.What advantage does crossing-over have for a species?

Crossing-over, which occurs during meiosis (the process of creating sex cells), provides the significant advantage of **increased genetic diversity** within a species.Here's a breakdown of why this is beneficial:* **New combinations of genes:** Crossing-over shuffles alleles (different versions of a gene) between homologous chromosomes. This creates new combinations of genes that didn't exist in either parent. Imagine a chromosome with genes for eye color and hair color. Crossing-over could lead to offspring with a combination of their mother's eye color and their father's hair color, even if those traits weren't found together in either parent.* **Adaptation to changing environments:** This increased genetic variation makes a species more resilient. If the environment changes, there's a higher chance that some individuals within the population will possess a combination of genes that allows them to survive and reproduce in the new conditions. Without this diversity, a species could be wiped out by a single environmental change.* **Resistance to disease:** Genetic diversity also plays a crucial role in disease resistance. If a population is genetically uniform, a disease that can exploit a weakness in one individual can likely affect all of them. With greater genetic diversity, some individuals may have genes that confer resistance to the disease, allowing them to survive and pass on those resistance genes.* **Evolutionary potential:** Ultimately, crossing-over fuels evolution. By constantly creating new genetic combinations, it provides the raw material for natural selection to act upon. The beneficial combinations are more likely to be passed on to future generations, leading to the gradual adaptation and evolution of the species over time.