androgenesis

Thân thiện

A scientist observes androgenesis in a laboratory plant sample.

Definition

Noun: 1. A form of male parthenogenesis: A biological process in which an embryo develops containing only paternal chromosomes. This occurs because the egg cell's nucleus fails to participate in fertilization or is inactivated, so the embryo's genetic material comes entirely from the male parent (the sperm cell).

Usage Notes

• Scientific Context: This term is used almost exclusively in specialized fields such as genetics, developmental biology, and botany. It describes a specific and rare reproductive phenomenon.
• Process: The key concept is the exclusive contribution of paternal chromosomes. The maternal chromosomes from the egg are absent or non-functional.

Examples

• In a sentence:
  • The rare phenomenon of androgenesis results in offspring that are genetically identical to the father.
  • Researchers studied plant androgenesis to understand how embryos could develop with only paternal DNA.
  • The occurrence of androgenesis in this insect species was confirmed through genetic analysis.

Advanced Usage

• Comparative Biology: Androgenesis is sometimes contrasted with gynogenesis, where the embryo contains only maternal chromosomes, with the sperm serving only to activate egg development.
• Agricultural/Research Applications: In plant breeding, techniques like anther culture can induce androgenesis to produce haploid plants (with a single set of chromosomes) from male gametes, which are then used to create genetically uniform diploid lines.

Variants and Related Words

• Androgenetic (adjective): Relating to or characterized by androgenesis.
  • Example: The androgenetic offspring displayed traits solely from the paternal line.
• Parthenogenesis (noun): A broader term for reproduction without fertilization. Androgenesis is a specific type of male parthenogenesis.

Synonyms

• Male parthenogenesis
• Paternal apomixis (used primarily in botany)

Related Concepts (Not Synonyms)

• Gynogenesis: Embryo development with only maternal chromosomes.
• Haploid: Having a single set of chromosomes. Androgenetic embryos are initially haploid (containing only the sperm's chromosomes) but may become diploid if chromosome doubling occurs.
• Apomixis: Asexual reproduction without fertilization, which includes various mechanisms like parthenogenesis.

Học thuật

Noun

1. male parthenogenesis in which the embryo contains only paternal chromosomes due to the failure of the egg nucleus to participate in fertilization

Từ đồng nghĩa

• androgeny