In the living world, there is a great deal of genetic variation. The genetic information of dogs differs from the genetic information of cats. The genetic information of plants differs from the genetic information of bacteria. Your genetic information differs from your father's genetic information, and so on.
Which of the following is least likely to be a source of genetic variation among living organisms?
A.
asexual reproduction
B.
sexual reproduction
C.
mutations
D.
meiosis
D. meiosis
Meiosis is a process of cell division that produces gametes (sperm and egg cells) with half the number of chromosomes as a regular cell. While meiosis can contribute to genetic variation through the process of crossing over and independent assortment, it is not as significant of a source of genetic variation compared to sexual reproduction, mutations, or asexual reproduction.