Evolution: sociality as a driver of unorthodox reproduction.
An unusual reproductive system was discovered in desert ants, in which daughter queens are produced asexually via parthenogenesis, whereas workers develop from hybrid crosses between genetically divergent lineages. The system appears to be doomed to extinction.
University of Groningen, Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, 9700CC Groningen, The Netherlands. tanja.schwander@gmail.com
Tanja
T
Schwander
Laurent
L
Keller
D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D008297:Male; D010312:Parthenogenesis / Q000235:genetics*