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Author
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Topic: Sex is costly
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ephemeral
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8881
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posted 09 February 2006 10:38 AM
quote:
"There was always an assumption that microbes reproduce asexually, but they are actually asexual and sexual," says Xu. Using a fungus that has two sexes, A and Alpha, he established three populations: A microbes (females), Alpha microbes (males), and a combination of the two. When left to re-produce on their own, the first two groups of microbes performed efficiently and prolifically. The microbe couples, however, were slower to reproduce. But Xu also found that a fair bit of fluffing and flirting goes on when mixed pairs slide into a petri dish, and the results can be detrimental to their fitness.
"We noticed that mating stunted their asexual reproduction because each partner spent more time attracting the other than nourishing its own growth," explains Xu. "Transmitting mating signals costs both partners: one partner uses up materials and energy to produce and transmit the signal, and the other partner gets distracted by the mating signal and loses interest in reproducing on its own."
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