Which organism can reproduce both sexually and asexually?

dog
dog

starfish
starfish

protist
protist

sandhill crane

protist

The organism that can reproduce both sexually and asexually is the protist.

The organism that can reproduce both sexually and asexually is protist. To arrive at this answer, we can first eliminate options that we know for certain cannot reproduce in both ways. Dogs and sandhill cranes are multicellular organisms that reproduce sexually, meaning they require the involvement of two parents to produce offspring. On the other hand, starfish are capable of asexual reproduction, where they can regenerate from parts of their body. This leaves us with protists as the remaining option.

Protists are a diverse group of unicellular organisms that can reproduce both sexually through the fusion of gametes (sex cells) and asexually through methods such as binary fission (splitting in half) or budding (outgrowth and detachment of a smaller clone). They have a complex life cycle that allows them to reproduce in both ways.