A farmer decides to plant flowers on a piece of land that is often affected by disease. The farmer claims that flowers that reproduce asexually would not be a wise choice for this particular section of land. Which argument, describing offspring that are reproduced through asexual reproduction, best supports the farmer's claim?

Question

A.

The offspring have identical genes and would all be vulnerable to the same diseases.
B.

The offspring have more mutations that cause other crops to be vulnerable to diseases.
C.

The offspring have more mutations that cause them to be less capable of fending off diseases.
D
.

The offspring have different combinations of genes and would all be vulnerable to more diseases.

Answer 1

A. The offspring have identical genes and would all be vulnerable to the same diseases.

This argument supports the farmer's claim because if the flowers reproduce asexually and have identical genes, they would all be susceptible to the same diseases. This lack of genetic diversity leaves them vulnerable to being wiped out by the same disease affecting one member of the population.