Journal article
Signs of sex: what we know and how we know it
Trends in ecology & evolution (Amsterdam), Vol.24(4), pp.208-217
2009
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2008.11.010
PMID: 19282047
Abstract
The predominance of sexual reproduction indicates that it must confer profound benefits, considering its significant costs relative to asexuality. However, definitively determining whether a lineage engages in sex is often complicated by the potential for cryptic sex, especially among unfamiliar organisms. Here we consider the strengths and weaknesses of various molecular- and organismal-based approaches for recognizing signs of sex and describe their applications and relevance to evolutionary biology. We review recent studies that use these methods; some analyses even dispute several ‘ancient’ asexual taxa, and suggest they are recently derived or might be covertly sexual. More broadly, a better understanding of which organisms have sex and how they do it will deepen our understanding of the distribution, maintenance and evolution of sexual reproduction.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Signs of sex: what we know and how we know it
- Creators
- Andrew M SchurkoMaurine NeimanJohn M Logsdon
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Trends in ecology & evolution (Amsterdam), Vol.24(4), pp.208-217
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.tree.2008.11.010
- PMID
- 19282047
- NLM abbreviation
- Trends Ecol Evol
- ISSN
- 0169-5347
- eISSN
- 1872-8383
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2009
- Academic Unit
- Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies; Biology
- Record Identifier
- 9984002357202771
Metrics
34 Record Views