Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 3.3.
Acrylamide gel showing malate dehydrogenase allozyme
phenotypes. h e phenotype patterns correspond to three dif erent genotypes of
workers from a single hive. h e queen was genetically homozygous for the slow
(S) allozyme and was mated to one drone each having a slow, medium (M), or
fast (F) allele. S, M, and F refer to how far the proteins travel on the gel. h e
proteins are seen stained. Each vertical lane contains the allozymes of a single
individual. h e lane marked SS contains the protein from an individual from the
drone with the slow marker; SM had the medium father, and SF had a father
with a fast allele.
of worker subfamilies. When two workers bump into each other in a
honey bee colony, they are probably half sisters.
Robert Kimsey, Harry Laidlaw, and I looked at the i lling of the sper-
matheca over time by instrumentally inseminating a series of queens
and then dissecting the spermatheca from each queen at dif erent times
at er insemination. We found that the spermatheca i lled uniformly
over time, becoming more densely packed as more spermatozoa en-
tered it. h ey did not enter in packets. h e whorls were formed by the
spermatozoa at er they had already entered the spermatheca.
3.3 Genetic Recombination in Honey Bees
Honey bees have adaptations that increase genetic variation within
colonies: drone congregating areas where thousands of males compete
for access to mating with queens, an extremely high number of mates,
