PCB 4674 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: John Maynard Smith, Asexual Reproduction, Parthenogenesis
21 Oct 2016
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Parthenogenesis: when offspring develops from unfertilized eggs; a fairly. Which reproductive mode is better? common form of asexual reproduction: john maynard smith developed a null model to try to determine which one is ultimately better from an evolutionary standpoint. A female"s reproductive mode does not affect how many offspring she makes. A female"s reproductive mode does not affect the probability that her offspring will survive. All offspring (100%) of a parthenogenic female are themselves female (no males come from parthenogenesis), whereas the offspring of a sexual female are a mixture of male and female, typically with equal numbers of daughters and sons. Sex must confer benefits that allow it to persist despite the strong reproductive advantage offered by parthenogenesis. Because smith"s model is correct, the benefits of sex must lie in the violation of one or both of the assumptions: assumption 1: reproductive mode does not affect how many offspring she makes.
