0 the process in which a seed or egg starts developing into a new plant or animal after joining with a male cell from the same plant or animal, rather than a different one
The evolution of self-fertilization and inbreeding depression in plants.
No progeny were identified as the products of self-fertilization in this population.
Broadly speaking, greater self-fertilization decreases element number under deleterious insertion and increases element number with regulation through ectopic exchange.
However, self-fertilization should be interpreted cautiously with respect to only 8 loci in a relatively small number of individuals analysed.
Such expectations are badly needed to built realistic models of the evolution of self-fertilization.
In order for reproduction by self-fertilization to evolve, the advantages must outweigh any possible disadvantage of inbreeding.
The genetic variability is therefore expected to be halved in populations with very high frequencies of self-fertilization.
Also, self-fertilization, as mentioned above, is expected to promote local population differentiation.
