this is usually the case in bacteria. Asexual in fact refers to no-sex.........
2007-06-29 04:02:19 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
There seems to be some confusion here: many sexual organisms can still reproduce asexually - many plants, for instance can reproduce either sexually (flowers/seeds) or asexually (clonal growth, root shoots, etc.), or both ways at once. Sort of hedging your bets, genetically speaking. There are some animals that reproduce in a variety of asexual manner - parthenogenetically-produced kids are essentially natural clones. Some lizards (can't remember the type - whiptails?) are obligately parthenogenetic; no males in the population. Others apparently have the option to reproduce parthenogenetically if there happen to be no males about. There may be others - there's lots we still don't know about many animals, simply because nobody has watched them for any length of time.
Sex is a great way of dealing with changing conditions by shuffling the genetic deck to produce a variety of ability sets in the kids. If the conditions are pretty stable, though, it's better to make all your kids have the best set of abilities to deal with that type of condition, and that means asexual reproduction is better. Sex and gender are surprisingly variable across the animal and plant kingdoms - there's lots of ways to get the 'deck-shuffling' result.
2007-06-29 12:01:58 · answer #2 · answered by John R 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It took hundreds of millions of years for sexuality to develop. Sexuality protected the individuality of the partner and ultimately the survival of the better adapted offspring.
2007-06-29 11:10:22 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I agree with Omnicorn Lorenzo on this one, since I don't really understand the question...sorry
2007-06-29 11:10:54 · answer #4 · answered by Joka B 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Why don't you ask these wierdo animals of yours?!!
Sorry, but I need the points!
2007-06-29 14:03:35 · answer #5 · answered by La Bella Vixen 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