Wednesday, May 6, 2009

All These Ants Are Aunts

Scientists find an all female asexual ant species cloning themselves.

Mycocepurus ants grow fungal gardens from the ceiling of their nest chambers. This fungus is their sole source of food.
A report in the prestigious UK journal "Proceedings of the Royal Society:B" (for Biological Sciences) documents an Amazonian ant species that is reproducing through asexual cloning and has completely done away with males. The lead researcher is Anna Himler, a biologist from the University of Arizona.



Audio: BBC, PRI & WBUR's Here & Now May 5th. Host: Robin Young.
Photograph: Alex Wild (2007)
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