Evolution of sexual reproduction, sexes and sex determination systems
summer semester 2018
10 Apr 2018 - 10 Jul 2018
Prof. Dr. Jochen Wolf
Dr. Bart Nieuwenhuis
Course Description
Sexual reproduction is the most common mode of reproduction in nature, however, its existence is one of the biggest problems in evolutionary biology. Why did sexual reproduction, a costly form of reproduction, evolve and why is it maintained? What led to the evolution of the two specialized groups ‘males’ and ‘females’? How does sex and the existence of sexes affect evolution at the genetic and genome level? In this seminar, based on classical and recent literature, we discuss these topics from the fundamental theory to recent genomic insights.
- The seminar takes place every Tuesday 17:30 – 19:00 (except May 1st).
- We start April 10 and have the last class on July 10.
- Each week two people will give a short presentation on the topics to be discussed that week,
- followed by a group discussion on one to three papers.
- The topics that will be discussed are:
- The many costs of sexual reproduction
- Benefits of recombination
- Benefits of sexually produced variation
- Evolution of sexual asymmetries: mating types
- Evolution of sexual asymmetries: anisogamy
- Evolution of sexual asymmetries: separate sexes
- Diversity of sex determination systems
- Environmental sex determination
- Sex chromosome evolution
- Sex chromosome turnover
- Sexual selection and sex chromosomes
- Sexes and “sex roles”
Contact
- nieuwenhuis AT bio.lmu.de
- j.wolf AT bio.lmu.de
Credit
3 ECTS, 2 SWS
Location
Biozentrum - room B 01.015
Großhadern Str. 2
Grading
In order to pass, students must (co-)lead the discussion of one session and participate actively in the discussion of all other topics.
Thu final grading is based both on the presentation (50%) and on the student's participation in the discussion throughout the entire course (50%).
Program Summer Semester 2018
Program (Summer semester 2018)
Class 1. Introduction - 10.4.18
Introduction (Slides) about:
- What is sexual reproduction
- The problem with the maintenance of sex
- Anisogamy defines sexes
- Sexes, genders and mating types
Organization of the course
Class 2. Queen of all problems in biology - 17.4.18
- Cost of sexual reproduction - Besta D
- Benefits of sexual reproduction - Jiacheng L
Paper 1: Otto, SP. “The Evolutionary Enigma of Sex.” The American Naturalist 174, no. s1 (2009): S1–14. https://doi.org/10.1086/599084.
Paper 2: Hartfield, M. “Evolutionary Genetic Consequences of Facultative Sex and Outcrossing.” Journal of Evolutionary Biology 29, no. 1 (2016): 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.12770.
Class 3. Benefits of recombination - 8.5.18
- Hill-Robertson interference - Megha S
- Epistasis - Zachary B
Paper 1: McDonald MJ, DP Rice & MM Desai. “Sex Speeds Adaptation by Altering the Dynamics of Molecular Evolution.” Nature 531, no. 7593 (2016): 233–36. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17143.
Paper 2: Ono J, AC Gerstein & SP Otto. “Widespread genetic incompatibilities between first-step mutations during parallel adaptation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to a common environment.” PLOS Biology 15, no. 1 (2017): e1002591. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002591.
Class 4. Benefits of sexually produced variation - 15.5.18
- Red Queen Hypothesis - Franziska B
- Frequency of sexual reproduction - Mohammed T
Paper 1: Luijckx P, EK Ho Ho, M Gasim, S Chen, A Stanic, C Yanchus, Y Seong Kim & AF Agrawal. “Higher Rates of Sex Evolve during Adaptation to More Complex Environments.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114, no. 3 (2017): 534–39. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1604072114.
Paper 2: Metzger CMJA, P Luijckx, G Bento, M Mariadassou & D Ebert. “The Red Queen Lives: Epistasis between Linked Resistance Loci.” Evolution 70, no. 2 (2016): 480–87. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.12854.
Class 5. Evolution of sexual asymmetries: mating types - 22.5.18
- What are mating types? - Keren N
- How do mating types function - Admin C
Paper 1: Perrin N. “What Uses Are Mating Types? The ‘Developmental Switch’ Model.” Evolution 66, no. 4 (2012): 947–56. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01562.x.
Paper 2: Hadjivasiliou Z & A Pomiankowski. “Gamete Signalling Underlies the Evolution of Mating Types and Their Number.” Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 371, no. 1706 (2016): 20150531. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0531.
