Telescoping generations

Telescoping generations occur in parthenogenetic species, such as aphids or other life forms that have the ability to reproduce without ovum fertilization. This occurrence is characterized by a viviparous female having a daughter growing inside her that is also parthenogenetically pregnant with a daughter cell.

In Popular Culture

• The fictional tribble from the Star Trek television series is born pregnant, first appearing in the 1967 episode "The Trouble With Tribbles"

References

• Kindlmann, P.; Dixon, A. F. G. (1989). "Developmental constraints in the evolution of reproductive strategies: telescoping of generations in parthenogenetic aphids". Functional Ecology 3 (5): 531–537. doi:10.2307/2389567.