All living organisms must have the ability to reproduce. Living things make more organisms like themselves. Whether the organism is a rabbit, or a tree, or a bacterium, life will create more life. If a species cannot create the next generation, the species will go extinct. Reproduction is the process of making the next generation and may be a sexual or an asexual process. Sexual reproduction involves two parents and the fusion of gametes , haploid sex cells from each parent. Sexual reproduction produces offspring that are genetically unique and increases genetic variation within a species. Asexual reproduction involves only one parent. It occurs without a fusion of gametes and produces offspring that are all genetically identical to the parent.
Context:
A liger is a species of cat created bt breading a lion with a tiger. A large amount of ligers are kept together in the hopes that the new species continues to thrive. Unfortunately it is found later that ligers cannot reproduce.
Q: Given a species loses the ability to reproduce, will its numbers increase or decrease?