Final answer:
Sexual reproduction provides genetic diversity beneficial in changing environments but requires significant energy for mating processes. Asexual reproduction allows rapid growth and guarantees trait inheritance but lacks genetic diversity, which may be risky in unstable environments.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sexual reproduction has several consequences that impact the survival and evolution of species. A direct answer in two lines is that sexual reproduction offers genetic variation among offspring, which is advantageous in changing environments but requires more energy and time due to finding mates and rearing offspring. Sexual reproduction involves the exchange of genetic material between two parents, leading to offspring with genetic variations. These variations can be beneficial for the population over time, providing an evolutionary advantage by enabling adaptation to different environments and potentials for survival in the face of diseases and changing conditions. However, sexual reproduction has disadvantages, such as the need for mating, which takes energy and time. Moreover, sexual populations grow at half the rate of asexual ones, since only females bear offspring, while males do not contribute directly to the number of offspring. Overall, sexual reproduction can be seen as a trade-off between the benefits of genetic diversity and the costs related to seeking and attracting mates.
Asexual reproduction, on the other hand, allows for rapid population growth and guarantees that successful parental traits are passed on to the offspring. However, it can be detrimental in unstable environments, as lack of genetic diversity may lead to the entire population being susceptible to a single threat. In summary, while sexual reproduction can be costly and slow, it promotes genetic diversity, which is crucial for long-term species survival.