A note on the evolution of gamete dimorphism.

LETTERS TO NATURE Effects of gamete traits on fertilization in the sea and the evolution of sexual dimorphism

Evolutionary Branching and the Evolution of Anisogamy

Populations of most sexual species are anisogamous, i.e. they consist of two types of individuals producing gametes of different size. The evolution of anisogamy is usually explained with models that either rely on mutations with large effects or are based on populations with pre-existing mating types. Here we present a model for the evolution of anisogamy that does not rely on either of those ...

The origin and evolution of gamete dimorphism and the male-female phenomenon.

Gamete Release and Spawning Behavior in Broadcast Spawning Marine Invertebrates

The release of eggs and sperm into the environment for external fertilization is common (Giese & Kanatani 1987) and thought to be the ancestral mating strategy (Wray 1995). Most phyla have at least some species that release sperm into the environment (free spawning or spermcasting) and a majority have representatives that also release eggs (broadcast spawning) for external fertilization (Levita...

The evolution of the life cycle of brown seaweeds

The brown seaweeds (Phaeophyta) are well-suited for testing theories of the evolution of the sexual alternation of haploid and diploid generations because of the great diversity of life cycles within the phylum. Three theories are investigated in this paper. (1) Diploid growth evolves because it has the effect of complementing deleterious recessive mutations. This is rejected because (a) ancest...