Gynogenesis

Gynogenesis, a form of parthenogenesis, is a system of asexual reproduction that requires the presence of sperm without the actual contribution of its DNA for completion. The paternal DNA dissolves or is destroyed before it can fuse with the egg.[1] The egg cell of the organism is able to develop, unfertilized, into an adult using only maternal genetic material. Gynogenesis is often termed "sperm parasitism" in reference to the somewhat pointless role of male gametes.[2] Gynogenetic species, "gynogens" for short, are unisexual, meaning they must mate with males from a closely related bisexual species that normally reproduces sexually.[3]

Gynogenesis is a disadvantageous mating system for males, as they are unable to pass on their DNA. The question as to why this reproductive mode exists, given that it appears to combine the disadvantages of both asexual and sexual reproduction, remains unsolved in the field of evolutionary biology. The male equivalent to this process is androgenesis where the father is the sole contributor of DNA.[4]

  1. ^ Encyclopedia of Insects, edited by Vincent H. Resh, et al., Elsevier Science & Technology, 2009.
  2. ^ Schlupp, Ingo (2005). "The Evolutionary Ecology of Gynogenesis". Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. 36: 399–417. doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.36.102003.152629. ISSN 1543-592X. JSTOR 30033810. S2CID 42106444.
  3. ^ Avise, John C. (2015-07-21). "Evolutionary perspectives on clonal reproduction in vertebrate animals". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 112 (29): 8867–8873. Bibcode:2015PNAS..112.8867A. doi:10.1073/pnas.1501820112. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 4517198. PMID 26195735.
  4. ^ Androgenesis: where males hijack eggs to clone themselves