'It was a bucket of water in the face.'
help from males—that is, they were each produced by a female bird alone. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliancedetailing the discovery, which reveals that condors, a critically endangered species of bird, are able to asexually reproduce.
A few years ago, the Wildlife Alliance researchers began tracing the parentage of the California condors they keep in captivity. But when researchers analyzed the genetic profile of two of the male baby chicks, they noticed something strange: The genetic markers used for parentage determination indicated they couldn’t have had a male parent. Each bird had just one parent.
It was a huge surprise. I mean, it’s not what we were looking for. It was a bucket of water in the face. It was quite a moment when all the data came together with the realization that that was the only reasonable explanation—that we discovered that there were two chicks that had been hatched that had no male contribution.They were with males that they had reproduced with sexually, but I don’t know whether they chose to not do it this time.
So we know that these endangered birds can reproduce without males. If all the male condors disappeared, would the population be OK?We don’t know. I mean, I would assume—but we don’t have any evidence that condor females would continue laying eggs in that situation. We really don’t have a good idea yet of the frequency of asexual reproduction in condors. We know it’s happened twice, and that’s remarkable.
One died of an infection, and the other—we’re not exactly sure why it died, but it was malnourished and didn’t successfully compete with other birds for food.Popular in
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også lese nyheter som ligner på denne som vi har samlet inn fra andre nyhetskilder.
Saudi Arabia posts third quarter budget surplus, first in over two yearsSaudi Arabia recorded a budget surplus of 6.7 billion riyals ($1.79 billion) in the third quarter this year, as higher oil prices fuelled its first quarterly surplus in over two years.
Les mer »
Michael Laughlin, Who Produced ‘Two-Lane Blacktop’ and Co-Wrote ‘Town & Country,’ DiesLaughlin, who was married to actress Leslie Caron in the 1970s, also wrote and directed 'Strange Behavior,' 'Strange Invaders' and 'Mesmerized.'
Les mer »
Michael Laughlin, ‘Two-Lane Blacktop’ Producer And ‘Town & Country’ Writer, Dies At 82Director, producer and screenwriter Michael Laughlin, whose credits include Two-Lane Blacktop, Town & Country and Strange Behavior, died on October 20th at the age of 82. Laughlin succumbed to …
Les mer »
20 Micro-Horror Stories That Prove You Can Be Terrified In Just Two SentencesThey’re! Scary!
Les mer »
Two men killed in separate shootings in Los AngelesTwo men were killed in separate shootings in Los Angeles overnight.
Les mer »
John Deere and the United Auto Workers Union reach tentative agreement following two-week strikeJohn Deere and the UAW reach a tentative agreement more than two weeks after 10,000 workers went on strike, both sides say
Les mer »