Do Ants Have Gender?
WouterThose who have ever been around ants may wonder, do ants have gender? A new study from the University of California, Riverside explains the biology behind this complex question. Traditionally, species are labelled with a “male” or “female” designation. While most of the species are characterized by gender, there are some that are not. These species are known as intercastes.
Intercastes are a type of developmental anomaly. These ants are rarely raised in colonies and they display considerable heterogeneity in their morphology. Their body size and shape differ greatly between workers and queens. The researchers are working on a genetic system to learn how it might help ant colonies maintain a wide range of genetic diversity.
In their study, the researchers focused on female ants. They collected specimens from a variety of locations in the U.S. and Canada. They wanted to learn how breeding periods affect the sex ratio in ants.
Males are typically smaller than females, and they have shorter lives. Males also have fewer job opportunities, and they are only able to feed themselves. In addition, male ants don’t have a father.
Unlike social wasps, ants don’t have a gendered body size difference between workers. Female ants have two genome copies. One copy controls the chromosome, and the other copy determines sex.
Queens have a reproductive lifespan of roughly 25 years. They lay hundreds of eggs a day, and they continue to reproduce by laying eggs into workers. Some colonies double up on queens.
