http://www.physorg.com/news4841.html
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While queen and male "wasmannia auropunctata," or little fire ants, were capable of normal reproduction, they each resorted to cloning as well, said Laurent Keller, a member of the team at the University of Lausanne which made the discovery.
"We have found the first case of cloning reproduction of males," she said, outlining a reproductive battle between male and queen ants that may have evolved over thousands of years.
Queen little fire ants use male sperm to produce female worker ants, which are sterile. They only produce new queen ants -- their daughters -- through a form of cloning that transmits all their genes, Keller added.
But males have also found a way to transmit their genetic structure. They eliminate the female genome in the egg, thereby reproducing a male ant that is genetically identical to its father.
"First of all the queens started to produce new queens through cloning, which deprived the males of their reproductive success," Keller said, exposing one theory.
"The latter then reacted by managing to reproduce themselves through cloning," he added.
Laurent is a he. I had to pull some strings, run into dead ends, and throw my moniter out the window, but I found out.
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"We have found the first case of cloning reproduction of males," she said, outlining a reproductive battle between male and queen ants that may have evolved over thousands of years.
Queen little fire ants use male sperm to produce female worker ants, which are sterile. They only produce new queen ants -- their daughters -- through a form of cloning that transmits all their genes, Keller added.
But males have also found a way to transmit their genetic structure. They eliminate the female genome in the egg, thereby reproducing a male ant that is genetically identical to its father.
"First of all the queens started to produce new queens through cloning, which deprived the males of their reproductive success," Keller said, exposing one theory.
"The latter then reacted by managing to reproduce themselves through cloning," he added.
Laurent is a he. I had to pull some strings, run into dead ends, and throw my moniter out the window, but I found out.
Go here
Ta ta
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