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Mixed‐sex offspring produced via cryptic parthenogenesis in a lizard.
- Source :
- Molecular Ecology; Nov2020, Vol. 29 Issue 21, p4118-4127, 10p
- Publication Year :
- 2020
-
Abstract
- Facultative parthenogenesis in vertebrates is believed to be exceptional, and wherever documented, it always led to single‐sex progeny with genome‐wide homozygosity. We report the first challenge to this paradigm: frequent facultative parthenogenesis in the previously assumed sexually reproducing tropical night lizard Lepidophyma smithii results in offspring of both sexes and preserves heterozygosity in many loci polymorphic in their mothers. Moreover, we documented a mixture of sexually and parthenogenetically produced progeny in a single clutch, which documents how cryptic a facultative parthenogenesis can be. Next, we show that in the studied species, 1) parthenogenetically produced females can further reproduce parthenogenetically, 2) a sexually produced female can reproduce parthenogenetically, 3) a parthenogenetically produced female can reproduce sexually, and 4) a parthenogenetically produced male is fully fertile. We suggest that facultative parthenogenesis should be considered even in vertebrates with frequent males and genetically variable, heterozygous offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- PARTHENOGENESIS
HOMOZYGOSITY
LIZARDS
SEXUAL dimorphism
HETEROZYGOSITY
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09621083
- Volume :
- 29
- Issue :
- 21
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Molecular Ecology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 146649771
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15617