BIO372 : Biological & Ecological Implications of Sex

Some of the most ubiquitous organisms in our environment, bacteria, produce offspring which are exact copies of the parent cell. They are fast - as fast as 20 minutes between generations - and efficient in producing individuals to take advantage of opportunities in the habitat.

This is a photograph of one of the final stages of asexual cell division (mitosis) in the whitefish. Next, the membrane of the cell will pinch down along the equator, creating two separate cells.

In this section, we will take a look at differences in reproductive modes: sexual versus asexual. We will examine the implications of reproductive mode for organism survival and adaptation.

In the previous section of the course, we considered an organism biologically successful if its behavior results in the survival and reproduction of other individuals possessing the same genes as it does. In this section we will see that sexual reproduction produces organisms with a mixture of genes from two parents and the process recombines the original genes in novel arrangements.

As you read the papers in the course pack, be particularly attentive to:

• Benefits & Trade-offs
• Sex Determination

After completing this module, you should be able to:

• Explain the differences in cell division between sexual and asexual reproduction
• Articulate alternative hypotheses concerning evolutionary adaptations of sexual or asexual reproduction
• Describe a variety of reproductive strategies in different organisms
• Put mammalian reproductive characteristics in a perspective including other species

To complete this module, you should:

• Read the papers for "Biological & Ecological Implications of Sex" in the course pack.
• Open and read the hyper-text lessons for each topic in the unit, including the links in the body of each lesson.
• Submit assignments by the dates indicated on their respective pages.