Summary
Sexual reproduction is a costly but seemingly necessary trait in animals. However, species in diverse branches of the animal kingdom have secondarily reverted to asexual reproduction. In the roundworms (phylum Nematoda), this reversal appears particularly frequent, as parthenogenetic species have emerged in numerous genera. Species in the genus Plectus are obligately parthenogenetic, and are distributed in non-extreme and extreme environments across the globe. Mechanisms leading to the loss of sex, for example hybridisation, have received some attention, but are still poorly understood, in particular on the genomic level. This is in part due to the lack of sequencing and analysis tools for complex genomes of minute organisms.
CHOPPE will generate chromosome-level collapsed and phased genome assemblies using latest assembly strategies for several species of Plectus and its closest sexual relative Anaplectus from diverse habitats. CHOPPE will develop new computational methods for generating fully phased assemblies of diverse non-model species. Collapsed assemblies, and haplotype assemblies of several Plectus and Anaplectus species generated in the project, will allow to decipher the genomic basis of their adaption in the context of parthenogenesis and extreme environments. The project will further investigate the reversal to sexuality of Plectus through crossing with heat induced males, and establish this genus as a new model for the study of parthenogenesis.
CHOPPE will generate chromosome-level collapsed and phased genome assemblies using latest assembly strategies for several species of Plectus and its closest sexual relative Anaplectus from diverse habitats. CHOPPE will develop new computational methods for generating fully phased assemblies of diverse non-model species. Collapsed assemblies, and haplotype assemblies of several Plectus and Anaplectus species generated in the project, will allow to decipher the genomic basis of their adaption in the context of parthenogenesis and extreme environments. The project will further investigate the reversal to sexuality of Plectus through crossing with heat induced males, and establish this genus as a new model for the study of parthenogenesis.
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More information & hyperlinks
| Web resources: | https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101110569 |
| Start date: | 01-05-2023 |
| End date: | 30-04-2025 |
| Total budget - Public funding: | - 173 847,00 Euro |
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Original description
Sexual reproduction is a costly but seemingly necessary trait in animals. However, species in diverse branches of the animal kingdom have secondarily reverted to asexual reproduction. In the roundworms (phylum Nematoda), this reversal appears particularly frequent, as parthenogenetic species have emerged in numerous genera. Species in the genus Plectus are obligately parthenogenetic, and are distributed in non-extreme and extreme environments across the globe. Mechanisms leading to the loss of sex, for example hybridisation, have received some attention, but are still poorly understood, in particular on the genomic level. This is in part due to the lack of sequencing and analysis tools for complex genomes of minute organisms.CHOPPE will generate chromosome-level collapsed and phased genome assemblies using latest assembly strategies for several species of Plectus and its closest sexual relative Anaplectus from diverse habitats. CHOPPE will develop new computational methods for generating fully phased assemblies of diverse non-model species. Collapsed assemblies, and haplotype assemblies of several Plectus and Anaplectus species generated in the project, will allow to decipher the genomic basis of their adaption in the context of parthenogenesis and extreme environments. The project will further investigate the reversal to sexuality of Plectus through crossing with heat induced males, and establish this genus as a new model for the study of parthenogenesis.
Status
SIGNEDCall topic
HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01-01Update Date
31-07-2023
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