Question

6) Which example represents a DISADVANTAGE of asexual reproduction? A) Genetic variety slowly causes hundreds of species of beetles to form from a single species. B) A single antibiotic is able to quickly and easily kill millions of genetically identical bacteria. C) Millions of bacteria are quickly produced by cell division, in one afternoon in a jug of milk that has been left on the counter. D) Male anglerfish must live on larger females as parasitic mates, since they encounter other anglerfish so infrequently in the deep ocean.

Answer 1

The answer is B. Asexual reproduction is when an organism creates another organism just using itself. That means that all of the organisms it produces are identical to that one organism. Think of it this way, two organisms that come together and reproduce make an organism that has a mix of their traits. So an organism that reproduces using itself will make an identical organism. A clone, if you will. I hope that makes sense.
But anyway, asexual reproduction results in genetically identical organisms.
Let’s say there’s a special type of antibiotic that’s made to kill bacteria. Bacteria is a prokaryote. They reproduce asexually, meaning their offspring has the same genes, same everything as them. If the antibiotic kills one bacteria, the rest will be killed, too. If it works for one, it has to work for the others too, since the bacteria are all the same!!