Facultative parthenogenesis: a transient state in transitions between sex and obligate asexuality in stick insects?
Transitions from obligate sex to obligate parthenogenesis have occurred repeatedly across the tree of life. Whether these transitions occur abruptly or via a transient phase of facultative parthenogenesis is rarely known. We discovered and characterised facultatively parthenogenetic populations of t...
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2023-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.283/ |
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| author | Larose, Chloé Lavanchy, Guillaume Freitas, Susana Parker, Darren J. Schwander, Tanja |
| author_facet | Larose, Chloé Lavanchy, Guillaume Freitas, Susana Parker, Darren J. Schwander, Tanja |
| author_sort | Larose, Chloé |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Transitions from obligate sex to obligate parthenogenesis have occurred repeatedly across the tree of life. Whether these transitions occur abruptly or via a transient phase of facultative parthenogenesis is rarely known. We discovered and characterised facultatively parthenogenetic populations of the North American stick insect Timema douglasi, a species in which only obligately parthenogenetic populations were known so far. These populations comprised three genetic lineages. Females from all lineages were capable of parthenogenesis (with variable efficiency) but their propensity to reproduce sexually after mating varied extensively. In all three lineages, parthenogenesis resulted in the complete loss of heterozygosity in a single generation. Obligately parthenogenetic Timema have also lost all heterozygosity, suggesting that the transition to obligate parthenogenesis did not require a modification of the proximate mechanism, but rather involved a gradual increase in frequency. We speculate that facultative parthenogenesis may often be transient and be replaced by obligate strategies (either sex or parthenogenesis) because of a trade-off between the efficiency of the two reproductive modes. Such a trade-off could help explain why facultative parthenogenesis is rare among animals, despite its potential to combine the known benefits of sex and parthenogenesis.
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| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2804-3871 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Peer Community In |
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| spelling | doaj-art-e33db399f7794a59bbbe5bdcd6307caf2025-02-07T10:16:49ZengPeer Community InPeer Community Journal2804-38712023-07-01310.24072/pcjournal.28310.24072/pcjournal.283Facultative parthenogenesis: a transient state in transitions between sex and obligate asexuality in stick insects? Larose, Chloé0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1361-0556Lavanchy, Guillaume1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3340-7785Freitas, Susana2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7356-4929Parker, Darren J.3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4027-7779Schwander, Tanja4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1945-5374Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne; School of Natural Sciences, Brambell Building, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2UW, United KingdomDepartment of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, SwitzerlandTransitions from obligate sex to obligate parthenogenesis have occurred repeatedly across the tree of life. Whether these transitions occur abruptly or via a transient phase of facultative parthenogenesis is rarely known. We discovered and characterised facultatively parthenogenetic populations of the North American stick insect Timema douglasi, a species in which only obligately parthenogenetic populations were known so far. These populations comprised three genetic lineages. Females from all lineages were capable of parthenogenesis (with variable efficiency) but their propensity to reproduce sexually after mating varied extensively. In all three lineages, parthenogenesis resulted in the complete loss of heterozygosity in a single generation. Obligately parthenogenetic Timema have also lost all heterozygosity, suggesting that the transition to obligate parthenogenesis did not require a modification of the proximate mechanism, but rather involved a gradual increase in frequency. We speculate that facultative parthenogenesis may often be transient and be replaced by obligate strategies (either sex or parthenogenesis) because of a trade-off between the efficiency of the two reproductive modes. Such a trade-off could help explain why facultative parthenogenesis is rare among animals, despite its potential to combine the known benefits of sex and parthenogenesis. https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.283/Timema douglasi, Phasmatodea, gamete duplication, automixis, heterozygosity, RAD sequencing, reproductive system, reproductive mode. |
| spellingShingle | Larose, Chloé Lavanchy, Guillaume Freitas, Susana Parker, Darren J. Schwander, Tanja Facultative parthenogenesis: a transient state in transitions between sex and obligate asexuality in stick insects? Peer Community Journal Timema douglasi, Phasmatodea, gamete duplication, automixis, heterozygosity, RAD sequencing, reproductive system, reproductive mode. |
| title | Facultative parthenogenesis: a transient state in transitions between sex and obligate asexuality in stick insects?
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| title_full | Facultative parthenogenesis: a transient state in transitions between sex and obligate asexuality in stick insects?
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| title_fullStr | Facultative parthenogenesis: a transient state in transitions between sex and obligate asexuality in stick insects?
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| title_full_unstemmed | Facultative parthenogenesis: a transient state in transitions between sex and obligate asexuality in stick insects?
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| title_short | Facultative parthenogenesis: a transient state in transitions between sex and obligate asexuality in stick insects?
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| title_sort | facultative parthenogenesis a transient state in transitions between sex and obligate asexuality in stick insects |
| topic | Timema douglasi, Phasmatodea, gamete duplication, automixis, heterozygosity, RAD sequencing, reproductive system, reproductive mode. |
| url | https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.283/ |
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