How Certain Animal Species Survives Without Sexual Reproduction

miteAn international scientific team has proved for the first time that animals can survive for very long periods (perhaps millions of years) without sex by studying a species of beetle mite.

The researchers sequenced and analyzed the genetic information of several populations of Oppiella nova and the closely related but sexually reproducing species Oppiella subpectinata in Germany for their study. Dr. Jens Bast, Emmy Noether junior research group head at the University of Cologne's Institute of Zoology, described the effort as "a Sisyphean task."

Their efforts were rewarded when they were able to demonstrate the Meselson effect. 'Our findings demonstrate that O. nova reproduces solely asexually.' These beetle mites could still surprise us when it comes to an understanding of how evolution works without sex,' Bast concluded. The findings suggest that a species' survival without sexual reproduction is scarce but not impossible. The researchers will now attempt to determine what makes these beetle mites so unique.

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