By my understanding, autogamy, i.e., reproduction that is sexual, but with both gametes contributed by the same individual, is not at all uncommon in the plant kingdom.
Does this also occur anywhere in the animal kingdom?
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1$\begingroup$ @kmm I appreciate the help! But your revision greatly changed the meaning of my question, including cases I wanted to exclude and vice versa. $\endgroup$– user511672Commented Dec 17, 2017 at 15:12
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$\begingroup$ Then I suppose I don't really understand your question. What do you mean "animals that have sex with themselves?" $\endgroup$– kmmCommented Dec 17, 2017 at 15:28
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1$\begingroup$ @kmm is it not adequately elaborated on, explained, in the text body? If not I think the text is what may need further sharpening up! $\endgroup$– user511672Commented Dec 17, 2017 at 15:33
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$\begingroup$ Perhaps he means self-fertilization? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autogamy $\endgroup$– user38945Commented Dec 14, 2018 at 17:06
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2 Answers
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Yes, there are some animals which are known to self-fertilize (although generally not exclusively). For instance, among invertebrates some nematodes are known to use self fertilization, as discussed in this paper about its evolution. Among vertebrates, it seems to be very rare, apparently known only only in a single genus of fish.
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It sounds like you're referring to self-pollination. This is a specific subset of the larger category autogamy, in which two gametes from the same individual fuse.
It looks like this has been documented most completely in starving Paramecium, although Britannica seems to think it is common in invertebrates as well (without a source).
One source thinks that plants are the most successful example of autogamy because the development of several pollen tubes simultaneously allows the plant to carefully choose the fertilizing source, enabling it to select for genetic material that can mask the deleterious recessive alleles.
