Researchers have found a startling study in which, for the first time, a virgin female alligator became pregnant on her own without a male alligator. The fetus is genetically identical to the female alligator. Warren Booth, an evolutionary biologist from Virginia Tech, and his team made this discovery. The findings were published in a journal published by the Royal Society, called Biological Letters.
In 2018, 14 eggs were found in the cage of a female at Parque Reptilandia in Costa Rica. Since the age of 2, the crocodile has been completely isolated. However, it is surprising that it still lays a litter of 18 eggs.
“Given a period of isolation from a partner, they would normally be considered non-viable and rejected,” the researchers say. However, officials collected seven eggs that appeared viable and kept them in an incubator.
Booth also says that there are several signs that could indicate that one of the eggs is viable. The man explained that “viable eggs are usually bright white, while infertile eggs can be more yellow”. He added that “when illuminated, live crocodile eggs will have clear bands, while non-live eggs will just glow yellow.”
Costa Rican officials have called in experts who specialize in single-sex reproduction in the United States for advice. The term parthenogenogen is derived from two Greek words, “Parthenos” and “genesis”, meaning “virgin” and “origin”, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Booth and Gordon Schuett (co-authors) of Georgia State University have published many of their papers on the subject. These two have published so much of their work on the subject that they have become “approachers” to inquire about the concept.
Wondering if virgin birth is rare? Well, they were once considered rare, but those who have studied the subject well know that there have been many documented cases of such virgin births originating from countless other species. These species include snakes, sharks, chickens, birds, and many others. The process of virgin birth is actually more common in the insect and plant world than in any other organism, where the female organism can reproduce without any male fertilization.
In 2021, a study has shown that virgin births can also occur in conduits in California. Researchers working with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said genetic testing demonstrated two male chicks hatched in 2001 and 2009 from unfertilized eggs that were related to the mother. of them. None of them are related to the man. In 2019, the anaconda, raised with two females, gave birth to a young. DNA testing has proven that the tiny baby pythons are reproduced by parthenogenesis.
Speaking of the Costa Rican crocodile, three months later the workers brought the eggs, but none of them hatched. Only one of the eggs had a fully formed but non-viable fetus. Subsequent DNA testing revealed that the fetus was indeed 99.9% genetically identical to the mother alligator.
According to researchers, abnormal births can happen in crocodiles without anyone noticing. The study wrote that “thus, these findings suggest that eggs should be evaluated for viability in the absence of males.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education