Why male and female?

If evolution is giving advantages to what works better why would a huge
amount of life require two different sexes to evolve at the same time so
they work with one another? It seems to me getting the next generation to
show up would be a lot easier if that wasn't required. Not a loaded question
it just hit me so I thought I'd ask you guys.
Kelly

Originally posted by KellyJay
If evolution is giving advantages to what works better why would a huge
amount of life require two different sexes to evolve at the same time so
they work with one another? It seems to me getting the next generation to
show up would be a lot easier if that wasn't required. Not a loaded question
it just hit me so I thought I'd ask you guys.
Kelly

Are you asking how the male and female of a new species show up at the same time?

I hope not ... 😞

Being an individual of a two-sex species means throwing away half of your genes when it comes to procreating, so this is a legitimate question to ask about the theory of evolution.

The answer that I (a layman when it comes to science) have heard is that having two sexes forces a mixing of genes that provides a moving target for parasitic organisms to have to deal with.

Someone here may be able to expound on this.

Originally posted by wolfgang59
Are you asking how the male and female of a new species show up at the same time?

I hope not ... 😞

Your wife's always late then too? 😵

-m.

Originally posted by wolfgang59
Are you asking how the male and female of a new species show up at the same time?

I hope not ... 😞

Not necessarily at the same time. Just within a reasonable time to allow for procreation. Seems like an awful lot of coincidences, doesn't it? The general idea has been that it takes long periods of time to get small changes that eventually accumulate into large changes.

The Instructor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_sexual_reproduction

Originally posted by KellyJay
If evolution is giving advantages to what works better why would a huge
amount of life require two different sexes to evolve at the same time so
they work with one another? It seems to me getting the next generation to
show up would be a lot easier if that wasn't required. Not a loaded question
it just hit me so I thought I'd ask you guys.
Kelly

There are two aspects:
Sexual reproduction which allows the mixing of genes which dramatically speeds up evolution thus allowing faster adaptation to the changing environment. Generally all the more complex life forms reproduce sexually.
Sexual dimorphism which is, I think, what you also ask about allows for specialization of the two sexes which allows a greater range of behaviour overall and greater variety of genes. There are various advantages and as far as I can see very little costs. You say it would take 'a huge amount', but don't say what it takes a huge amount of. What do you think the cost/difficulty is?

Originally posted by twhitehead
There are two aspects:
Sexual reproduction which allows the mixing of genes which dramatically speeds up evolution thus allowing faster adaptation to the changing environment. Generally all the more complex life forms reproduce sexually.
Sexual dimorphism which is, I think, what you also ask about allows for specialization of the two sexes which allows ...[text shortened]... unt', but don't say what it takes a huge amount of. What do you think the cost/difficulty is?

He said, "hugh amount of life." You apparently stopped reading too soon.

The Instructor

octopus 🙂 and moluscs - some can breed with them selves and have male and female organs - they only reproduce with one another to spread there dna.

Originally posted by KellyJay
If evolution is giving advantages to what works better why would a huge
amount of life require two different sexes to evolve at the same time so
they work with one another? It seems to me getting the next generation to
show up would be a lot easier if that wasn't required. Not a loaded question
it just hit me so I thought I'd ask you guys.
Kelly

If there was no sexual reproduction with male and female, evolution would proceed at even more of a snails pace than it is now. The whole idea is to reshuffle the deck, like in cards you reshuffle and maybe you end up with a better hand.

It is a lot deeper than that but that is the general idea. It's amazing to me how some plants and trees have extremely complicated DNA structures, like 2 or 3 times the genome set as humans. I think that has to do with the way they have reproduced over millions of years and genes get added to the pool from earlier versions which I think means it has the ability to change really fast to environmental stresses such as drought or fire and changing CO2 in the atmosphere. DNA is like a computer and when plants are stressed
a different stretch of DNA is activated, the answer to the stress already there from that plant having dealt with stresses before.

Originally posted by RJHinds
Not necessarily at the same time. Just within a reasonable time to allow for procreation. Seems like an awful lot of coincidences, doesn't it? The general idea has been that it takes long periods of time to get small changes that eventually accumulate into large changes.

The Instructor

Read pulitzer prize winning book, "The Beak of the Finch". Evolution can happen rather rapidly, within a few decades or less. Individuals within a specie have small differences. We tend to notice differences in our own species and in domesticated animals with whom we live rather than in a finch. These tiny differences can become crucial for survival when there are great changes in weather (not climate) such as a severe drought. Another classic example is that of a pale colored moth common in London prior to the Industrial Revolution. Once soot turned tree trunks dark, the moths almost disappeared becuae they became very easy for birds to pick off. Several were born with a mutation causing a dark color. Soon all of the specie were dark as those carrying this gene were able to live long enough to procreate. And there you have the core of evolution. It makes far more sense to me that God would put in motion an elegant plan that allows living things to evolve over time to adapt to a changing planet. Even the creation story, which starts out with an empty fermament, and then over time evolves, can easily be interpreted as evolution. Indeed, it is this interpretation that allows those with half a brain to remain religious while embracing science and rational thought.

Originally posted by wolfgang59
Are you asking how the male and female of a new species show up at the same time?

I hope not ... 😞

Its more than that, but that too is one of the many parts of the discussion.
Small changes over time unless planned had to have occurred with one
sex always changing to allow it to compliment the independent changes in
the other sex. This also would have had to occur in every species that went
from asexual to male and female.

All of those sexual changes would have had to happen, if I understand how
evolution was supposed to occur over time. So during these changes at the
on set there would have been an asexual creature under going changes
didn't require two sexes to procreate, while it could still produce off spring
the old way it was getting itself ready through random mutations to be able
to split into two sexes. I see that as very problematic, acquiring body parts
that were not being used for anything until the other sex was ready, then
there would have to been some type of instruction/command/desire to act
with the other sex. Along with the physical changes there had to be
behavioral changes as well, so they would have to know what to do and
want to.

I just don't think this is a simple feat through planning let a lone through
random mutations and natural selection.
Kelly

Originally posted by KellyJay
Its more than that, but that too is one of the many parts of the discussion.
Small changes over time unless planned had to have occurred with one
sex always changing to allow it to compliment the independent changes in
the other sex. This also would have had to occur in every species that went
from asexual to male and female.

All of those sexual chan ...[text shortened]... imple feat through planning let a lone through
random mutations and natural selection.
Kelly

Did you read the Wikipedia entry that I posted?

Since the answer to that question is no, perhaps you should.

Originally posted by sonhouse
If there was no sexual reproduction with male and female, evolution would proceed at even more of a snails pace than it is now. The whole idea is to reshuffle the deck, like in cards you reshuffle and maybe you end up with a better hand.

It is a lot deeper than that but that is the general idea. It's amazing to me how some plants and trees have extremel ...[text shortened]... ated, the answer to the stress already there from that plant having dealt with stresses before.

I tend to think of life as a higher form of computers in that DNA is coded to
do things within living systems so that rules are in place, commands with
start stops are there and so on. This in my opinion does not help the debate
on why two sexes would ever just occur. I like the comment about some
creatures being asexual, but that does not give reason why a split would
occur into two different sexes, it really only shows two sexes are never
really required, it is a unnecessary complication to the whole process.
Kelly

Originally posted by KazetNagorra
Did you read the Wikipedia entry that I posted?

Since the answer to that question is no, perhaps you should.

No, not yet but plan on it, sorry for delay about to head out the door no
time. Thanks for the link.
Kelly