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Allee effects and the evolution of polymorphism in cyclic parthenogens
Magda Castel1, Ludovic Mailleret, Didier Andrivon
1Agrocampus Ouest, UMR 1349 IGEPP, F-35042 Rennes, France.
The American Naturalist
|February 25, 2014
Summary
Cyclic parthenogens alternate asexual and sexual reproduction. Allee effects from mating limitations can drive evolutionary divergence, potentially leading to sexual morphs outcompeting asexual ones.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Population dynamics
- Reproductive strategies
Background:
- Cyclic parthenogens alternate asexual and sexual reproduction, with sexual reproduction crucial for surviving unfavorable periods.
- Self-incompatibility in sexual reproduction can lead to Allee effects, increasing extinction risk in small populations.
- Asexual reproduction may trade off with sexual reproduction, impacting population viability and evolutionary trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the evolutionary implications of the trade-off between asexual and sexual reproduction in cyclic parthenogens.
- To investigate how Allee effects influence the evolution of reproductive strategies in these organisms.
- To understand the dynamics of coexistence between sexual and asexual lineages.
Main Methods:
- Developed a simple population dynamics model incorporating recurrent mating events and seasonal interruptions.
- Employed an adaptive dynamics approach to analyze evolutionary divergence.
- Modeled density dependence and Allee effects in cyclic parthenogen populations.
Main Results:
- Positive density dependence, linked to Allee effects, promotes evolutionary divergence in investment in asexual reproduction.
- Populations may exhibit transient polymorphism, with sexual morphs eventually excluding asexual morphs.
- Asexual morphs act as cooperators, while sexual morphs act as defectors that survive better and may fix.
Conclusions:
- Allee effects in cyclic parthenogens can drive evolutionary divergence in reproductive strategies.
- Sexual reproduction may be favored in the long term due to better survival and competitive advantages.
- The study offers a novel hypothesis for the coexistence of sexual and asexual lineages, particularly in plant parasitic fungi.
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