About this episode
This episode explores the reasons why honeybee hives may turn against their queens, focusing on genetic and social structures within the hive.
To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords: Haplodiploidy: is a sex-determination system in which males develop from unfertilized eggs and are haploid, and females develop from fertilized eggs and are diploid. Sex determination in honeybees: In honeybees, the drones (males) are entirely derived from the queen, their mother. The diploid queen has 32 chromosomes and the haploid drones have 16 chromosomes. Drones produce sperm cells that contain their entire genome, so the sperm are all genetically identical except for mutations. Eusocial: showing an advanced level of social organization, in which a single female or caste produces offspring and nonreproductive individuals cooperate in caring for the young. Fertilize: cause (an egg, female animal, or plant) to develop a new individual by introducing male reproductive material. Genetics: the study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics. Queen Bee: the single reproductive female in a hive or colony of honeybees. Sterile: not able to produce children or young. MinuteEarth is produced by Neptune Studios LLC…
People in this episode
Host: MinuteEarth
Topics covered
- honeybees
- eusocial behavior
- genetics
- sex determination
- hive dynamics
Keywords
- Haplodiploidy
- sex determination
- honeybees
- Eusocial
- Queen Bee
- genetics
- drones
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Neptune Studios LLC
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