Class 6. Evolution of sexual asymmetries: anisogamy - 29.5.18
- Sperm limitation - Sam L
- Sperm competition - Magdalena M
Paper 1: Lüpold S, MK Manier, N Puniamoorthy, C Schoff, WT Starmer, S Buckley Luepold, JM Belote & S Pitnick. “How Sexual Selection Can Drive the Evolution of Costly Sperm Ornamentation.” Nature 533, no. 7604 (2016): 535–38. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature18005.
Paper 2: Parker GA & J Lehtonen. “Gamete Evolution and Sperm Numbers: Sperm Competition versus Sperm Limitation.” Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 281, no. 1791 (2014): 20140836. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.0836.
Class 7. Evolution of sexual asymmetries: separate sexes - 5.6.18
- Hermaphrodites - Aurelia S
- Dioecy and gonochorism - Zachary N
Paper 1: Ferris P, BJSC Olson, PL De Hoff, S Douglass, D Casero, S Prochnik, S Geng, et al. “Evolution of an expanded sex-determining locus in Volvox.” Science 328, no. 5976 (2010): 351–54. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1186222.
Paper 2: Charnov EL, JJ Bull & J Maynard Smith. “Why Be an Hermaphrodite?” Nature 263, no. 5573 (1976): 125–26. https://doi.org/10.1038/263125a0.
Class 8. Diversity of sex determination systems - 12.6.18
- Sex determination - Rasha S
- Environmental sex determination
- Social sex determination
- Parasite sex determination
- Maternal control of sex determination
- Genetic sex determination
Paper 1: Bachtrog D, JE Mank, CL Peichel, M Kirkpatrick, SP Otto, T-L Ashman, MW Hahn, et al. “Sex Determination: Why so Many Ways of Doing It?” PLOS Biology 12, no. 7 (July 1, 2014): e1001899. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001899.
Class 9. Sexes and “sex roles”
- Sex roles - Diana V
- Sex role reversal - Anuj T
Paper 1: Schärer L, L Rowe & G Arnqvist. “Anisogamy, Chance and the Evolution of Sex Roles.” Trends in Ecology & Evolution 27, no. 5 (2012): 260–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2011.12.006.
Paper 2: Ah-King M. “On Anisogamy and the Evolution of ‘Sex Roles.’” Trends in Ecology & Evolution 28, no. 1 (2013): 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2012.04.004.
Paper 3: Kokko H, I Booksmythe & MD Jennions. “Causality and Sex Roles: Prejudice against Patterns? A Reply to Ah-King.” Trends in Ecology & Evolution 28, no. 1 (2013): 2–4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2012.08.008.
Class 10. Sex chromosome evolution - 26.6.18
- Sex determination loci
- Suppression of recombination - Augusto L
Paper 1: Vicoso B, JJ Emerson, Y Zektser, S Mahajan & D Bachtrog. “Comparative Sex Chromosome Genomics in Snakes: Differentiation, Evolutionary Strata, and Lack of Global Dosage Compensation.” PLoS Biol 11, no. 8 (2013): e1001643. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001643.
Paper 2: Irwin Darren E. “Sex Chromosomes and Speciation in Birds and Other ZW Systems.” Molecular Ecology 0, no. 0 (February 14, 2018). https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14537.
Class 11. Sex chromosome turnover - 3.7.18
- Sexual antagonism - Karoline W
- Sex chromosome degeneration - Michelle K
Paper 1: van Doorn GS & M Kirkpatrick. “Turnover of Sex Chromosomes Induced by Sexual Conflict.” Nature 449, no. 7164 (2007): 909–12. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06178.
Paper 2: Blaser O, S Neuenschwander & N Perrin. “Sex-Chromosome Turnovers: The Hot-Potato Model.” The American Naturalist 183, no. 1 (January 1, 2014): 140–46. https://doi.org/10.1086/674026.
Class 12. Sexual conflict - 10.7.18
- Interlocus sexual conflict - Chan Pak H
- Intralocus sexual conflict - L Yan Kin
Paper 1: Edward DA, P Stockley & DJ Hosken. “Sexual Conflict and Sperm Competition.” Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology 7, no. 4 (2015): a017707. https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a017707.
Paper 2: Firman RC, C Gasparini, MK Manier & T Pizzari. “Postmating Female Control: 20 Years of Cryptic Female Choice.” Trends in Ecology & Evolution 32, no. 5 (2017): 368–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2017.02.010.