After a catastrophe, a little bit of sex is better than nothing: Genetic consequences of a major earthquake on asexual and sexual populations.

ABSTRACT: Catastrophic events can have profound effects on the demography of a population and consequently on genetic diversity. The dynamics of postcatastrophic recovery and the role of sexual versus asexual reproduction in buffering the effects of massive perturbations remain poorly understood, in part because the opportunity to document genetic diversity before and after such events is rare. Six natural (purely sexual) and seven cultivated (mainly clonal due to farming practices) populations of the red alga Agarophyton chilense were surveyed along the Chilean coast before, in the days after and 2 years after the 8.8 magnitude earthquake in 2010. The genetic diversity of sexual populations appeared sensitive to this massive perturbation, notably through the loss of rare alleles immediately

SUBMITTER: Becheler R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7463374 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature