WHY SEX? -SEXUAL REPRODUCTION-TECHNICAL POINT OF VIEW FOR DISCUSSION
- Image via Wikipedia
Sex is Very Costly
- Large amounts of energy required to find a mate and do the mating: specialized structures and behavior required
- Intimate contact provides route for infection by parasites (AIDS, syphillis, etc.)
- Genetic costs: in sex you pass on only half your genes to your children
- Males are an expensive luxury- in most species they contribute little to rearing offspring
But There are Some Advantages
- More genetic diversity: more potential for survival of species when environmental conditions change
- Shuffling of genes in meiosis
- Crossing-over in meiosis