Reproduction without mating? Largest land birds surprise scientists

The largest North American land birds have surprised scientists by giving "virgin birth," as per a new study. The research, published in Oxford Academic's Journal of Heredity, shows that critically endangered California condors have given birth through a process called parthenogenesis.

In the process, reproduction takes place without mating as female's eggs can develop into an embryo without sperm. It is also called ''virgin birth.' Lizards, swellsharks, and water dragons are some other animals that reproduce asexually. In birds, observation of parthenogenesis has been confined mainly to domestic turkeys and chickens separated from males.

Scientists in California started a breeding programme after the population of candors stooped to just 22 in number in 1982.

More than 1,000 chicks have been produced since the program began in 1988. By the end of 2019, the extant population consisted of 525 birds, 219 in captivity, and 306 wild individuals free-flying in California, Arizona, and Utah.

Calling the recent findings a "eureka moment," Oliver Ryder, the director of conservation genetics for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and co-author of the study said ''Many scientists have experiences like this when they see the world in a way they haven't seen before." "I was really pleased to figure out something that was such a conundrum," he added.

The two offspring of the Californian candors were discovered through analysis as a part of the comprehensive genotype survey. The discovery was surprising as the dams of both birds had each been continually housed for a number of years with a single male with which they had reproduced sexually.

The ability of a female condor to produce a male offspring via parthenogenesis has potential demographic and genetic implications. For example, this form of reproduction could assist range expansion when populations are at very low densities.

Ryder explained, "Think about it: the cases where we do know about it, it's overwhelmingly where animals are managed in a way where females don't have access to males. It was only because we had these detailed genetic profiles of the condor which were developed in response to the need for managing generic diversity that we discovered this." (Agencies)

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