SYNOPSIS. One-locus, two-allele models are presented which describe the genetic consequences of naturally occurring andexperimentally induced parthenogesis in triploid and diploid amphibians. The models may in general be used to investigate genetic change resulting from apomictic (ameiotic) and automictic (meiotic) parthenogenetic reproduction. These models quantify the influence of mutation, segregation, and selection upon genetic variability in parthenogeneticpopulations. They also allow an estimate of the relative importance of stochastic forces in altering this variability. They thus provide a basis for understanding evolution in these populations. Some of the conclusions derived from this study contradict previous predictions regarding genetic variability in parthenogenetic populations. First, if mutation is the sole source of genetic change (i.e., strict apomixis), parthenogenetic populations should not become completely heterozygous. Second, small amounts of segregation occurring in apomictic populations have enormous effects upon the genetic variability of these populations, i.e., they should lose much of their heterozygosity. In addition to these conclusions, the results of this study suggest that studies of protein variability in parthenogenetic species should contribute toward answering the question: How much of the genetic variability observed in nature is evolutionarily relevant?
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Asher et al. (1971) studied this question.