Microbes and invertebrates, such as amoebas and jellyfish, reproduce by pinching off parts of their own bodies. Various plants, including strawberries, send out shoots that go on to form separate organisms with their own root systems. One advantage of this asexual arrangement is that every member of a given species is capable of bearing offspring from its own body. Among sexually reproducing species, only females can have babies. Since females typically make up half of a given population, this means that sexually reproducing populations can only reproduce at half the rate of asexual ones.
Asexual reproduction is also efficient in times of environmental stability.
If an organism is well adapted to its environment, giving birth to genetic replicas makes a lot of sense. When an organism reproduces sexually, the very genes that may have insured its survival can be lost. These remaining genes are then further diluted when sex cells combine during mating. The offspring of these unions typically inherit only half of each parent's genes. Courtship, a common hallmark of sexual reproduction, can also require considerable energy and frustration.