Asexual vs. Sexual Reproduction

This video provides a demonstration of differences between sexual reproduction, which involves recombination through meiosis, and asexual reproduction, which does not.

Geneticist David Page uses fruits and vegetables to represent different alleles of genes. His demonstration shows that asexual, or clonal, reproduction is more advantageous in the short term, because more individuals produce offspring. However, sexual reproduction is more advantageous in the long run, because it’s possible for parents not to pass on detrimental mutations.

This animation is a clip from a 2001 Holiday Lecture Series, The Meaning of Sex: Genes and Gender.