Colony Fusion in a Parthenogenetic Ant,Pristomyrmexpunctatus

Colony Fusion in a Parthenogenetic Ant, Pristomyrmex punctatus

In the ant Pristomyrmex punctatus Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), all young workers lay a small number of eggs parthenogenetically. Some colonies consist of monoclonal individuals that provide high inclusive fitness, according to the kin selection theory. However, in some populations, a majority of the colonies contain multiple lineages. Intracolonial genetic variation of parthenogenetic ants ...

Changes in Parthenogenetic Imprinting Patterns during Reprogramming by Cell Fusion

Differentiated somatic cells can be reprogrammed into the pluripotent state by cell-cell fusion. In the pluripotent state, reprogrammed cells may then self-renew and differentiate into all three germ layers. Fusion-induced reprogramming also epigenetically modifies the somatic cell genome through DNA demethylation, X chromosome reactivation, and histone modification. In this study, we investiga...

Non–nest mate discrimination and clonal colony structure in the parthenogenetic ant Cerapachys biroi

Daniel J.C. Kronauer,a,b,c Kazuki Tsuji,d Naomi E. Pierce,a and Laurent Kellerc aMuseum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA, bLaboratory of Insect Social Evolution, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA, cDepartment of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland, and dDepartment of AgroEnvironmental Sciences, Facult...

A parthenogenetic Varanus

We report on a case of parthenogenesis in the varanid lizard Varanus panoptes. Parthenogenesis was observed in a female kept alone for three years. A clutch was deposited from which a single egg could be secured and incubated. Incubation was successful and a male specimen hatched. Obviously the newborn was produced without contribution of a father. After the unisexual reproduction, the mother w...

Sex of Parthenogenetic Frogs