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opencc-zeroJan 2024View details →

Investment in regeneration versus asexual reproduction is resource-dependent in a freshwater annelid

<ol> <li>The post-embryonic developmental processes of regeneration and asexual agametic reproduction are widespread and often co-occur in animals. These traits are of great ecological significance, but their physiological dynamics within species are not well understood. In naid annelids, regeneration and asexual reproduction via fission are evolutionarily related and mechanistically similar yet distinct, making these animals useful systems in which to study resource allocation strategies between the two processes.</li> <li>How asexual reproductive investment varies as a function of somatic investment demands was tested in the naid Pristina leidyi by repeatedly amputating the heads of individual worms, allowing regeneration to proceed, and measuring reproductive output over time. Treatments were replicated under high and low food levels to determine to what extent the investment dynamic between regeneration and fission is affected by the resource pool.</li> <li>Reproductive output was affected by injury and regeneration frequency in a resource-dependent manner, such that only worms with less food availability exhibited reproductive deficits; injury and regeneration did not affect reproductive output of worms under the high food condition. When reproductive output was decreased, this occurred not through a reduction in offspring quantity but a reduction in offspring quality. In the offspring of experimental animals, body size and fission speed were dependent on parental feeding level and to a lesser and inconsistent extent on parental injury history, but regeneration speed was unaffected by parental treatment.</li> <li>These findings suggest that in a species capable of both regeneration and asexual reproduction: 1) the resource pool is a key factor mediating the resource investment pattern between regeneration and fission; 2) sacrificing per-offspring investment rather than fecundity may be an optimal strategy if resources are limiting; 3) regeneration and fission have evolved distinct resource allocation pathways. This work prompts further questions about the physiological dynamics between regeneration and asexual reproduction in animals, such as whether and to what extent these have evolved adaptively, including in response to injury and resource pressures.</li> </ol>

opencc-zeroJan 2023View details →

Range expansions of sexual versus asexual organisms: Effects of reproductive assurance and migration load

It is generally considered that sexual organisms show faster evolutionary adaptation than asexual organisms because sexuals can accumulate adaptive mutations through recombination. Yet empirical evidence often shows that the geographic range size of sexual species is narrower than that of closely-related asexual species, which may seem as if asexuals can adapt to more varied environments. Two potential explanations for this apparent contradiction considered by existing theory are reproduction assurance and migration load. Here, we consider both reproductive assurance and migration load within a single model to comparatively examine their effects on range expansions of sexuals and asexuals across an environmental gradient. The model shows that higher dispersal propensity decreases sexuals' disadvantage in reproductive assurance while increasing their disadvantage in migration load. Moreover, lower mutation rate constrains adaptation more strongly in asexuals than in sexuals. Thus, high dispersal propensity and high mutation rates promote that asexuals have wider range sizes than sexuals. Intriguingly, our model reveals that sexuals can have wider geographic range sizes than asexuals under low dispersal propensity and low mutation rates, a pattern consistent with a few exceptional empirical cases. Combining reproductive assurance and migration load provides a useful perspective to better understand the relationships between species' mating systems and their geographic ranges.

publicJan 2024View details →

Investment in regeneration versus asexual reproduction is resource-dependent in a freshwater annelid

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publicJan 2023View details →

Range expansions of sexual versus asexual organisms: Effects of reproductive assurance and migration load

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publicNov 2024View details →

Imperiled wanderlust lichens in steppe habitats of western North America comprise geographically structured mycobiont lineages and a reversal to sexual reproduction within this asexual clade - Supplementary material

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opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: Folivory has long-term effects on sexual but not on asexual reproduction in woodland strawberry

1. Plant fitness is often a result of both sexual and asexual reproductive success and, in perennial plants, over several years. Folivory can affect both modes of reproduction. However, little is known about the effects of folivory on resource allocation to the two modes of reproduction simultaneously and across years. 2. In a two-year common garden experiment we examined the effects of different levels of folivory by the strawberry leaf beetle, Galerucella tenella, on current growth, as well as current and future sexual and asexual reproduction (runners) of perennial woodland strawberry, Fragaria vesca. In addition, we measured the chlorophyll content in leaves in the year of experimental damage to determine whether there was increased photosynthetic activity, and, thus, a compensatory response to herbivory. 3. In the year of experimental damage, plants that were exposed to moderate and high levels of folivory (25% and 50 % leaf area consumed, respectively) increased their photosynthetic activity compared to control plants. However, only plants exposed to high folivory exhibited negative effects, with a lower probability of flowering compared to control plants, indicating that plants exposed to low or moderate folivory were able to compensate for the damage. Negative effects of folivory were carried over to the subsequent year. Plants that were exposed to moderate folivory (25 % leaf area consumed) during one year produced fewest flowers and fruits in the subsequent year. Runner production was consistently unaffected by folivory. 4. Synthesis. Our results show that the negative effects of folivory only influence sexual reproduction in woodland strawberry. Furthermore, even though woodland strawberry can tolerate moderate amounts of folivory in the short term, the negative effects on fitness appear later; this highlights the importance of studying the effects of herbivory over consecutive years in perennial plants.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Co-occurrence of related asexual, but not sexual, lineages suggests that reproductive interference limits coexistence

