Compare asexual and sexual reproduction.

While asexual reproduction involves only one organism, sexual reproduction requires both male and female. Some plants and unicellular organisms reproduce asexually. Most mammals and fish use sexual reproduction. Some organisms, such as corals, can reproduce sexually as well as asexually. But in the long term (over several generations), the lack of sexual reproduction compromises their ability to adapt to their environment, since they do not benefit from the genetic variation introduced through sexual reproduction.