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Speciation and Selection without Sex

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Abstract

More than 100 females of the obligately asexual bdelloid rotifers were isolated from nature and their mitochondrial cox1 genes (encoding cytochrome oxidase subunit 1) were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences showed that most of the isolates fall into 21 clades that show two characteristics of species: they are reciprocally monophyletic and have sequence diversities similar to that of species in other organisms. These clades have been evolving independently in spite of being effectively sympatric, indicating that they are adapted to different ecological niches. In support of this, at least some of the clades differ in morphology, food utilization, and temperature tolerance. We conclude that the bdelloid rotifers have undergone substantial speciation in the absence of sexual reproduction. We also used these sequences to test the prediction that asexual organisms should be subject to relaxed natural selection and hence will accumulate detrimental mutations. In contrast to this prediction, several estimates of the ratio Ka/Ks for the cox1 gene showed that this gene is subject to strong selection in the bdelloid rotifers.

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Author notes

  1. Cynthia Wolf

    Present address: Program in Genetic Counseling, The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 77225, Houston, TX, USA

  2. Heather Maughan

    Present address: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Arizona, Biological Sciences West, 85745, Tucson, AZ, USA

  3. Linnea Herbertson

    Present address: Aqauria, Inc., 6100 Condor Drive, 93021, Moorpark, CA, 93021

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, The Universityof Arizona, Biological Sciences West, 85745, Tucson, AZ, USA

    C. William Birky Jr.

  2. Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, The University of Arizona,Biological Sciences West, Tucson, AZ, 85745, USA

    Cynthia Wolf

  3. Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, The University of Arizona, Biological Sciences West, 85745, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Heather Maughan

  4. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Arizona,Biological Sciences West, 85745, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Linnea Herbertson

  5. Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, The University of Arizona,Biological Sciences West, 85745, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Elena Henry

  6. Elena Henry, 4645 Pueblo Ave., 85650, Sierra Vista, AZ, USA

    Elena Henry

Authors
  1. C. William Birky Jr.
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Correspondence to C. William Birky Jr..

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Birky, C.W., Wolf, C., Maughan, H. et al. Speciation and Selection without Sex. Hydrobiologia 546, 29–45 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-005-4097-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-005-4097-2

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