Sexual Reproduction: Birds Do It, Bees Do It; Termites Don't, Necessarily
Friday, March 27, 2009 - 19:14
in Biology & Nature
Scientists have shown for the first time that it is possible for certain female termite "primary queens" to reproduce both sexually and asexually during their lifetimes. The asexually produced babies mostly grow to be queen successors -- so-called "secondary queens" -- that remain in the termite colony and mate with the king. This produces large broods of babies without the dangers of inbreeding, as secondary queens have no genes in common with the king.