Publications by authors named "Helene Defendini"
Article Synopsis
- The research investigates the genetics behind the loss of sexual reproduction in the pea aphid, specifically comparing cyclical parthenogenetic (CP) and obligate parthenogenetic (OP) lineages.
- An 840-kb X-linked genomic region was identified that correlates with reproductive modes, displaying significant divergence between CP and OP populations.
- Despite this divergence, low genetic differentiation in the rest of the genome suggests ongoing gene flow between CP and OP lineages, which may aid in the survival of both reproductive strategies under varying environmental conditions.
Transition from sexual reproduction to parthenogenesis constitutes a major life-history change with deep evolutionary consequences for sex-related traits, which are expected to decay. The pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum shows intraspecific reproductive polymorphism, with cold-resistant cyclically parthenogenetic (CP) lineages that alternate sexual and asexual generations and cold-sensitive obligately parthenogenetic (OP) lineages that produce only asexual females but still males. Here, the genotyping of 219 pea aphid lineages collected in cold-winter and mild-winter regions revealed contrasting population structures.
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