Haploid females in the isomorphic biphasic life-cycle of Gracilaria chilensis excel in survival.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Conditional differentiation is one of the most fundamental drivers of biodiversity. Competitive entities (usually species) differ in environmental or ecological niche enabling them to co-exist. Conditional differentiation of haploid and diploid generations is considered to be a requirement for the evolutionary stability of isomorphic biphasic life-cycles and the cause for the natural occurrence of both phases at uneven abundances. Theoretically, stage dependent survival rates are the most efficient way to explain conditional differentiation.

Results

We tested for conditional differentiation in survival rates among life stages (haploid males, haploid females, and diploids) of Gracilaria chilensis, an intertidal red alga occurring along the Chilean shores. Therefore

SUBMITTER: Vieira VMNCS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6247624 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature