Virgin birth in a hammerhead shark

Chapman, Demian D.; Shivji, Mahmood S.; Louis, E.E.; Sommer, Julie A.; Fletcher, Hugh; Prodöhl, Paulo A.

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2007.0189

Cited by 117 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…As the offspring are nonclonal, limited intra-litter variation will exist, however, owing to maternal heterozygosity at some loci. Previous studies suggest that only ZZ zygotes resulting in male offspring will develop [3,5,6,12,20]; however, their long-term viability is unknown as many fail to hatch or are stillborn (e.g. [5]).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for viable, non-clonal but fatherless Boa constrictors

Booth

Johnson²,

Moore³

et al. 2010

Biol. Lett.

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Parthenogenesis in vertebrates is considered an evolutionary novelty. In snakes, all of which exhibit genetic sex determination with ZZ : ZW sex chromosomes, this rare form of asexual reproduction has failed to yield viable female WW offspring. Only through complex experimental manipulations have WW females been produced, and only in fish and amphibians. Through microsatellite DNA fingerprinting, we provide the first evidence of facultative parthenogenesis in a Boa constrictor, identifying multiple, viable, nonexperimentally induced females for the first time in any vertebrate lineage. Although the elevated homozygosity of the offspring in relation to the mother suggests that the mechanism responsible may be terminal fusion automixis, no males were produced, potentially indicating maternal sex chromosome hemizygosity (WO). These findings provide the first evidence of parthenogenesis in the family Boidae (Boas), and suggest that WW females may be more common within basal reptilian lineages than previously assumed.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for viable, non-clonal but fatherless Boa constrictors

Booth

Johnson²,

Moore³

et al. 2010

Biol. Lett.

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“…Most previously documented examples of natural variation in reproductive mode within vertebrate species occur only among genetically differentiated populations, such as lizards (14)(15)(16) and A B C a salamander (17) that vary in oviparity/viviparity and a frog that produces foamy and nonfoamy egg masses (24). A normally sexual lizard and a normally sexual shark also have both shown a presumably plastic capacity for parthenogenesis by females isolated from males in captivity (25,26). Many Old World treefrogs of the family Rhacophoridae lay their eggs arboreally within foam nests (2, 10), and nests attributed to single species have been found in diverse locations, including on tree trunks, on the ground near stream banks, and even floating on top of water (10,19,20,(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive mode plasticity: Aquatic and terrestrial oviposition in a treefrog

Touchon

Warkentin

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Diversification of reproductive mode is a major theme in animal evolution. Vertebrate reproduction began in water, and terrestrial eggs evolved multiple times in fishes and amphibians and in the amniote ancestor. Because oxygen uptake from water conflicts with water retention in air, egg adaptations to one environment typically preclude development in the other. Few animals have variable reproductive modes, and no vertebrates are known to lay eggs both in water and on land. We report phenotypic plasticity of reproduction with aquatic and terrestrial egg deposition by a frog. The treefrog Dendropsophus ebraccatus, known to lay eggs terrestrially, also lays eggs in water, both at the surface and fully submerged, and chooses its reproductive mode based on the shade above a pond. Under unshaded conditions, in a disturbed habitat and in experimental mesocosms, these frogs lay most of their egg masses aquatically. The same pairs also can lay eggs terrestrially, on vegetation over water, even during a single night. Eggs can survive in both aquatic and terrestrial environments, and variable mortality risks in each may make oviposition plasticity adaptive. Phylogenetically, D. ebraccatus branches from the basal node in a clade of terrestrially breeding species, nested within a larger lineage of aquatic-breeding frogs. Reproductive plasticity in D. ebraccatus may represent a retained ancestral state intermediate in the evolution of terrestrial reproduction.aquatic egg-laying ͉ evolution of reproductive mode ͉ Hyla ebraccata ͉ phenotypic plasticity ͉ climate change T he evolution of terrestrially developing eggs from ancestral aquatic eggs is a repeated trend in both invertebrates and vertebrates (1-10). In both groups, aquatic predators and constraints on oxygen uptake are hypothesized to select for terrestrial eggs (2, 7-11). Terrestrial eggs can improve the embryonic respiratory environment, allow oviposition over fast-moving streams where aquatic eggs might be swept away, and allow animals to colonize habitats without permanent water bodies (2, 4, 7-10). However, terrestrial eggs experience new risks from desiccation and terrestrial predators (2, 4, 7-10). Because aquatic and terrestrial environments select for different traits, eggs are usually well adapted to only one environment (2, 4). Adaptations for terrestrial oviposition have evolved independently in several groups [e.g., gastropods (8, 12), insects (9, 13), and fishes and amphibians (1, 2, 4, 10)]. In all of these organisms, the divergence in reproductive mode [oviposition site and type of egg development (1, 2, 10)] occurred long ago, and it is thus difficult to directly assess selective pressures that may have influenced such evolution. Closely related species or populations that vary in their reproductive modes [e.g., between viviparity and oviparity (14-18)] offer the best opportunity to study the selective pressures leading to reproductive mode diversification. Although some foam-nesting frogs are reported to place nests in diverse locations (10,19,20), t...

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“…This view began to shift with reports of FP in snakes [3,4,6,7,10 -12], lizards, including the endangered Komodo dragon [8] and sharks [13,14]. In all instances, females had long been removed from the wild or were captive bred; therefore, ovulation and gestation were restricted to captivity (see the electronic supplementary material, table S2), resulting in FP being considered as a captive syndrome.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facultative parthenogenesis discovered in wild vertebrates

Booth

Smith

Eskridge³

et al. 2012

Biol. Lett.

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Facultative parthenogenesis (FP)-asexual reproduction by bisexual species-has been documented in a variety of multi-cellular organisms but only recently in snakes, varanid lizards, birds and sharks. Unlike the approximately 80 taxa of unisexual reptiles, amphibians and fishes that exist in nature, FP has yet to be documented in the wild. Based on captive documentation, it appears that FP is widespread in squamate reptiles (snakes, lizards and amphisbaenians), and its occurrence in nature seems inevitable, yet the task of detecting FP in wild individuals has been deemed formidable. Here we show, using microsatellite DNA genotyping and litter characteristics, the first cases of FP in wild-collected pregnant females and their offspring of two closely related species of North American pitviper snakes-the copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) and cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus). Our findings support the view that non-hybrid origins of parthenogenesis, such as FP, are more common in squamates than previously thought. With this confirmation, FP can no longer be viewed as a rare curiosity outside the mainstream of vertebrate evolution. Future research on FP in squamate reptiles related to proximate control of induction, reproductive competence of parthenogens and population genetics modelling is warranted.

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Virgin birth in a hammerhead shark

Cited by 117 publications

References 16 publications

Evidence for viable, non-clonal but fatherless Boa constrictors

Evidence for viable, non-clonal but fatherless Boa constrictors

Reproductive mode plasticity: Aquatic and terrestrial oviposition in a treefrog

Facultative parthenogenesis discovered in wild vertebrates

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