日本岡山大學(xué)副教授松浦健二等研究人員在27日的《科學(xué)》雜志網(wǎng)絡(luò)版上發(fā)表論文說,,黃胸散白蟻的蟻后具有無性繁殖的能力,,蟻后的繼承者就是由蟻后單性生殖造就的。
人們通常認(rèn)為,,一個(gè)白蟻群落是由一對(duì)原始型蟻后和蟻王交配產(chǎn)卵而逐漸發(fā)展壯大的,。但松浦健二等研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),,黃胸散白蟻群落中只有工蟻、兵蟻和生殖蟻才是有性繁殖產(chǎn)生的后代,,決定蟻群種族延續(xù)的新蟻后實(shí)際上是老蟻后單性繁殖產(chǎn)生的,,并非蟻后和蟻王交配所產(chǎn)。
研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),,蟻后所產(chǎn)卵中只有大約2%-5%是單性生殖產(chǎn)生的,,這些無性繁殖產(chǎn)生的后代是新一代蟻后的儲(chǔ)備。他們分析認(rèn)為,,黃胸散白蟻的這種雙重繁殖方式有利于種群的繁殖和延續(xù),,其中無性生殖能有效地將蟻后的自身基因盡可能多地遺傳給后代,而有性繁殖則能保證蟻巢內(nèi)的遺傳多樣性,。
這是科學(xué)家首次發(fā)現(xiàn)白蟻蟻后具有無性繁殖能力,,它對(duì)了解白蟻社會(huì)的繁衍和進(jìn)化有很大幫助,也將有助于提高防治蟻害的技術(shù)水平,。(生物谷Bioon.com)
生物谷推薦原始出處:
Science 27 March 2009:DOI: 10.1126/science.1169702
Queen Succession Through Asexual Reproduction in Termites
Kenji Matsuura,1* Edward L. Vargo,2 Kazutaka Kawatsu,3 Paul E. Labadie,2 Hiroko Nakano,1 Toshihisa Yashiro,1 Kazuki Tsuji4
The evolution and maintenance of sexual reproduction may involve important tradeoffs because asexual reproduction can double an individual's contribution to the gene pool but reduces diversity. Moreover, in social insects the maintenance of genetic diversity among workers may be important for colony growth and survival. We identified a previously unknown termite breeding system in which both parthenogenesis and sexual reproduction are conditionally used. Queens produce their replacements asexually but use normal sexual reproduction to produce other colony members. These findings show how eusociality can lead to extraordinary reproductive systems and provide important insights into the advantages and disadvantages of sex.
1 Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan.
2 Department of Entomology and W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695–7613, USA.
3 Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
4 Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 900-0213, Japan.