The evolutionary role of males in C. elegans
نویسنده
چکیده
Although the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans reproduces primarily as a self-fertilizing hermaphrodite, males are maintained in natural populations at low frequency. In this commentary, I discuss the evolutionary forces that maintain males and the role males might play in this mating system.
منابع مشابه
Why are there males in the hermaphroditic species Caenorhabditis elegans?
The free-living nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans reproduces primarily as a self-fertilizing hermaphrodite, yet males are maintained in wild-type populations at low frequency. To determine the role of males in C. elegans, we develop a mathematical model for the genetic system of hermaphrodites that can either self-fertilize or be fertilized by males and we perform laboratory observations and...
متن کاملDetermination of the effects of food preservatives benzoic acid and sodium nitrate on lifespan, fertility and physical growth in Caenorhabditis elegans
Presently, the use of protective food additives such as benzoic acid and sodium nitrate is quite common. However, it was found that these additives, which initially appeared to be harmless, led to the emergence of a number of health problems. Cancer and diseases and deaths with no apparent causes are among the leading concerns. Therefore, the studies which can reveal the genotoxic potential of ...
متن کاملEvolution of male longevity bias in nematodes.
Many animal species exhibit sex differences in aging. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, under conditions that minimize mortality, males are the longer-lived sex. In a survey of 12 independent C. elegans isolates, we find that this is a species-typical character. To test the hypothesis that the C. elegans male longevity bias evolved as a consequence of androdioecy (having males and hermaph...
متن کاملGenetic dissection of late-life fertility in Caenorhabditis elegans.
The large post-reproductive life span reported for the free-living hermaphroditic nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, which lives for about 10 days after its 5-day period of self-reproduction, seems at odds with evolutionary theory. Species with long post-reproductive life spans such as mammals are sometimes explained by a need for parental care or transfer of information. This does not seem a su...
متن کاملSelection against males in Caenorhabditis elegans under two mutational treatments.
Within populations with mixed mating systems, selfing is expected to be favoured over outcrossing unless a countervailing process such as severe inbreeding depression is present. In this study, we consider the relationship between the expression of deleterious alleles and the maintenance of outcrossing in the nematode species, Caenorhabditis elegans. This species is characterized by an androdio...
متن کامل