Schizosaccharomyces pombe is a facultative sexual yeast that can undergo mating when nutrients are limiting. Exposure of S. pombe to hydrogen peroxide, an agent that causes oxidative stress leading to oxidative DNA damage, strongly induces mating, meiosis, and formation of meiotic spores. This finding suggests that meiosis, and particularly meiotic recombination, may be an adaptation for repairing DNA damage. The overall structure of the MAT locus is similar to that in S. cerevisiae. The mating-type switching system is similar, but has evolved independently.