Mutation load and rapid adaptation favour outcrossing over self-fertilization

Levi T. Morran, Michelle D. Parmenter and Patrick C. Phillips ()
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Levi T. Morran: Center for Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 5289 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-5289, USA
Michelle D. Parmenter: Center for Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 5289 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-5289, USA
Patrick C. Phillips: Center for Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 5289 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-5289, USA

Nature, 2009, vol. 462, issue 7271, 350-352

Abstract: Two good reasons for sex One of the oldest questions in biology is, why are there separate sexes? More animals reproduce by cross-fertilization than by 'selfing', despite the cost of producing males and finding mates. Two advantages of cross-fertilization or outcrossing that could outweigh its cost are commonly suggested: the ability to evolve rapidly and avoidance of inbreeding, but it is hard to test for these experimentally. An experiment in which 'selfing' and 'outcrossing' variants of Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes were subjected to selective pressures now provides a practical test, and both potential standard explanations appear to have a role in promoting outcrossing.

Date: 2009
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DOI: 10.1038/nature08496

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