A group of scientists from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, in California (United States) has published in the Journal of Heredity what represents the first case of parthenogenesis in both a condor and any species of bird, after discovering that a couple of Condor chicks had been born without the need for a male, something they consider “extraordinary.”
Parthenogenesis, also known as virgin birth, is a type of asexual reproduction in which a female’s egg can develop into an embryo without sperm. We know that lizards do it but it has never been observed in a bird species as emblematic as the Californian condor ( Gymnogyps californianus ), which is also critically endangered, according to the IUCN.
The captive breeding program began after discovering in 1980 that there were only 22 individuals left in the wild . When scientists at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance were reviewing the bird’s genetic data, they found something puzzling: Two male chickens had no genetic contribution from any male.
Parthenogenesis is a rare phenomenon, but some evidence suggests that females capable of parthenogenesis will reproduce in this way when there are no mates around, which could happen with an endangered population.
The experts at the San Diego Zoo explained that these two baby condors were produced by two different females and in different places. They both died at a young age.
Referencia: Facultative Parthenogenesis in California Condors
Oliver A Ryder, Steven Thomas, Jessica Martin Judson, Michael N Romanov, Sugandha Dandekar, Jeanette C Papp, Lindsay C Sidak-Loftis, Kelli Walker, Ilse H Stalis, Michael Mace … Show more
Author Notes
Journal of Heredity, esab052, https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esab052
Published:
28 October 2021
