@inproceedings{fdi:010096564,
  title = {{B}eyond plants : how reproductive strategies could shape invasiveness and disease spread in freshwater snails [r{\'e}sum{\'e}]},
  author = {{M}uller {B}aigorria, {M}. and {C}hapuis, {E}lodie and {B}onel, {N}. and {A}lda, {P}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{R}eproductive strategies profoundly influence evolutionary outcomes and ecological processes. {H}ere, we extend key concepts from plant reproductive biology to the animal kingdom by focusing on freshwater snails--specifically





lymnaeids--as a model system. {W}e investigate how variation in mating systems, including self-fertilization and outcrossing, shapes both colonization processes and disease transmission.





{U}sing an integrative framework that combines observational data, population genetics, and phylogenetic analysis, we examine how these reproductive modes influence both the establishment success and long-term





persistence of snail populations. {S}elf-fertilization, in particular, offers reproductive assurance in newly colonized or disturbed habitats where mates are scarce or environmental conditions are unstable. {T}his strategy enables





rapid population growth from a single founder, thereby facilitating expansion. {H}owever, a species that reproduces by self-fertilization for many generations shows a genomic degradation and a reduced genetic diversity that





translates into a low adaptive potential, which is why self-fertilization is considered to be an evolutionary dead. {I}n other words, all these detrimental genetic and genomic effects are predicted to drive selfing lineages to





extinction on the long term. {H}owever, a group of lymnaeid snails (the genus {G}alba), comprising selfing snails and dating back over 20 million years, stands as a notable exception. {I}ts persistence challenges traditional assumptions and suggests that, under





specific ecological conditions?such as amphibious lifestyles and reduced interspecific competition long-term selfing may remain evolutionarily viable. {W}e also examine how reproductive strategies intersect with epidemiological dynamics. {S}elfing populations,





characterized by low genetic variation, may facilitate parasite transmission by sustaining genetically uniform host populations. {T}hese insights underscore the broader ecological and public health implications of reproductive





strategies, particularly in the context of snail-borne zoonoses. {B}y bridging concepts across kingdoms, our work emphasizes the importance of reproductive diversity and invites a rethinking of long-held assumptions about the





evolutionary fate of selfing lineages.},
  keywords = {},
  numero = {},
  pages = {63},
  booktitle = {{V} {I}nternational {APOMIXIS} 2025 {C}onference : book of abstracts},
  year = {2025},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010096564},
}