Benefits of Mitosis
Mitosis creates identical copies of the original cells. This allows our skin or our liver to be made of identical cells and allows plants to be able to mass produce leaves with identical properties. Imagine if every one of our skin cells had different DNA!
Mitosis creates identical copies of the original cells. This allows our skin or our liver to be made of identical cells and allows plants to be able to mass produce leaves with identical properties. Imagine if every one of our skin cells had different DNA!
Disadvantages Mitosis
Some single cell organisms and some plants do not reproduce sexually through meiosis. Rather, they use mitosis only to make exact copies of their cells. The major disadvantage of this approach is that all of the organisms in a population or all of the plants in an area will have the exact same DNA. If a new disease comes along every single organism or plant will be wiped out because if one organism or plant is unable to fight the disease that means none can fight the disease.
Mitosis also does not produce any variation. So, a plant that reproduces through mitosis won't have the chance to produce offspring that might be better than the parent.
Some single cell organisms and some plants do not reproduce sexually through meiosis. Rather, they use mitosis only to make exact copies of their cells. The major disadvantage of this approach is that all of the organisms in a population or all of the plants in an area will have the exact same DNA. If a new disease comes along every single organism or plant will be wiped out because if one organism or plant is unable to fight the disease that means none can fight the disease.
Mitosis also does not produce any variation. So, a plant that reproduces through mitosis won't have the chance to produce offspring that might be better than the parent.
Benefits of Meiosis
Meiosis continually reshuffles the genes resulting in a great variety of offspring. Without meiosis we would all look exactly alike. Meiosis allows each offspring to be different, and so potentially better, than the parent. If a disease comes along, there is a good chance that some of the population won't get sick or die because everyone's DNA isn't exactly alike.
Meiosis continually reshuffles the genes resulting in a great variety of offspring. Without meiosis we would all look exactly alike. Meiosis allows each offspring to be different, and so potentially better, than the parent. If a disease comes along, there is a good chance that some of the population won't get sick or die because everyone's DNA isn't exactly alike.
Disadvantages Meiosis
An organism cannot reproduce all by itself, but must find another organism to reproduce. This takes more time and energy than simply being able to created a clone through mitosis.
An organism cannot reproduce all by itself, but must find another organism to reproduce. This takes more time and energy than simply being able to created a clone through mitosis.