Signs of sex: what we know and how we know it.

نویسندگان

  • Andrew M Schurko
  • Maurine Neiman
  • John M Logsdon
چکیده

The predominance of sexual reproduction indicates that it must confer profound benefits, considering its significant costs relative to asexuality. However, definitively determining whether a lineage engages in sex is often complicated by the potential for cryptic sex, especially among unfamiliar organisms. Here we consider the strengths and weaknesses of various molecular- and organismal-based approaches for recognizing signs of sex and describe their applications and relevance to evolutionary biology. We review recent studies that use these methods; some analyses even dispute several 'ancient' asexual taxa, and suggest they are recently derived or might be covertly sexual. More broadly, a better understanding of which organisms have sex and how they do it will deepen our understanding of the distribution, maintenance and evolution of sexual reproduction.

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عنوان ژورنال:
  • Trends in ecology & evolution

دوره 24 4  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2009