Final answer:
Starfish, facing increasing ocean temperatures, may find asexual reproduction through fragmentation advantageous as it allows for rapid population growth. Fragmentation involves the regeneration of new starfish from broken-off pieces, while sexual reproduction, involving meiosis and fertilization, is less common in difficult environmental conditions.
Step-by-step explanation:
In an environment experiencing increasing temperatures, starfish, or sea stars, find it advantageous to reproduce asexually to proliferate swiftly. The method they utilize is called fragmentation, which is a mode of asexual reproduction. When starfish arms are broken off, either naturally or, as in the case of fisheries workers trying to protect clam beds, intentionally, these arms can regenerate into new starfish. This regeneration results in an increase in the number of starfish, sometimes even doubling them, as both pieces can develop into whole new individuals. This form of reproduction leads to offspring that are genetically identical to the parent, which offers the advantage of quick propagation but limits genetic diversity.
Sexual reproduction, on the other hand, involves meiosis and fertilization but occurs less frequently in harsh or rapidly changing environments. Asexual reproduction like fragmentation allows for the immediate growth of a population, which is essential for species survival in a changing habitat.
It's notable that other forms of asexual reproduction, such as budding seen in yeasts, also enable rapid population growth. However, the success and rate of asexual reproduction are often checked by various ecological factors, including resource availability, predation, and accumulation of waste products in the environment.