We used randomizations to analyse patterns of co-occurrence of sexual and apomictic (asexual) members of the North American Crepis agamic complex (Asteraceae). We expect strong asymmetry in reproductive interactions in Crepis: apomicts produce clonal seeds with no need for pollination and are not subject to reproductive interference from co-occurring relatives. However, because they still produce some viable pollen, apomicts can reduce reproductive success of nearby sexual relatives, potentially leading to eventual local exclusion of sexuals. Consistent with this, randomizations reveal that sexuals are over-represented in isolated sites, while apomicts freely co-occur. Incorporation of taxonomic and phylogenetic evidence indicates that this pattern is not driven by local origins of asexuals. Our evidence that patterns of local co-occurrence are structured by reproductive interference suggests an underappreciated role for these interactions in community assembly, and highlights the need for explicit tests of the relative contributions of ecological and reproductive interactions in generating patterns of limiting similarity.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Genetic and morphological variation in sexual and asexual parasitoids of the genus Lysiphlebus: an apparent link between wing shape and reproductive mode

Background Endoparasitoids of aphids belonging to the genus Lysiphlebus Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) comprise over 20 species that exploit over a hundred species of aphid hosts including many important pest aphid species. Within the genus Lysiphlebus two genetically and morphologically well defined species groups are recognized: the "fabarum" and the "testaceipes" group both including taxa with sexual (arrhenotoky) and asexual (thelytoky) reproduction modes. However the diverse patterns of morphological variation which include clearly distinguishable morphotypes and genetic variation within species groups are not yet resolved. To address the relationship between morphological evolution and genetic divergence in Lysiphlebus wasps we explored both genetic differentiation (mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences) and morphological variation (wing size and shape) and the changes in wing size and shape in the phylogenetic context. Results and Discussion Analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences determine the separation of the genus into two species groups ("testaceipes" and "fabarum" groups) revealed three well defined phylogenetic lineages within "fabarum" species group including yet undefined species. Mapping wing shape data onto molecular phylogenetic indicated that the concordance between genetic diversification and divergence in the wing shape results from the deep split between two main species group. No association between pattern of genetic diversification morphotypes and wing shape variation within species groups was observed. The clear association between wing shape and reproductive mode was the most surprising result of our study. We propose two possible mutually non-exclusive mechanisms which may explain the link between reproductive mode and the shape of the wing Conclusions Combining molecular analysis with analysis of wing shape allows us determining existence of one cryptic yet undescribed species. At the same time we determine that Lysiphlebus fabarum group need detailed taxonomic revision because species boundaries as defined cannot be upheld. Mapping wing shape onto independently derived molecular phylogeny revealed that deep genetic divergence is associated with evolutionary changes in wing shape of Lysiphlebus wasps. Among most recently diverged taxa the morphological variation in the wing shape can be explained by the reproduction mode.

FIGURE 2 in A new naidid oligochaete species (Annelida, Clitellata, Naididae) from Vietnam with asexual reproduction by fragmentation

FIGURE 2. Details of the morphology of Bratislavia gusevi sp. n. A. Entire body of the holotype, dorsolateral view. B. Body surface, dorsal view. C. Coelomocytes (clm) in mid-body region. D. Anterior body part of a complete individual, lateral view. E. Posterior body part of a complete individual, lateral vie; F. Posterior end of an individual devoid of the tail part of the body, lateral view. Roman numerals (here and in the following figure): segment numbers, EN: position of the enlarged needle chaetae.

FIGURE 1 in A new naidid oligochaete species (Annelida, Clitellata, Naididae) from Vietnam with asexual reproduction by fragmentation

FIGURE 1. Study area in Vietnam (asterisk on the map) and photographs of the sampling sites (S1, S2) where Bratislavia gusevi sp. n. was found.

FIGURE 4 in A new naidid oligochaete species (Annelida, Clitellata, Naididae) from Vietnam with asexual reproduction by fragmentation

FIGURE 4. Chaetae types of Bratislavia gusevi sp. n. A. (from left to right): Enlarged simple-pointed, regular simple-pointed, bifid dorsal needle chaetae. B. Enlarged needle chaeta. C. Regular simple-pointed needle chaeta. D. Tip of a bifid needle chaeta. E. Tip of a trifid needle chaeta. F. Ventral chaetae of segment II of an individual with complete head region. G. Ventral chaetae of segment IX of an individual with complete head region. H. Posterior ventral chaetae of segment XXV.

FIGURE 3 in A new naidid oligochaete species (Annelida, Clitellata, Naididae) from Vietnam with asexual reproduction by fragmentation

FIGURE 3. Details of the morphology of Bratislavia gusevi sp. n. A. Front end of an individual devoid of head part, regeneration incipient, dorsolateral view. B. Front end of an individual with partially regenerated head part, lateral view. C. Body constriction in an incomplete individual, lateral view. D. Partially divided body in an incomplete individual, lateral view.

publicNov 2018View details →

Data from: Folivory has long-term effects on sexual but not on asexual reproduction in woodland strawberry

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publicDec 2017View details →

Data from: Co-occurrence of related asexual, but not sexual, lineages suggests that reproductive interference limits coexistence

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publicFeb 2015View details →

Data from: Genetic and morphological variation in sexual and asexual parasitoids of the genus Lysiphlebus: an apparent link between wing shape and reproductive mode

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publicJun 2016View details →

Data from: Habitat heterogeneity favors asexual reproduction in natural populations of grassthrips

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