What is the difference between asexual and sexual reproduction? When are they used? How does meiosis relate?

Question

What is the difference between asexual and sexual reproduction? When are they used? How does meiosis relate?

Answer 1

a sexual means you reproduce on your own...no partner needed

example...pond snails

Answer 2

Asexual reproduction only requires one adult.

Daughters produced are genetically idential to the adult, therefore, any advantageous characteristics of the adult can be passed to its offsprings by asexual reproduction. Asexual reproduction involves mitosis.

Sexual reproduction involves 2 parents, where their gametes fuse tgt to form another offspring, this time round, it is meiosis taking place if i'm not wrong. Crossing over of chromosomes between non sister chrmatids of homologous chromosomes could occur, thus leading to genetic variation of offsprings produced.  

Answer 3

Asexual Reproduction

Asexual reproduction occurs when a single parent gives rise to offspring by itself. This occurs in simple micro-organisms and some fish and lizards. Whatever the species, if the animal is capable of asexually reproducing, it will create daughters that are genetically identical to it. With the exception of genetic mutation asid, only by mating with another creature can you recombine DNA for a truly unique offspring.

Examples:

Bacteria - divide to form identical daughter cells

Yeast - Yeast cells will bud, resulting in miniature copies of the parent cell

Hydras - microscopic, aquatic predators, hydras bud just like yeast: a tiny copy will form on the parents body, grow, then break off and become a new organism

Sexual Reproduction

Creatures that reproduce sexually just do what nature loves to do best. Two parents will exchange genetic material, and the offspring will express half the fathers genes and half the mothers, resulting in genetic diversity.

Meiosis and Mitosis.

Mitosis is the division of a cell into two copies of itself. DNA will self duplicate, then a whole copy moves into each cell.

Meiosis is very similar. Follow the same steps as mitosis, except after the complete division, both new cells will divide again into four cells. The DIFFERENCE is that before the second division, the DNA in each cell does NOT duplicate, but splits in half, resulting in four cells with only half the number of chromosomes found in normal cells. Thes "haploid" cells are gametes, or s*x cells (sperm and eggs)