homozygotos

Homozygotos is a term used in speculative biology and science fiction to denote a hypothetical group of eukaryotic organisms defined by a distinctive zygotic life cycle that tends to yield genetically uniform offspring across generations. The concept is not part of established taxonomies and is not supported by empirical data in real-world biology. The name combines the Latin prefix homo- “same” with zygotos, derived from zygote, implying a life cycle in which the zygote gives rise to replicated lineages with limited genetic variation.

In proposed models, homozygotos are imagined to alternate between life-cycle stages that resemble one another in form, with reproduction centered on zygotic development that reduces genetic diversity relative to the parent population. Some sketches describe zygotes that, after fertilization, undergo rapid mitotic divisions to produce a cohort of offspring that are genetically similar to one another or to the parent. Variants sometimes incorporate facultative parthenogenesis or other mechanisms intended to mimic cloning, though these remain speculative constructs.

Ecology and distribution for homozygotos are likewise fictional, with habitats placed in damp soils, leaf litter, freshwater sediments, or densely biofilmed environments in imagined ecosystems. Morphology is often portrayed as simple to colonial, with limited specialization and a tendency toward uniform appearances within lineages. Because there is no fossil record or verifiable genetic data, homozygotos are used mainly as a thought experiment to explore how alternative reproductive strategies might shape evolution and ecology in hypothetical worlds.