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All-Female Amazon Ants
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by Jordan Yerman | April 19, 2009 at 04:04 pm
236 views | 57 Recommendations | 4 comments
No sex, please... we're ants. An Amazonian ant species has lived up to its name, evolving into an all-female insect society.
DNA tests show the whole colony to be genetic clones of the queen. Like in Aliens. While asexual reproduction in insects is not unheard of, it's really rare in females.
This means that the ants' offspring are 100% capable of reproduction, without requiring the, uh, effort of two ants. Also, they save a fortune on dating and midlife-crisis cars. The downside: genetically identical, the whole colony would be susceptible to the same infections and parasites. If it can kill one of them, it can kill all of them.
This species - the first ever to be shown to reproduce entirely without sex - cultivates a garden of fungus, which also reproduces asexually.
The finding of the ants' "world without sex" is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
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Recommendations (57)
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (4)
at 18:04 on April 19th, 2009
The biggest problem is in deed a lack f genetic diversity that could wipe out the colony with a single fungus.
at 18:09 on April 19th, 2009
Yes, Paschen, but you have forgotten death by boredom, as well.
at 18:15 on April 19th, 2009
Fascinating find and interesting story.
at 20:21 on April 19th, 2009
A great find, Jordan.