In short, I claim that self-replication is accomplished with perfect efficiency only when the replicant performs all the work. By natural extension, this logic applies to reproduction.

Perfect efficiency is not practical, and so self-replication and reproduction occur at minimum through the acts of replicator and replicant. Hence, the efficiency of self-replication and reproduction is the ration of effort, of replicator and replicant; we should like to see the effort put more upon the replicant, and less upon the replicator, in order to minimise the complexity of the replicator.

I invite commentary and review of my claim and analysis.