California Condors Are Capable of Asexual Reproduction

wired.com

30 points·ajdude··4 comments

So the genetic diversity of the tiny California Condor population is even lower than it would seem from raw number, because an unknown number of the males are effectively clones of the mother. But if a single female can pioneer a new territory without a mate, that might compensate for the diversity loss. If a near clone of the mother is viable often enough, perhaps the offspring of mother and son would be too.

If some dinosaurs were parthenogenic too we could possibly reboot a species from a single female.

With technological assistance we are close to becoming a parthenogenic species ourselves, which could be quite useful when we start launching interstellar arks. But our parthanotes don't have to be limited to the parent's alleles.

The article implied that we know the parents and genes of every California Condor due to the close track science has been keeping on the species.

So I do t think it’s fair to say that an “unknown number” of the birds lacked a male parent. We appear to know the number. It was 2.

Further the birds are not clones. Those would be healthy animals. Parthonotes have two copies of one set of chromosomes. So they’re a half of a clone. Much riskier genetics which is why they almost never survive and are so often sickly.

So I don’t think there is any way a female could establish a new population. And that population (in this species) would be 100% male so it couldn’t reproduce again through parthenogenesis.

It doesn’t sound like it would be a viable way of bringing species back from extinction or continuing our species.

This is called parthenogensis, and is not unheard of for many animals in captivity. Sharks, in particular. A fascinating part of animal biology, to be sure.

nature finds a way... there you go.

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