title: Origins of eukaryotic sexual reproduction.
abstract: Sexual reproduction is a nearly universal feature of eukaryotic organisms. Given its ubiquity and shared core features, sex is thought to have arisen once in the last common ancestor to all eukaryotes. Using the perspectives of molecular genetics and cell biology, we consider documented and hypothetical scenarios for the instantiation and evolution of meiosis, fertilization, sex determination, uniparental inheritance of organelle genomes, and speciation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130.
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Goodenough
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heitman
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000502:physiology*; D005306:Fertilization; D049810:Genetic Speciation; D008540:Meiosis; D011003:Ploidies; D012098:Reproduction; D019849:Sex Determination Processes