Question

sexual reproduction: variation = survival
3 a similar insect species reproduces through asexual reproduction. their populations are shown below. drag & drop an x over any individuals that you believe would not survive.
color of leaves in normal year
color of leaves in drought year
4 use this example to explain the main benefit of sexual reproduction.

Explanation:

In a drought - year, the green - colored insects on the pink (drought - affected) leaves are more likely to be seen by predators. Since asexual reproduction produces genetically identical offspring, there is less variation. In sexual reproduction, genetic variation occurs, increasing the chance that some individuals will have traits suitable for different environmental conditions like drought. Here, the lack of variation in asexual reproduction means insects may not adapt to the changed leaf color in drought.

Answer:

In the 'Color of leaves in drought year' image, the green - colored insects are the ones that would not survive as they are more visible to predators. The main benefit of sexual reproduction shown by this example is the creation of genetic variation, which increases the likelihood of some individuals having traits that can help them survive environmental changes like drought.