Every single living organism on the planet – whether it’s an insect, animal, or plant – multiplies through the process of reproduction, though not every single organism reproduces the same way. Sure, the overwhelming majority of living organisms out there reproduce sexually open there a male and a female organism are required to multiply), but a significant amount of plants, insects, and even animals are able to reproduce all on their own through the process of binary fission or asexual reproduction.
The most commonly used form of reproduction when it comes to single cell organisms, there are definitely some significant advantages and disadvantages to this kind of biological approach. To learn a little bit more about everything that binary fission brings to the table, check out the inside information we are able to share with you below.
Let’s dive right in!
List of Pros of Binary Fission
1. There is no need for another organism to reproduce.
Easily the biggest advantage of all the advantages that binary fission brings to the table, the ability to completely reproduce another living organism from a single “parent” organism is significant.
2. The reproductive process is usually quite rapid.
Because there is no need for another partner organism for reproduction the binary fission process usually happens quite quickly and doesn’t need a lot of the “incubation” time that more traditional sexual reproduction processes require.
3. Binary fission has a very short growth period.
Aside from the reproductive process taking next to no time at all with binary fission the actual growth and development of that reproduced organism is also quite rapid. This allows for the binary fission process to really compound and multiply rapidly, going from a single parent organism to hundreds or even thousands of reproduced organisms in no time at all.
List of Cons of Binary Fission
1. Binary fission encourages genetic mutation.
When you’re talking about a reproductive process that does not introduce genetic diversity you are talking about a process that is right for all kinds of genetic mutations. This can really dilute and destroys the future gene pool for binary fission to draw from moving forward.
2. A lack of genetic diversity lowers survival chances.
On top of the disadvantage above, binary fission also dramatically reduces the amount of genetic diversity in of reproduced organisms which is only going to hinder their ability to survive. The source genetic material and all its weaknesses will be passed on to the replicated and reproduced organism as a carbon copy.