Darwin Day Public Presentation: "WHY SEX; the evolution of a paradox"

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/b/4/event_196320692.jpegProfessor Monika Havelka is a Senior Lecturer in the Environment Programs at University of Toronto, Mississauga.

She received her PhD in Zoology at the University of Western Ontario and at UTM has taught a wide variety of courses in evolutionary biology, ecology and environmental science.

She was twice a semi-finalist and once a finalist in the TVO Best Lecturer Competition.

A big fan of experiential learning, she has taught field courses in Ecuador, Ontario and in the Arctic, as well as supervising many student research projects.

Sexual reproduction is one of the “facts of life” - or is it?

Although sex is common along the tree of life, it is by no means the only way to reproduce, and actually represents a significant evolutionary paradox. For an organism, sexual reproduction entails significant costs – survival costs, mating costs, and genetic costs. So, why did sex evolve and persist?

This lecture explores the costs and benefits of sex from an evolutionary perpective