AEBI 211 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Leptodactylus Fallax, Species Complex, Sexual Reproduction
Document Summary
What is a species: not easy to define, human construct, no consensus except on: Individuals descend from common ancestral population: reproductive compatibility, genotypic & phenotypic cohesion, common name: = plural: no italics used when species can"t or needn"t be specific, underlined rather than italics if handwritten. Sexual reproduction takes about 2x as long as asexual reproduction. Phenotypic diversity depends on mutation: muller"s ratchet = accumulation of deleterious mutations, disadvantages, asexual reproduction can"t produce genome with less deleterious mutations than the parent, unlike sexual reproduction. Binary fission: common among bacteria & protozoa, parent divides by mitosis into 2 parts, each grows into individual similar to parent i. e. protozoans like paramecium. Male & female gametes (sperm or egg) are produced. 2 haploid (n) gametes combine to form zygote (2n) Male & female organs occur in same individual. Sperm may activate but not fuse with egg.
