The tendency of organisms to reproduce by cross-fertilization, despite the advantages of self-fertilization and particularly the cost of males, is one of the oldest puzzles of evolutionary biology. Two advantages of outcrossing that could outweigh this cost have been suggested: the avoidance of inbreeding and an enhanced ability to adapt to environmental change. Here, the study of outcrossing in populations of Caenorhabditis elegans suggests that both of these explanations are correct.
- Levi T. Morran
- Michelle D. Parmenter
- Patrick C. Phillips
