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Hybridogenesis as an intermediate step between sexual reproduction and parthenogenesis in stick insects

Brandt, Alexander ; Lavanchy, Guillaume LU orcid ; Mérel, Vincent ; Soldini, Luca ; Massy, Morgane ; Dumas, Zoé ; Gaudichau, Emelyne ; Labédan, Marjorie ; Genoud, Falon Pasquier and Bastardot, Marc , et al. (2026) In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 123(22).
Abstract

Many organisms reproduce through noncanonical modes such as parthenogenesis or hybridogenesis (clonal transmission of one parent’s chromosomes), but whether these arise abruptly or stepwise from each other remains unclear. We address this in the stick-insect genus Bacillus, which harbors several hybrid lineages with diverse reproductive modes. From haplotype-resolved phylogenies of >500 wild-caught individuals, we infer a single, recent (~8,000 y) origin of all hybrids. The ancestral hybrid reproduced via hybridogenesis, which subsequently diversified into parthenogenesis and, twice independently, into triploid lineages. Laboratory crosses recapitulate this trajectory, where each step facilitated the next. These findings reveal how a... (More)

Many organisms reproduce through noncanonical modes such as parthenogenesis or hybridogenesis (clonal transmission of one parent’s chromosomes), but whether these arise abruptly or stepwise from each other remains unclear. We address this in the stick-insect genus Bacillus, which harbors several hybrid lineages with diverse reproductive modes. From haplotype-resolved phylogenies of >500 wild-caught individuals, we infer a single, recent (~8,000 y) origin of all hybrids. The ancestral hybrid reproduced via hybridogenesis, which subsequently diversified into parthenogenesis and, twice independently, into triploid lineages. Laboratory crosses recapitulate this trajectory, where each step facilitated the next. These findings reveal how a single genomic perturbation can act as a catalyst for evolutionary innovation, turning the loss of sex into a driver of diversification rather than a dead end.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
hemiclonal reproduction, hybridization, reproductive modes, stick insects, triploidy
in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
volume
123
issue
22
article number
e2535700123
publisher
National Academy of Sciences
external identifiers
  • pmid:42172243
  • scopus:105039957364
ISSN
0027-8424
DOI
10.1073/pnas.2535700123
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e13911f2-60a2-4768-9d7e-b4c7c7be2ed4
date added to LUP
2026-07-02 12:18:02
date last changed
2026-07-03 03:00:02
@article{e13911f2-60a2-4768-9d7e-b4c7c7be2ed4,
  abstract     = {{<p>Many organisms reproduce through noncanonical modes such as parthenogenesis or hybridogenesis (clonal transmission of one parent’s chromosomes), but whether these arise abruptly or stepwise from each other remains unclear. We address this in the stick-insect genus Bacillus, which harbors several hybrid lineages with diverse reproductive modes. From haplotype-resolved phylogenies of &gt;500 wild-caught individuals, we infer a single, recent (~8,000 y) origin of all hybrids. The ancestral hybrid reproduced via hybridogenesis, which subsequently diversified into parthenogenesis and, twice independently, into triploid lineages. Laboratory crosses recapitulate this trajectory, where each step facilitated the next. These findings reveal how a single genomic perturbation can act as a catalyst for evolutionary innovation, turning the loss of sex into a driver of diversification rather than a dead end.</p>}},
  author       = {{Brandt, Alexander and Lavanchy, Guillaume and Mérel, Vincent and Soldini, Luca and Massy, Morgane and Dumas, Zoé and Gaudichau, Emelyne and Labédan, Marjorie and Genoud, Falon Pasquier and Bastardot, Marc and Schwander, Tanja}},
  issn         = {{0027-8424}},
  keywords     = {{hemiclonal reproduction; hybridization; reproductive modes; stick insects; triploidy}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{22}},
  publisher    = {{National Academy of Sciences}},
  series       = {{Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}},
  title        = {{Hybridogenesis as an intermediate step between sexual reproduction and parthenogenesis in stick insects}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2535700123}},
  doi          = {{10.1073/pnas.2535700123}},
  volume       = {{123}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}