Why is sexual reproduction more common in larger organisms? Is it necessary for larger organisms, are larger organisms necessary for it, or something in between?
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Anonymous2009-09-06 6:34
Asexual reproduction is the ultimate form of inbreeding.
Bacteria and the like can reproduce quickly, with a shitload of mutation, so they don't need to combine DNA all the time, but when you're a complex organism you're more sensitive to genetic defects, and you can't churn out as many children, so you'll want a safer way to experiment with genotypes that doesn't require as much random mutation and lets you combine traits from several successful lineages.
You could say larger organism use asexual reproduction a lot too, internally.
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Anonymous2009-09-06 19:05
>>1
You are asking what the EVOLUTIONARY ADVANTAGE is?