Sex and evolution.

TLDR

Williams outlines the conditions determining when organisms with both sexual and asexual reproduction choose each mode, beginning with meiosis. The book investigates how different reproductive modes influence evolution. It examines the evolution of sexual forms—including anisogamy and hermaphroditism—male–female strategy differences, and the impact of genetic recombination on evolutionary dynamics. Williams concludes that in low‑fecundity higher organisms, sexual reproduction is largely maladaptive and persists only because an asexual alternative is unavailable.

Abstract

This book explores the relationship between various types of reproduction and the evolutionary process. Starting with the concept of meiosis, George C. Williams states the conditions under which an organism with both sexual and asexual reproductive capacities will employ each mode. He argues that in low-fecundity higher organisms, sexual reproduction is generally maladaptive, and persists because there is no ready means of developing an asexual alternative. The book then considers the evolutionary development of diverse forms of sexuality, such as anisogamy, hermaphroditism. and the evolution of differences between males and females in reproductive strategy. The final two chapters examine the effect of genetic recombination on the evolutionary process itself.