Termites do not necessarily have to reproduce sexually

Scientists at the University of North Carolina and three other universities in Japan have demonstrated for the first time that lords can reproduce in both sexual and asexual forms.

All clones that have been cloned endlessly will become successors - called 'secondary queens' - living in termites and mating with males. This mass of clones born in large numbers does not carry innate risks because secondary queens do not contain any genes that resemble kings.

Research shows that the termites are born in the old way between the primary lord or the secondary lord with the kings most of them are workers or soldiers at both sides .

Dr. Ed Vargo, associate professor of insectology at NC State and co-author of the study, said that the termite species Reticulitermes speratus was studied as a major economic damage insect in Japan, along with A family with termite species in North Carolina.

Termites are often established and maintained by a king and a queen. In the study, scientists collected termites from many different teams in Japan. Among these groups, primary lords are not present but there are many secondary queens. In contrast, most kings are in the nest. According to Vargo, this suggests that the kings live longer than the primary lord, so it is necessary to have the lineage of genetically identical lords to rule the termites.

Termite. Scientists have demonstrated for the first time that the queen can reproduce in both sexual and asexual forms. (Photo: iStockphoto)

Genetic analysis of termites by Vargo shows that secondary queens have genes that resemble primary lords but unlike the king's genome, this indicates the existence of asexual reproduction.At the same time, workers and soldiers, whether male or female, carry genes of both kings and kings, meaning they are sexually reproduced.

Vargo said: 'The use of reproduction like this is very unusual in insects, and never before known in termites. How to apply both sexual reproduction and asexual reproduction to help the primary lord maximize the output, enabling the termite to grow bigger and faster while maintaining genetic diversity. , avoid the disadvantages of near mating '.

Vargo intends to continue research by understanding other termite species that have two mating systems. He adds that learning more about genetics behind reproduction can provide methods to prevent reproduction in certain locations in termites - for example in two termites that have a reproductive nature. - or bring measures to eliminate the gene functions of individuals who take those positions.

Refer:
Kenji Matasuura, Hiroko Nakano and Toshihisa Yashiro, Okayama University;Edward L. Vargo and Paul E. Labadie, North Carolina State University;Kazutaka Kawatsu, Kyoto University;Kazuki Tsuji, University of the Ryukyus.Queen Succession Through Asexual Reproduction in Termites.Science, March 26, 2009