There ’s a reason why so many brute go through therigmarole of sexual reproduction , as when two genotypes become one it convey with it a welcome encouragement of transmissible variation . Such mutation can be crucial for the survival of a coinage , enable them to overcome alteration better than a universe confined by very little in the way of genetic wriggle room . For this reason , it was thought that asexually reproduce specie were doomed to a bushed - end circumstances – but new research has identify a beetle that ’s endured without bonking for millions of years .
bring out in the journalPNAS , the bailiwick focused on the beetle mite speciesOppiella nova . They gathered up specimens from a range of populations as well as some member of the closely related speciesOppiella subpectinata . What separates the two groups of mallet mites is thatO. novawas call up to procreate asexually whileO. subpectinatais know to get it on alternatively .
They then sequence their genomes to search for what ’s known as theMeselson event , evidence for a species that reproduce exclusively through nonsexual way . If establish , it would rise thatO. nova- a metal money of beetle mite made upentirely of females- sincerely have survive for millions of yr without the need for sexual reproduction .
Finding it involves analyzing genetic code for evidence of prolonged nonsexual genetic recombination . The outcome is two genome copies within one individual that have severally accumulate mutations . This do them to become increasingly disparate over meter , eventually develop severally of one another .
“ That may fathom simple , ” said Professor Tanja Schwander from the Department of Ecology and Evolution of the University of Lausanne in astatement . “ But in exercise , the Meselson force has never been conclusively demonstrated in animals – until now . ”
Sure enough , the Meselson Effect was present inO. novaand notO. subpectinata . The researchers say this constitute the first time the effect has been demonstrated in an fauna , and that it provesO. nova , nicknamed “ ancient nonsexual scandals ” ( band name , anyone ? ) , really have survived without the need for sex .
“ Our results clearly show thatO. novareproduces exclusively asexually , ” sound out Dr Jens Bast , Emmy Noether junior enquiry mathematical group leader at the University of Cologne ’s Institute of Zoology . “ When it comes to interpret how organic evolution works without sex , these beetle mites could still ply a surprisal or two . ”
Evidently , surviving millennium without getting your John Rock off is , while rare , actually potential . So , what keep beetle pinch hold up after all these sexless years ? The research team will now stress to find out .
