Evidence for Paternal Leakage in Hybrid Periodical Cicadas (Hemiptera: Magicicada spp.)
2007
Paternal Leakage in Hybrid Periodical Cicadas
Sample size: 73
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Kathryn M. Fontaine, John R. Cooley, Chris Simon
Primary Institution: University of Connecticut
Hypothesis
Can paternal mitochondrial DNA be detected in hybrid crosses of periodical cicadas?
Conclusion
The study found evidence of paternal leakage of mitochondrial DNA in hybrid periodical cicadas.
Supporting Evidence
- Paternal mtDNA was found in all older age groups of hybrid cicadas except for 1-day old eggs.
- The study suggests that paternal mitochondria proliferate as the eggs develop.
- Evidence of paternal leakage was found in both reciprocal hybrid crosses.
Takeaway
Sometimes, cicadas can inherit DNA from their dads, not just their moms, which is surprising because we usually think only moms pass on DNA.
Methodology
The researchers conducted hybrid crosses and used PCR to detect mitochondrial DNA in various developmental stages of cicadas.
Limitations
The study could not extract DNA from some samples, and the detection of paternal mtDNA was challenging in the youngest eggs.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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