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Why sex for reproduction?

By Hank Campbell in Science 2.0
October 18, 2010
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Submitted by Hank on Mon, 10/18/2010 - 07:57
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In dioecious species you have males and females, and males do not directly produce offspring. The increase of the population is constrained by the number of females in such lineages (male gametes are cheap). There is no such limitation in asexual lineages, where every individual can contribute to reproductive “primary production.” Additionally, the mating dance is another cost of sex. Individuals expend time and energy seeking out mates, and may have to compete and display for the attention of all. Why bother?

The answer on the broadest-scale seems to be variation, says Razib Khan...

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