Self-compatibility in yeast is selected for reproductive assurance not population-level compatibility

Abstract

In haploid species, sexual reproduction by selfing lacks the common benefits from recombination and is indistinguishable from asexual reproduction at the genetic level. Nevertheless, the evolution of self-compatibility, known as homothallism in organisms with mating types, has occurred hundreds of times in fungi. Two main hypotheses have been proposed for the evolution of homothallism. First, that homothallism offers reproductive assurance, which is especially important when species have an obligatory sexual phase in their lifecycle. Second, that homothallism is associated with population level compatibility, increasing the chance of outbreeding. Here, we test these hypotheses using the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, which is homothallic by mating-type switching, leveraging natural variation for switching efficiency in this species. Combining empirical tests with cellular automaton simulations, we show that homothallism by switching increases mating success of switching genotypes, but does not affect population level compatibility. Experiments show that outcrossing is actually reduced under homothallism. Our simulations explain these findings, because due to local mating, gametes that mated through intra-clonal selfing are no longer available for outcrossing. Our results suggest that the recurrent evolution of haploid self-compatibility is likely driven by selection for mating assurance, not to increase the potential for outcrossing.