title: Laboratory generation of new parthenogenetic lineages supports contagious parthenogenesis in Artemia.
abstract: Contagious parthenogenesis-a process involving rare functional males produced by a parthenogenetic lineage which mate with coexisting sexual females resulting in fertile parthenogenetic offspring-is one of the most striking mechanisms responsible for the generation of new parthenogenetic lineages. Populations of the parthenogenetic diploid brine shrimp Artemia produce fully functional males in low proportions. The evolutionary role of these so-called Artemia rare males is, however, unknown. Here we investigate whether new parthenogenetic clones could be obtained in the laboratory by mating these rare males with sexual females. We assessed the survival and sex ratio of the hybrid ovoviviparous offspring from previous crosses between rare males and females from all Asiatic sexual species, carried out cross-mating experiments between F1 hybrid individuals to assess their fertility, and estimated the viability and the reproductive mode of the resulting F2 offspring. Molecular analysis confirmed the parentage of hybrid parthenogenetic F2. Our study documents the first laboratory synthesis of new parthenogenetic lineages in Artemia and supports a model for the contagious spread of parthenogenesis. Our results suggest recessive inheritance but further experiments are required to confirm the likelihood of the contagious parthenogenesis model.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) , Ribera de Cabanes (Castellón) , Spain ; School of Biological, Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, University of Hull , Hull , United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maccari
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) , Ribera de Cabanes (Castellón) , Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amat
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) , Ribera de Cabanes (Castellón) , Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hontoria
authors.affiliation: School of Biological, Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, University of Hull , Hull , United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Africa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gómez
keywords: Artemia; Clonal reproduction; Contagious parthenogenesis; Hybridisation; Parthenogenesis; Rare males; Reproductive isolation; Sexual reproduction