Abstract
Many parthenogenetic species are geographically more widely distributed and ecologically broader than their sexual relatives. This success in colonizing and invading abilities has been attributed in part to the existence of broadly adaptable genotypes which are able to survive and reproduce in unpredictable environments. Here we test the hypothesis that successful invading clones of the parthenogenetic cockroach, Pycnoscelus surinamensis, are such general purpose genotypes by comparing lifetime fertility and adult viability across four temperatures among six clones of P. surinamensis and its sexual ancestor, P. indices. There is significant heterogeneity among genotypes and/or temperatures for longevity, lifetime number of offspring and age at first brood. Some have extreme longevities at low temperatures, suggesting the presence of stowaway genotypes. One of these clones also has the highest reproduction at all temperatures. Females of the sexual species and many of the clones have both low survivorship and reproduction at lower temperatures. The results suggest that there is no one set of life history traits with respect to temperature tolerance that characterize all of the successfully invading clones.
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