The adaptive significance of sexuality

GENETIC STRUCTURE OF COEXISTING SEXUAL AND CLONAL SUBPOPULATIONS IN A FRESHWATER SNAIL (POTAMOPYRGUS ANTIPODARUM)

We examined clonal diversity and the distribution of both clonal and sexual genotypes in a single population of freshwater snails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in which diploid sexual individuals and triploid parthenogens coexist. A genetic analysis of individuals from three habitat zones in Lake Alexandrina, New Zealand revealed extremely high clonal diversity: 165 genotypes among 605 clonal individuals. The frequency of triploid clonal individuals increased with increasing depth in the lake, and most of the individual clones were habitat specific, suggesting that differences among habitats are important in structuring the clonal subpopulation. There were also high levels of clonal diversity within habitats, suggesting frequent origins of habitat-specific clones. In contrast, diploid sexual individuals were proportionately more common in the shallow regions of the lake (where infection by trematode larvae is highest), and there was no significant spatial structure in the sexual subpopulation. We suggest that habitat specialization by clones, as well as parasite-mediated selection against common clones, are important factors affecting the structure of this mixed population of sexual and clonal snails.

Genetics of Parthenogenesis in DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER. II. Characterization of a Gynogenetically Reproducing Strain

A strain of Drosophila melanogaster, named gyn-F9, can reproduce by gynogenesis. On mating with a male sterile mutant, ms( 3)K81, gyn-F9 females produced impaternate progeny at a rate of about 15 flies per female, which was almost 2000 times as frequent as that of the control. When the females were mated with normally fertile males, the number of offspring varied extremely from parent to parent, with average fertility being much lower than that of normal females. Nearly one-third of these bisexual progeny were either triploid females or intersexes. Among the rest of the progeny, some were diploid impaternates having developed without syngamy. The gynogenetic property of gyn-F9 is primarily governed by a few genes, most likely two recessive genes, one each located on the second and third chromosomes. The impaternates were found to restore their diploidy by the fusion of two nonsister nuclei out of the four egg pronuclei which result from the second meiotic division (central fusion). Although nondisjunction occurs frequently in the meiosis of gyn-F9, this is unlikely to bring about an appreciable number of diploid gametes developing into impaternates. Possible mechanisms of the evolutionary origin of parthenogenesis are discussed in relation to these findings.

Immunity in a variable world

Immune function is likely to be a critical determinant of an organism's fitness, yet most natural animal and plant populations exhibit tremendous genetic variation for immune traits. Accumulating evidence suggests that environmental heterogeneity may retard the long-term efficiency of natural selection and even maintain polymorphism, provided alternative host genotypes are favoured under different environmental conditions. 'Environment' in this context refers to abiotic factors such as ambient temperature or availability of nutrient resources, genetic diversity of pathogens or competing physiological demands on the host. These factors are generally controlled in laboratory experiments measuring immune performance, but variation in them is likely to be very important in the evolution of resistance to infection. Here, we review some of the literature emphasizing the complexity of natural selection on immunity. Our aim is to describe how environmental and genetic heterogeneities, often excluded from experimentation as 'noise', may determine the evolutionary potential of populations or the potential for interacting species to coevolve.

Parasite-induced parthenogenesis in a freshwater snail: stable, persistent patterns of parasitism

The role of parasites in the evolution of host reproductive modes has gained renewed interest in evolutionary ecology. It was previously argued that obligate parthenogenesis (all-female reproduction) arose in a freshwater snail, Campeloma decisum, as a consequence of severe sperm limitation caused by an unencysted trematode, Leucochloridiomorpha constantiae. In the present study, certain conditions are examined for parasitic castration to account for the maintenance of parthenogenesis: the spatial patterns of the prevalence and intensity of infection on a broad geographical scale and its relationship to host genotype; the recovery from infection after isolation from sources of infection; age-related patterns of infections; and the effects of L. constantiae on snail fecundity.In contrast to the common pattern of the aggregated distribution of parasites within host populations, many snail populations with high prevalence and intensity of infection have non-aggregated parasite distributions. Clonal genotype of the host explained little of the variation in intensity and prevalence of infection by the parasite. Female snails maintained similar prevalence and intensity of infection after isolation, and individuals accumulated parasites throughout their lifespan, both of which suggest there is no effective immune response to infection by L. constantiae. Snail fecundity is not significantly influenced by the intensity of infection. These results suggest that L. constantiae may have represented a strong selective force against males during the initial introduction of this parasite into sexual snail populations because of the persistent nature of infection.

Sexual reproduction as an adaptation to resist parasites (a review)

Darwinian theory has yet to explain adequately the fact of sex. If males provide little or no aid to offspring, a high (up to 2-fold) extra average fitness has to emerge as a property of a sexual parentage if sex is to be stable. The advantage must presumably come from recombination but has been hard to identify. It may well lie in the necessity to recombine defenses to defeat numerous parasites. A model demonstrating this works best for contesting hosts whose defense polymorphisms are constrained to low mutation rates. A review of the literature shows that the predictions of parasite coevolution fit well with the known ecology of sex. Moreover, parasite coevolution is superior to previous models of the evolution of sex by supporting the stability of sex under the following challenging conditions: very low fecundity, realistic patterns of genotype fitness and changing environment, and frequent mutation to parthenogenesis, even while sex pays the full 2-fold cost.