Parthenogenesis

The ability of certain animals to reproduce without the need for a mate calls into question the need for sex in the first place. Investigating how different species have transitioned from sexual to asexual reproduction shines a light on the benefits and consequences of these different reproductive modes.

I am investigating the origin of all-female, parthenogenetic populations of the ladybug Nephus voeltzkowi. These populations are triploid, are infected with the parthenogenesis-inducing bacteria Wolbachia, and are of hybrid origin. These are all well-known features of insect lineages that have transisitioned to parthenogenesis. The presence of sexual populations without any of these characters gives us a unique opportunity to study which of these features originally spurred the transition.