Brazilian Sedge Reproduces Sexually Without Genetic Reshuffling, Producing Clonal Offspring

Sexual reproduction usually reshuffles genetic information, creating offspring that differ from their parents. But one small plant takes an unexpected route. In a new study published in Nature, an international team led by André Marques at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne has shown that the Brazilian beak-sedge Rhynchospora tenuis reproduces sexually—producing pollen, fertilizing its egg cells and setting seeds—but has completely lost the reshuffling of DNA between chromosomes from each parent. The offspring retained the same genetic makeup as their mothers, effectively mimicking clonal reproduction.