Sex without crossovers mimics clonal reproduction in Rhynchospora tenuis.

exhibits obligate, genome-wide achiasmy in both sexes, resulting in offspring that are genetically identical and mimicking clonal reproduction despite sexual meiosis.

• Why it matters: Understanding how some species maintain genetic diversity without recombination addresses fundamental questions about the flexibility of reproductive strategies and genome stability in evolution.
• What they did: The study combined genomics and molecular experiments to show that undergoes complete achiasmy, with failed synapsis and no crossovers, leading to univalent chromosomes and transmission bias.
• The result: This reproductive mode enables faithful chromosome segregation and preserves heterozygosity, effectively blurring the line between sexual reproduction and clonality, with implications for genome evolution.