Using Parthenogenetic Lineages to Identify Advantages of Sex |
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Authors: | Maurine Neiman Tanja Schwander |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA;(2) Evolutionary Genetics, Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands |
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Abstract: | The overwhelming predominance of sexual reproduction in nature is surprising given that sex is expected to confer profound
costs in terms of production of males and the breakup of beneficial allele combinations. Recognition of these theoretical
costs was the inspiration for a large body of empirical research—typically focused on comparing sexual and asexual organisms,
lineages, or genomes—dedicated to identifying the advantages and maintenance of sex in natural populations. Despite these
efforts, why sex is so common remains unclear. Here, we argue that we can generate general insights into the advantages of
sex by taking advantage of parthenogenetic taxa that differ in such characteristics as meiotic versus mitotic offspring production,
ploidy level, and single versus multiple and hybrid versus non-hybrid origin. We begin by evaluating benefits that sex can
confer via its effects on genetic linkage, diversity, and heterozygosity and outline how the three classes of benefits make
different predictions for which type of parthenogenetic lineage would be favored over others. Next, we describe the type of
parthenogenetic model system (if any) suitable for testing whether the hypothesized benefit might contribute to the maintenance
of sex in natural populations, and suggest groups of organisms that fit the specifications. We conclude by discussing how
empirical estimates of characteristics such as time since derivation and number of independent origins of asexual lineages
from sexual ancestors, ploidy levels, and patterns of molecular evolution from representatives of these groups can be used
to better understand which mechanisms maintain sex in natural populations. |
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