parthenogenesis
Sign in to savethumb|280px|right|The asexual, all-female whiptail species Aspidoscelis neomexicanus (center), which reproduces via parthenogenesis, is shown flanked by two sexual species having males, A. inornatus (left) and A. tigris (right), which naturally hybridized to form A. neomexicanus.
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Parthenogenesis is a form of asexual reproduction in which females produce offspring without males, as seen in the all-female whiptail lizard species Aspidoscelis neomexicanus. This reproductive strategy matters because it demonstrates an alternative evolutionary pathway to sexual reproduction, as exemplified by this species that arose from hybridization between two sexual species.
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Article
18 sectionsContents
- Life history types
- Types and mechanisms
- Automixis
- Sex of the offspring
- Facultative
- Obligate
- Natural occurrence
- Artificial induction
- In humans
- Similar phenomena
- Androgenesis
- Gynogenesis
- Hybridogenesis
- In human culture
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|280px|right|The asexual, all-female whiptail species Aspidoscelis neomexicanus (center), which reproduces via parthenogenesis, is shown flanked by two sexual species having males, A. inornatus (left) and A. tigris (right), which naturally hybridized to form A. neomexicanus.
Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek + ) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which the embryo develops directly without need for fertilization. In animals, parthenogenesis means the development of an embryo from an unfertilized egg cell. In plants, parthenogenesis is a component process of apomixis. In algae, parthenogenesis can mean the development of an embryo from either an individual sperm or an individual egg.