Some species of stick insects of the genus Timema have been reproducing without sex for over a million years, and in certain cases for almost two million years. This is the longest duration of asexual reproduction known among insects, which makes the phenomenon particularly impressive for researchers.
Now, a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that, despite not resorting to sexual reproduction for hundreds of thousands of years, the genetic mechanisms associated with this form of reproduction remain intact in these insects.
The study shows that the body of these stick insects still maintains the genetic mechanisms related to sexual reproduction, even after all this time without resorting to it. This discovery makes the case of these insects even more fascinating, suggesting that the genetic heritage associated with sexual reproduction has not completely disappeared.
This research offers new perspectives on the long-term survival capacity of species that abandoned sexual reproduction, a rare phenomenon in the animal world, where sexual reproduction is generally considered the evolutionary norm.
