Laboratory generation of new parthenogenetic lineages supports contagious parthenogenesis in Artemia.

ABSTRACT: Contagious parthenogenesis-a process involving rare functional males produced by a parthenogenetic lineage which mate with coexisting sexual females resulting in fertile parthenogenetic offspring-is one of the most striking mechanisms responsible for the generation of new parthenogenetic lineages. Populations of the parthenogenetic diploid brine shrimp Artemia produce fully functional males in low proportions. The evolutionary role of these so-called Artemia rare males is, however, unknown. Here we investigate whether new parthenogenetic clones could be obtained in the laboratory by mating these rare males with sexual females. We assessed the survival and sex ratio of the hybrid ovoviviparous offspring from previous crosses between rare males and females from all Asiatic sexual species, ca

SUBMITTER: Maccari M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4081286 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature