Publications by authors named "Lorelei Boyer"
Article Synopsis
- A wide variety of mating systems exist in nature, with Basidiomycete fungi typically having two mating-type loci (HD and PR) that control compatibility, usually located on different chromosomes.
- In certain Microbotryum anther-smut fungi, these loci have undergone chromosomal fusions, leading to large regions without recombination and evolutionary changes.
- Research on three Microbotryum species revealed that the HD genes lost their function in controlling mating compatibility, with mating now relying solely on the PR factor, showcasing a significant evolutionary transition.
Article Synopsis
- In some asexual species, rare males can be produced by parthenogenetic females, potentially affecting the persistence of asexual reproduction through gene transmission.
- This study focuses on Artemia parthenogenetica, testing whether these males arise from recombination between sex chromosomes during asexual reproduction.
- Results from RAD-sequencing indicate that males show loss of heterozygosity at the sex determination locus, supporting the idea that recombination is not entirely suppressed, thereby explaining the occasional appearance of males in asexual populations.
AbstractDetermining how and how often asexual lineages emerge within sexual species is central to our understanding of sex-asex transitions and the long-term maintenance of sex. Asexuality can arise "by transmission" from an existing asexual lineage to a new one through different types of crosses. The occurrence of these crosses, cryptic sex, variations in ploidy, and recombination within asexuals greatly complicates the study of sex-asex transitions, as they preclude the use of standard phylogenetic methods and genetic distance metrics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe coexistence of hermaphrodites and males (androdioecy) is rare in both plants and animals and has hitherto remained unknown in insects. Mongue et al. report a new case of androdioecy in the invasive haplodiploid insect Icerya purchasi, in which hermaphrodites can only self-fertilize, but occasionally mate with males.
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- Sexual species experience a "twofold cost of males," leading to the expectation that asexual mutants, which reproduce clonally, should outcompete them; however, the study of brine shrimp reveals complexities in this idea with asexuals potentially engaging in "cryptic sex."
- The brine shrimp, long thought to be a purely asexual species, shows evidence of recombination and parent-offspring differences, suggesting that they may not be strictly clonal despite their rare male production.
- Findings indicate that hybrid females can reproduce both sexually and asexually, challenging previous notions of asexuality and emphasizing the need for reevaluating models of sexual reproduction, asexuality, and gene flow within asexual lineages.