Consequences of clonality for sexual fitness: Clonal expansion enhances fitness under spatially restricted dispersal.

ABSTRACT: Clonality is a pervasive feature of sessile organisms, but this form of asexual reproduction is thought to interfere with sexual fitness via the movement of gametes among the modules that comprise the clone. This within-clone movement of gametes is expected to reduce sexual fitness via mate limitation of male reproductive success and, in some cases, via the production of highly inbred (i.e., self-fertilized) offspring. However, clonality also results in the spatial expansion of the genetic individual (i.e., genet), and this should decrease distances gametes and sexually produced offspring must travel to avoid competing with other gametes and offspring from the same clone. The extent to which any negative effects of clonality on mating success might be offset by the positive effects of spat

SUBMITTER: Van Drunen WE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4517236 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature