” We were studying the molecular diversity of populations of the snails for other reasons when we discovered that the mitochondrial DNA in these species was very heterogeneous so that within the types there were extremely, extremely various individuals,” coauthor Patrice David, who studies the development of breeding systems at CNRS in France, tells The Scientist. 3 bladder snails mate in a chain, with the middle snail acting all at once as a femalebenjamin and male PélissiéWhile crossing snails of mitotype D with nondivergent snails to see if they might effectively interbreed, the researchers discovered some behavioral distinctions between the two groups. “They do not climb up onto other snails, although they accept that other snails climb up onto them.
” We were studying the molecular diversity of populations of the snails for other factors when we found that the mitochondrial DNA in these species was really heterogeneous so that within the types there were really, really various individuals,” coauthor Patrice David, who studies the advancement of breeding systems at CNRS in France, tells The Scientist. In the research study, David and his coworkers were tracing the specific genotypes of 34 bladder snails near Lyon using a mitochondrial gene called COI, which serves as a biomarker for studying molecular variety. 3 bladder snails mate in a chain, with the middle snail acting at the same time as a male and femaleBenjamin PélissiéWhile crossing snails of mitotype D with nondivergent snails to see if they might effectively interbreed, the researchers noticed some behavioral distinctions in between the 2 groups. “They dont climb up onto other snails, although they accept that other snails climb onto them. They assume that some mitochondrial genes in the mitotype D snails developed to erase male function to leave more energy for female function, which transmits mitochondria to the next generation.