The Evolution of Condition-Dependent Sex in the Face of High Costs

Hadany, Lilach; Otto, Sarah P.

doi:10.1534/genetics.107.074203

Cited by 66 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…Condition-dependent sex has also been shown to result in increased mean fitness at equilibrium, in comparison with uniform sexual or asexual reproduction [9]. Similarly, computer simulations demonstrate that condition-dependent transformation increases the population mean fitness in asexual unicellular populations [63].…”

Section: The Effects Of Condition-dependent Sex On Adaptation and DIVmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Theoretical models show that fitness-associated recombination can evolve in haploids [11,84] but less easily in diploids [12], and that an allele that increases recombination rates in maladapted individuals can evolve through the abandon-ship principle, without repairing DNA or increasing fitness [10,11], similarly to condition-dependent sex [9]. Additionally, in fluctuating environments, an environmentally dependent recombination rate is likely to evolve due to its effect on population mean fitness [85,86].…”

Section: Generalization: Condition-dependent Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Condition-dependent sex: who does it, when and why?

Ram¹,

Hadany²

2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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One contribution of 15 to a theme issue 'Weird sex: the underappreciated diversity of sexual reproduction'. We review the phenomenon of condition-dependent sex-where individuals' condition affects the likelihood that they will reproduce sexually rather than asexually. In recent years, condition-dependent sex has been studied both theoretically and empirically. Empirical results in microbes, fungi and plants support the theoretical prediction that negative condition-dependent sex, in which individuals in poor condition are more likely to reproduce sexually, can be evolutionarily advantageous under a wide range of settings. Here, we review the evidence for condition-dependent sex and its potential implications for the long-term survival and adaptability of populations. We conclude by asking why condition-dependent sex is not more commonly observed, and by considering generalizations of condition-dependent sex that might apply even for obligate sexuals.This article is part of the themed issue 'Weird sex: the underappreciated diversity of sexual reproduction'.

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Section: The Effects Of Condition-dependent Sex On Adaptation and DIVmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Generalization: Condition-dependent Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Condition-dependent sex: who does it, when and why?

Ram¹,

Hadany²

2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…Generally, facultative sexual organisms tend to invest more in costly sex when individuals face a decline in fitness due to degrading environmental conditions, such as nutrient depletion, competitive or abiotic stress (summarized in [18]). A negative relationship between investment in sexual reproduction and fitness gain has recently been demonstrated for A. nidulans, however, the adaptive value of this response remains elusive [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fungal metabolic plasticity and sexual development mediate induced resistance to arthropod fungivory

et al. 2013

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ResearchCite this article: Döll K, Chatterjee S, Scheu S, Karlovsky P, Rohlfs M. Prey organisms do not tolerate predator attack passively but react with a multitude of inducible defensive strategies. Although inducible defence strategies are well known in plants attacked by herbivorous insects, induced resistance of fungi against fungivorous animals is largely unknown. Resistance to fungivory is thought to be mediated by chemical properties of fungal tissue, i.e. by production of toxic secondary metabolites. However, whether fungi change their secondary metabolite composition to increase resistance against arthropod fungivory is unknown. We demonstrate that grazing by a soil arthropod, Folsomia candida, on the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans induces a phenotype that repels future fungivores and retards fungivore growth. Arthropod-exposed colonies produced significantly higher amounts of toxic secondary metabolites and invested more in sexual reproduction relative to unchallenged fungi. Compared with vegetative tissue and asexual conidiospores, sexual fruiting bodies turned out to be highly resistant against fungivory in facultative sexual A. nidulans. This indicates that fungivore grazing triggers co-regulated allocation of resources to sexual reproduction and chemical defence in A. nidulans. Plastic investment in facultative sex and chemical defence may have evolved as a fungal strategy to escape from predation.

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“…However, sex is also associated with an increased cost relative to asexual reproduction (3,4). The ability to switch between sexual and asexual modes of reproduction (facultative sex) allows for reallocation of resources to sexual reproduction during periods of low fitness and also provides a mechanism for coping with deleterious mutations (5,6).…”

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confidence: 99%

Parasexuality and Ploidy Change in Candida tropicalis

et al. 2013

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Candida species exhibit a variety of ploidy states and modes of sexual reproduction. Most species possess the requisite genes for sexual reproduction, recombination, and meiosis, yet only a few have been reported to undergo a complete sexual cycle including mating and sporulation. Candida albicans, the most studied Candida species and a prevalent human fungal pathogen, completes its sexual cycle via a parasexual process of concerted chromosome loss rather than a conventional meiosis. In this study, we examine ploidy changes in Candida tropicalis, a closely related species to C. albicans that was recently revealed to undergo sexual mating. C. tropicalis diploid cells mate to form tetraploid cells, and we show that these can be induced to undergo chromosome loss to regenerate diploid forms by growth on sorbose medium. The diploid products are themselves mating competent, thereby establishing a parasexual cycle in this species for the first time. Extended incubation (>120 generations) of C. tropicalis tetraploid cells under rich culture conditions also resulted in instability of the tetraploid form and a gradual reduction in ploidy back to the diploid state. The fitness levels of C. tropicalis diploid and tetraploid cells were compared, and diploid cells exhibited increased fitness relative to tetraploid cells in vitro, despite diploid and tetraploid cells having similar doubling times. Collectively, these experiments demonstrate distinct pathways by which a parasexual cycle can occur in C. tropicalis and indicate that nonmeiotic mechanisms drive ploidy changes in this prevalent human pathogen.

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The Evolution of Condition-Dependent Sex in the Face of High Costs

Cited by 66 publications

References 50 publications

Condition-dependent sex: who does it, when and why?

Condition-dependent sex: who does it, when and why?

Fungal metabolic plasticity and sexual development mediate induced resistance to arthropod fungivory

Parasexuality and Ploidy Change in Candida tropicalis

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