Figure 2.

Sex ratios resulting from self-fertilization and outcrossing in Caenorhabditis elegans. Hermaphrodite eggs (X) can be fertilized by self (X) or male (X or Ø) sperm. Offspring resulting from self-fertilization are nearly all hermaphrodites, with a small fraction of males produced by nondisjunction of the X chromosome (μ). Outcrossed progeny are approximately 50% male and 50% hermaphrodite with a correction for the nondisjunction rate. Individual hermaphrodites can produce both self and male-sired offspring; thus, sex ratio in the progeny depends on how many embryos were sired by each parent. *, Approximate ratios based on N2.