Parthenogenetic vs. sexual reproduction in oribatid mite communities
Abstract The dominance of sex in Metazoa is enigmatic. Sexual species allocate resources to the production of males, while potentially facing negative effects such as the loss of well‐adapted genotypes due to recombination, and exposure to diseases and predators during mating. Two major hypotheses h...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2019-06-01
|
| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5303 |
| _version_ | 1818336814224637952 |
|---|---|
| author | Mark Maraun Tancredi Caruso Jonathan Hense Ricarda Lehmitz Levan Mumladze Maka Murvanidze Ioana Nae Julia Schulz Anna Seniczak Stefan Scheu |
| author_facet | Mark Maraun Tancredi Caruso Jonathan Hense Ricarda Lehmitz Levan Mumladze Maka Murvanidze Ioana Nae Julia Schulz Anna Seniczak Stefan Scheu |
| author_sort | Mark Maraun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The dominance of sex in Metazoa is enigmatic. Sexual species allocate resources to the production of males, while potentially facing negative effects such as the loss of well‐adapted genotypes due to recombination, and exposure to diseases and predators during mating. Two major hypotheses have been put forward to explain the advantages of parthenogenetic versus sexual reproduction in animals, that is, the Red Queen hypothesis and the Tangled Bank/Structured Resource Theory of Sex. The Red Queen hypothesis assumes that antagonistic predator—prey/ parasite–host interactions favor sex. The Structured Resource Theory of Sex predicts sexual reproduction to be favored if resources are in short supply and aggregated in space. In soil, a remarkable number of invertebrates reproduce by parthenogenesis, and this pattern is most pronounced in oribatid mites (Oribatida, Acari). Oribatid mites are abundant in virtually any soil across very different habitats, and include many sexual and parthenogenetic (thelytokous) species. Thereby, they represent an ideal model group to investigate the role of sexual versus parthenogenetic reproduction across different ecosystems and habitats. Here, we compiled data on oribatid mite communities from different ecosystems and habitats across biomes, including tropical rainforests, temperate forests, grasslands, arable fields, salt marshes, bogs, caves, and deadwood. Based on the compiled dataset, we analyzed if the percentage of parthenogenetic species and the percentage of individuals of parthenogenetic species are related to total oribatid mite density, species number, and other potential driving factors of the reproductive mode including altitude and latitude. We then interpret the results in support of either the Red Queen hypothesis or the Structured Resource Theory of Sex. Overall, the data showed that high density of oribatid mites, indicating abundance of resources, is associated with high frequency of parthenogenesis supporting predictions of the Structured Resource Theory of Sex rather than the Red Queen hypothesis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T14:45:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0f456d17965347d6b9090cba24530c73 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T14:45:18Z |
| publishDate | 2019-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-0f456d17965347d6b9090cba24530c732022-12-21T23:41:29ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582019-06-019127324733210.1002/ece3.5303Parthenogenetic vs. sexual reproduction in oribatid mite communitiesMark Maraun0Tancredi Caruso1Jonathan Hense2Ricarda Lehmitz3Levan Mumladze4Maka Murvanidze5Ioana Nae6Julia Schulz7Anna Seniczak8Stefan Scheu9JFB Institute of Zoology and Anthropology Georg August University Göttingen Göttingen GermanySchool of Biological Sciences and Institute for Global Food Security Queen's University of Belfast Belfast Northern IrelandFachdidaktik Biologie, Nees‐Institut Rheinische Friedrich‐Wilhelms Universität Bonn Bonn GermanySenckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz Görlitz GermanyInstitute of Ecology and Institute of Zoology Ilia State University Tbilisi GeorgiaInstitute of Entomology of Agricultural University of Georgia Tbilisi GeorgiaEmil Racovita Institute of Speleology of Romanian Academy Bucharest RomaniaJFB Institute of Zoology and Anthropology Georg August University Göttingen