Living things use many strategies for producing offspring, but most strategies fall neatly into the categories of either sexual
or asexual reproduction. Asexual reproduction involves a single parent. It results in offspring that are genetically identical to each other and to the parent. All prokaryotes and some eukaryotes reproduce this way. Sexual reproduction involves two parents. During sexual reproduction, parents produce reproductive cells, called gametes, that unite to form an offspring. Gametes are haploid cells. This means they contain only half the number of chromosomes found in other cells of the organism. The chromosomes sort randomly during the process of meiosis, each gamete receiving half the chromosomes from each parent. Gametes are united during the process of fertilization. Either type of reproduction will result in the continuation of a species, but one method results in genetic variation as well. Which of these is NOT a reason why sexual reproduction better serves survival of the fittest and evolution of a species. A) Sexual reproduction increases the likelihood that a mutation might take place in an organism's DNA. B) Sexual reproduction may reduce the chances of inheriting a genetically inherited disease of condition. C) Random assortment of chromosomes increases genetic variation. An organisms may get traits that aid in survival. D) Genetic variation may aid in removing undesirable traits or weakness from a population and therefore aids in natural selection.
