Timeline for Is it biologically possible for one species to need another species to reproduce?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
12 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Dec 24, 2023 at 15:31 | comment | added | Pelinore | Try searching for kleptogenic reproduction, there are several real species that actually do what the OP is asking for, that literally mate with another species but discard most or all or their DNA, a cuckoo conning another bird into parenting its offspring and parasitic wasps layng eggs in other insects are poor substitutes when the real thing actually exists. | |
| Dec 20, 2023 at 14:55 | comment | added | Michael | The one defining characteristic of females is: “A female has larger gametes than a male.” | |
| Dec 20, 2023 at 12:58 | comment | added | Peter - Reinstate Monica | This sounds quite close to what a male actually does! Hijacks the reproductive organs of another "species" in order to reproduce its own otherwise useless genes ;-). Also, often gains access by deception. | |
| Dec 20, 2023 at 3:29 | comment | added | aroth | "but they are actually laying eggs, not sperm, making them female" - Not necessarily? The eggs are presumably diploid, or at least viable without any additional genetic material. Unless some prior interaction was needed to fertilize the eggs before injection, your "womb parasite" sounds sexless/asexual more than it sounds female. | |
| Dec 20, 2023 at 0:22 | comment | added | James K | @Cloudberry In my conception, these are cryptic. The parasites mimic male appearance to gain access to the females. The females think that they are having regular sex. But in fact the parasite. So the parasites have the appearance of a male from the host species (if humanoid, they would have beards and body hair, deep voice and vestigal breasts) | |
| Dec 19, 2023 at 21:28 | comment | added | Cloudberry | 'they have what appears to be a penis' This alone wouldn't make them look like males. The protruding structure in question is an ovipositor, which many insect species have. | |
| Dec 19, 2023 at 17:54 | comment | added | Pere | It should be noted that broods of cuckoos that parasitised some bird species are thought to be extinct because of the host got too good at spotting and discarding cuckoo eggs. | |
| Dec 19, 2023 at 15:36 | comment | added | Michael Richardson | There are several species that have a high likelihood of countering the cuckoo strategy. Some nest nearby together and mob invaders, preventing the placement. Others have a 90%+ likelihood of recognizing foreign eggs. And yet others will recognize the cuckoo chick for what it is and abandon the nest. But even with all of these counters, the Cuckoo is still quite successful, showing that it's strategy is still valid. | |
| Dec 19, 2023 at 14:46 | comment | added | quarague | @MontyWild Of course other birds don't like breeding cuckoos and try to counter it but cuckoos aren't extinct, so it seems to work in the cuckoos favor often enough. | |
| Dec 19, 2023 at 14:05 | comment | added | Stef | Also, trees envelop their seeds inside fruits so that animals will eat the fruits and poop the seeds. Not to mention, flowers rely on bees and other insects to transport their pollen from their own anther to another flower's stigma. | |
| Dec 19, 2023 at 0:19 | comment | added | Monty Wild♦ | You might want to consider that species evolve ways to counter these tactics. Cuckoo chicks can't mimic their 'parents' calls, and so don't get fed (this is a real one BTW). The offspring of a female unrelated to a male may not smell or look right or something. | |
| Dec 18, 2023 at 21:53 | history | answered | James K | CC BY-SA 4.0 |