Selffertility

Selffertility is the biological capacity of an organism to produce offspring from its own gametes, without requiring fertilization from a distinct individual. In plants, this capability is typically referred to as self-compatibility or self-pollination, enabling pollen to fertilize ovules of the same plant or flower. In animals, selffertility occurs in many hermaphroditic species that can fertilize their own eggs with their own sperm.

In flowering plants, selffertility arises when the plant is self-compatible, either through pollen tolerance of its own pistil or through mechanisms that allow pollen tubes to grow despite self-pollen. This may involve autogamy (self-pollination within the same flower) or geitonogamy (pollination between flowers of the same plant). Plants may also exhibit cleistogamy, producing closed, self-pollinating flowers. Self-fertile species can reproduce in the absence of cross-pollination, increasing reproductive assurance, but often at the cost of reduced genetic diversity and potential inbreeding depression.

In animals, selffertility is seen in hermaphroditic species such as Caenorhabditis elegans and some land snails, which can produce offspring from self-fertilized eggs. The prevalence and ecological significance vary widely across taxa, with many species relying primarily on outcrossing but retaining the capacity for selfing under certain conditions.

Implications for ecology and evolution include effects on mating-system evolution, population structure, and adaptation. In agriculture and horticulture, selffertility is valuable for breeding and cultivation because it provides reliable seed set under limited pollinator abundance, though it can reduce heterozygosity and long-term vigor if not balanced with outcrossing.