Göttingen GermanyRealfagbygget University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen Bergen NorwayJFB Institute of Zoology and Anthropology Georg August University Göttingen Göttingen GermanyAbstract The dominance of sex in Metazoa is enigmatic. Sexual species allocate resources to the production of males, while potentially facing negative effects such as the loss of well‐adapted genotypes due to recombination, and exposure to diseases and predators during mating. Two major hypotheses have been put forward to explain the advantages of parthenogenetic versus sexual reproduction in animals, that is, the Red Queen hypothesis and the Tangled Bank/Structured Resource Theory of Sex. The Red Queen hypothesis assumes that antagonistic predator—prey/ parasite–host interactions favor sex. The Structured Resource Theory of Sex predicts sexual reproduction to be favored if resources are in short supply and aggregated in space. In soil, a remarkable number of invertebrates reproduce by parthenogenesis, and this pattern is most pronounced in oribatid mites (Oribatida, Acari). Oribatid mites are abundant in virtually any soil across very different habitats, and include many sexual and parthenogenetic (thelytokous) species. Thereby, they represent an ideal model group to investigate the role of sexual versus parthenogenetic reproduction across different ecosystems and habitats. Here, we compiled data on oribatid mite communities from different ecosystems and habitats across biomes, including tropical rainforests, temperate forests, grasslands, arable fields, salt marshes, bogs, caves, and deadwood. Based on the compiled dataset, we analyzed if the percentage of parthenogenetic species and the percentage of individuals of parthenogenetic species are related to total oribatid mite density, species number, and other potential driving factors of the reproductive mode including altitude and latitude. We then interpret the results in support of either the Red Queen hypothesis or the Structured Resource Theory of Sex. Overall, the data showed that high density of oribatid mites, indicating abundance of resources, is associated with high frequency of parthenogenesis supporting predictions of the Structured Resource Theory of Sex rather than the Red Queen hypothesis.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5303oribatid mitesRed Queensexual reproductionStructured Resource Theory of SexTangled Bankthelytoky |
| spellingShingle | Mark Maraun Tancredi Caruso Jonathan Hense Ricarda Lehmitz Levan Mumladze Maka Murvanidze Ioana Nae Julia Schulz Anna Seniczak Stefan Scheu Parthenogenetic vs. sexual reproduction in oribatid mite communities Ecology and Evolution oribatid mites Red Queen sexual reproduction Structured Resource Theory of Sex Tangled Bank thelytoky |
| title | Parthenogenetic vs. sexual reproduction in oribatid mite communities |
| title_full | Parthenogenetic vs. sexual reproduction in oribatid mite communities |
| title_fullStr | Parthenogenetic vs. sexual reproduction in oribatid mite communities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Parthenogenetic vs. sexual reproduction in oribatid mite communities |
| title_short | Parthenogenetic vs. sexual reproduction in oribatid mite communities |
| title_sort | parthenogenetic vs sexual reproduction in oribatid mite communities |
| topic | oribatid mites Red Queen sexual reproduction Structured Resource Theory of Sex Tangled Bank thelytoky |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5303 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT markmaraun parthenogeneticvssexualreproductioninoribatidmitecommunities AT tancredicaruso parthenogeneticvssexualreproductioninoribatidmitecommunities AT jonathanhense parthenogeneticvssexualreproductioninoribatidmitecommunities AT ricardalehmitz parthenogeneticvssexualreproductioninoribatidmitecommunities AT levanmumladze parthenogeneticvssexualreproductioninoribatidmitecommunities AT makamurvanidze parthenogeneticvssexualreproductioninoribatidmitecommunities AT ioananae parthenogeneticvssexualreproductioninoribatidmitecommunities AT juliaschulz parthenogeneticvssexualreproductioninoribatidmitecommunities AT annaseniczak parthenogeneticvssexualreproductioninoribatidmitecommunities AT stefanscheu parthenogeneticvssexualreproductioninoribatidmitecommunities |