ABSTRACT
Apomictic organisms have long been regarded as accidental errors in the evolutionary stream. The evolution of meiosis has been suggested to be a response in order to repair DNA from lesions and errors. One reason for this is their supposed lack of genetic variation due to the absence of recombination and interbreeding. Hybridization between existing apomicts and sexual diploids produces many new apomicts, especially since apomixis seems to be dominant over sexuality in crosses between sexual and apomictic taxa. "Subsexual reproduction" occurs in diplosporous apomicts with restitution nuclei. The classical theories for the advantage of sexual reproduction and genetic variation are based on assumptions characterizing unitary organisms such as mammals, birds, and insects. If so, plants may be predisposed to cope with reduced sexuality, and despite few recombinational events, still have a reasonable evolutionary potential. In addition to recombinational repair, cellular selection may reduce the effects of DNA damages.
