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A promiscuous salamander has found a simple genetic formula for success: Mate with multiple males and use equal parts of each partner’s genetic material in her offspring. A University of Iowa–led team of biologists analyzed the genome of Ambystoma, a six-million-year-old salamander lineage that produces only female offspring.
The team found most of its genetic profile is made up of equal contributions from males of three separate salamander species--Ambystoma laterale, Ambystoma texanum and Ambystoma tigrinum. The researchers think the all-female salamander’s balanced genome points to the bizarre ways some animals--from all-female populations of fish, lizards and others--can use their genomes to maximize their chances of success.Image credit: Photo courtesy of Robert Denton, Ohio State University
