Is reproduction about replicating or mixing?
Since the appearance of life and for 2 billion years, living beings have reproduced asexually. Then, 1.5 billion years ago, living beings explored a new strategy: sexual reproduction. We are witnessing, once again, a fantastic innovation that will forever change the face of the planet.
There are two types of reproduction:
→ In asexual reproduction, a cell divides in two to create a copy of itself, without needing a partner. It's like copying and pasting. The first organisms to appear on Earth, such as bacteria, still reproduce this way.
→ The other strategy, sexual reproduction, requires the participation of two individuals: each contributes half of their DNA to create a new and unique being. Gene mixing proves very useful for adapting to environmental changes. The emergence of sexuality has also made it possible to deceive viruses: the greater the genetic diversity in a population, the greater the chances of surviving viruses.
Asexual / sexual reproduction:
Sexual reproduction offers major advantages in the face of change and threats. However, asexual reproduction, common among prokaryotes (cells without a nucleus), remains just as efficient. As proof, these organisms have not disappeared and are still thriving today!
Did you know ?
In most living beings, there are two sexes: male and female. But there are exceptions. The freshwater ciliate, a single-celled organism, has seven sexes. The common Schizophyllum, a pretty white mushroom that lives on dead wood, has 23,328. That's a lot of boxes on administrative forms!