After 30 Years of Breeding Condors, a Secret Comes Out ‘Virgin birth’ might be more common in animals than we thought. by Sarah Zhang https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/10/california-condors-are-capable-virgin-birth/620517/
5 Matching Annotations
- Nov 2021
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www.theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com
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Poultry scientists have also succeeded in selecting for parthenogenesis, increasing the incidence in Beltsville small white turkeys more than threefold, to 41.5 percent in five generations. Environmental factors—like high temperatures or a viral infection—also seem to trigger poultry parthenogenesis.
Parthenogenesis can be selected for in breeding.
What might this look like in other animal models. What do the long term effects of such high percentages potentially look like?
Could this be a tool for guarding against rising temperatures in the looming climate crisis?
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Different poultry breeds have significantly different rates of parthenogenesis, ranging from 0.16 percent in Barred Plymouth Rock chickens, to 3 percent in commercial turkeys, to 16.9 percent in Beltsville small white turkeys.
Different breeds of poultry display different rates of parthenogenesis.
Cross reference: https://rep.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/rep/155/6/REP-17-0728.xml
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- Oct 2021
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www.theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com
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Because of birds’ chromosome system—ZZ makes males and ZW makes females—all avian parthenotes are males. If an egg with a W chromosome merges with its polar body, the resulting WW embryo will not be viable. Only the ZZ parthenotes ever hatch.
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Although parthenogenesis has now been found in many vertebrates, mammals seem incapable of it because some of our genes are selectively turned on, depending on whether they’re inherited from the mother or father, so we need both.
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