Sperm-Dependent Parthenogenesis and Hybridogenesis in Teleost Fishes

In so-called unisexual teleost fishes, a broad spectrum of evolutionary stages with varying amounts of sexual elements has evolved. These range from pure sperm-dependent parthenogenesis (gynogenesis) without or with different amounts of paternal leakage to hybridogenesis with hemiclonal diploid gametogenesis or genome elimination followed by meiosis (meiotic hybridogenesis). All of these phenomena are of hybrid origin. Many of these fish form complexes which involve the coexistence of one or more sexually reproducing species with derived all-female forms that have various ploidy levels and reproductive modes, including gynogenesis, (meiotic) hybridogenesis and sexual reproduction. In teleosts, parthenogenetic reproduction is strictly dependent on sperm to initiate embryonic development. As opposed to true parthenogenesis, sperm-dependent parthenogenetic teleost lineages must primarily coexist with their “sperm donor”, usually males from a parental sexual lineage or from a related sexual species. In some systems, gynogens were able to escape from their initial sperm donors (“host switch”) and therefore, to enlarge their ranges and ecological niches. Sperm donors normally do not contribute genetically to the next generation. However, paternal leakage is observed in many systems contributing differing amounts of genetic material (from microchromosomes to entire chromosome sets) allowing interaction between genomes of different origin. Hybridogenesis is similar to gynogenesis in depending upon coexistence with sexual species but incorporates recombined genetic material by true fertilization. While hybridogens usually form clonal gametes, some triploids are capable of genome elimination followed by a normal diploid meiosis. Sperm-dependent parthenogenesis and hybridogenesis D.K. Lamatsch (B) Institute for Limnology, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Mondseestrasse 9, A – 5310 Mondsee, Austria e-mail: [email protected] 399 I. Schön et al. (eds.), Lost Sex, DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-2770-2_19, C © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2009 400 D.K. Lamatsch and M. Stöck combine disadvantages and advantages from both sexuality and asexuality. Here, we give an overview of sperm-dependent breeding complexes in fishes, discuss the evolutionary consequences of paternal leakage, and speculate about the evolutionary significance of intergenomic (re)combination.