Under Which Conditions Would Asexual Plants Have the Greatest Advantage

Question

Under which conditions would asexual plants have the greatest advantage over sexual plants?
A) an environment that varies on a regular, predictable basis
B) an environment with irregular fluctuations of conditions
C) a relatively constant environment with infrequent disturbances
D) a fire-maintained ecosystem
E) an environment with many seed predators

Accepted Answer

In a relatively constant environment with infrequent disturbances, asexual plants have a greater advantage because they can pass on identical genetic material to their offspring and ensure that their successful adaptations are maintained in the population without the risk of genetic recombination from sexual reproduction.

Answer: D
 In a fire-maintained ecosystem, asexual plants have an advantage because they can rapidly colonize disturbed areas after a fire with their established root systems and clone themselves without having to rely on the chance of sexual reproduction.

Therefore, the correct answer is either C or D.