THELYTOCOUS Meaning and
Definition
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Thelytocous refers to a biological phenomenon or reproductive strategy exhibited by certain organisms, particularly insects, where females are capable of producing only female offspring. Derived from the Greek words "thelys" meaning female and "tokos" meaning childbirth, the term denotes a form of parthenogenesis specific to female reproduction.
In a thelytocous species, males are either absent or play a minimal role in the reproductive process. Instead, female individuals possess the inherent ability to produce viable eggs that develop into female offspring without the need for fertilization by male sperm. This reproductive strategy bypasses sexual reproduction and allows the females to reproduce asexually.
Thelyticous reproduction can occur through various mechanisms such as automixis or apomixis, where the female's eggs undergo a process of meiosis followed by a restoration of the diploid number of chromosomes. These offspring are generally genetically identical or very similar to the mother.
This type of reproductive strategy is observed in several insect species, including certain bees, wasps, and aphids. Thelytocous reproduction provides advantages in situations where the availability of mates is limited or where the environment favors the proliferation of certain genotypes. It guarantees a continuous lineage of female offspring, increasing the chances of survival and successful colonization.
Understanding the mechanisms underlying thelytocous reproduction contributes to our knowledge of reproductive strategies employed by diverse organisms and how they adapt to specific ecological conditions.
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Giving birth to female offspring only.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
Common Misspellings for THELYTOCOUS
- thelytoco5s
- thelytocoes
- thelytocoqs
- thelytocows
- thelytocots
- thelytocou3
- thelytocouc
- thelytocouq
- thelytocour
- thelytwocous
- t helytocous
- th elytocous
- the lytocous
- thel ytocous
- thely tocous
- thelyt ocous
- thelyto cous
- thelytoc ous
- thelytoco us
- thelytocou s
Etymology of THELYTOCOUS
The word thelytocous has its roots in the ancient Greek language. It is derived from two Greek words: thelys, meaning female, and tokos, meaning offspring or birth. When combined, these two words form thelytokos, which means producing female offspring or having a female birth. In English, thelytokos is Anglicized as thelytokous.
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