Haplodiploidy

The sex-determination system in which females come from fertilised eggs and males from unfertilised ones.

Bees

Definition

Female bees are diploid, carrying two sets of chromosomes; males are haploid, carrying one. A drone therefore has a mother and no father, and a grandfather but no grandmother on the paternal side. The system produces unusual patterns of relatedness within a colony and is central to explanations of how sterile worker castes evolved.

See also

Other bees terms

Sources

Sources

  • The Biology of the Honey BeeHarvard University Press (1987) · Textbook
  • The Bees of the WorldJohns Hopkins University Press (2007) · Textbook

How sources are selected and weighted is set out in the sources and evidence policy.

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