The ubiquity of sexual reproduction despite its cost has lead to an extensive body of research on the evolution and maintenance of sexual reproduction. Previous work has suggested that sexual reproduction can substantially speed up the rate of adaptation in diploid populations, because sexual populations are able to produce the fittest homozygous genotype by segregation and mating of heterozygo...

The evolution of sexual reproduction remains a fascinating enigma in biology. Theoretically, populations of sexual organisms investing half of their resources into producing male offspring that don't contribute to reproduction should grow at only half the rate of their asexual counterparts. This demographic disadvantage due to male production is known as the twofold cost of sex. However, the qu...

The persistence of sexual reproduction is a classic problem in evolutionary biology. The problem stems from the fact that, all else equal, asexual lineages should rapidly replace coexisting sexual individuals due to the cost of producing males in sexual populations. One possible countervailing advantage to sexual reproduction is that, on average, outcrossed offspring are more resistant than com...

There are many claims that quantum mechanics plays a key role in the origin and/or operation of biological organisms. The mechanism of the meiosis, mitosis and gametes life cycle from the view-point of quantum for human has been represented. The quantum gates have been used to simulate these processes for the first time. The reason of several hundred sperms has been explained in the male too

Many theories have sought to explain the evolution of sex, but the question remains unanswered owing to the scarcity of compelling empirical tests. Here we summarize the results of two of our published studies investigating the evolution of sex using digital organisms. We used these evolving programs to test the hypothesis that sexual reproduction is advantageous in changing environments. We fo...

The eco-evolutionary mechanisms of biological invasions are still not thoroughly understood. Alligator weed, Alternanthera philoxeroides (Martius) Gisebach (Amaranthaceae), is a plant native to South America and a weed in Australia and other countries. To better understand its success as an invader, we assessed the morphological and cytogenetic variability of 12 Argentine populations and the cy...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the reproduction of three species of kilka, including common, anchovy and bigeye kilka in the southeastern waters of Caspian Sea. This study was conducted during 2010 and 6476 specimens were fortnightly collected from fishing landing site. Body weight and fork length were measured. The samples were dissected and female gonads were weighed. Sexual ...

Numerous mammalian taxa exhibit reproductive delays, pauses in reproduction that occur between mating and fertilization, between fertilization and implantation of the embryo, or after an embryo has implanted. Of the 27 mammalian orders, 9 are known to exhibit reproductive delays, including Diptrotodontia, Dasyuromorphia, Eulipotyphyta, Cingulata, Carnivora, Rodentia, Chiroptera, Lagomorpha and ...

Three common systemic human fungal pathogens--Cryptococcus neoformans, Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus--have retained all the machinery to engage in sexual reproduction, and yet their populations are often clonal with limited evidence for recombination. Striking parallels have emerged with four protozoan parasites that infect humans: Toxoplasma gondii, Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma...

Cyclic parthenogenesis (heterogony) is a widespread reproductive mode found in diverse taxa such as digenean trematodies, gall wasps, gall midges, aphids, cladocerans and rotifers. It is of particular interest as it combines the advantages of asexual reproduction (rapid population growth) and sexual reproduction (recombination). Usually sexual reproduction is initiated when or slightly before e...