Final answer:
Muller's ratchet suggests harmful mutations accumulate in asexual populations, whereas sexual reproduction offers benefits through genetic recombination and increased diversity, aiding survival in changing environments.
Step-by-step explanation:
Muller's ratchet is the idea that deleterious mutations accumulate in asexual populations. In such a situation, sex would be beneficial because it introduces genetic recombination, which can eliminate these mutations over successive generations. Sexual reproduction generates diversity within a population, creating various phenotypes that may improve survival chances in changing environments. This diversity is also crucial in the face of coevolution with other species, as predicted by the Red Queen hypothesis, which posits that constant adaptation is needed for a species to maintain its relative position in an ever-evolving ecosystem.