Is Sexual Reproduction Important?

        During the reading "Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation", Olivia Judson explains how many things in nature would not be existent if sexual reproduction did not exist. This includes how crickets chirp at night, and how the mighty horns of deer antlers grow. The reading also pointed out that the only way genes are mixed is through sexual reproduction. Mutations are an exception, however, creating completely new genes not possible anywhere else, for good or for bad. The reading specifically pointed out that sexual reproduction was the only way to adapt to the environment. This means that when a sexually reproductive species evolves into one that is asexually reproductive, it flourishes until the environment changes, but becomes extinct suddenly due to the lack of variety in the species. This means that the genes heavily influence the rate of survival and reproduction in a species. Another point given shows that a balance between the two needed things in the wild are very hard to balance out. For example, some birds can have huge, long tails in order to seduce females, but die to predators in lack of survival instinct. The opposite effect can happen in a similar manner. Along with this, the reading suggests that ways to seduce other organisms in a species are much more varied than the predictable amount of ways in order to avoid predators. This is only kept varied with mutations, which the book states are raw evolution which help vary any species, asexual or sexual. Much, however, is kept unclear in the reading, such as the question of how frequently mutations occur, or what type of species have used mutations to survive asexually, if at all.