Abstract
Parthenogenetic and sexual reproduction co-occur in many animals. In such groups, determination of the timescale over which parthenogenetic lineages can persist and provide an advantage over sexual reproduction is of considerable importance, as the adoption of either reproductive mode will confer various, but conflicting, adaptational advantages. Data derived from a survey of ostracod valves preserved in 34 Holocene freshwater sediment cores suggest that environmental fluctuations during a period of less than 5000 years were sufficient to provide an advantage to sexually reproducing ostracods over parthenogenetic forms. In addition, asexual species were found not to have colonized water bodies earlier than sexual forms, nor to have persisted for longer. When viewed over timescales such as these, subfossil Ostracoda offer little support for the `general purpose genotype' hypothesis of parthenogenesis, and also suggest that the short-term costs of sexual reproduction are rapidly outweighed by its advantages in a changing environment.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
