Post AxqDhkdmo5WPHs0jWC by Infrapink@mastodon.ie
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 (DIR) Post #AxqDhjC6BXmQni36iu by Infrapink@mastodon.ie
       2025-09-03T21:08:14Z
       
       0 likes, 1 repeats
       
       https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09425-wSo apparently it's just A Thing that some ant queens only make males and princesses when they mate with males of their own species. They get around this by mating with males of ENTIRE DIFFERENT SPECIES to make their workers.Messor ibericus has to mate with Messor structor to do this. Problem: M. ibericus and M. structor live in different places.1/3#Science #Entomology #Ant #Ants
       
 (DIR) Post #AxqDhkdmo5WPHs0jWC by Infrapink@mastodon.ie
       2025-09-03T21:11:12Z
       
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       Solution: Mate with M. ibericus males.And also keep some M. structor sperm handy. Do a bit of internal endoymbiosis - the ibericus queen sticks structor nuclei into her own cells, which then divide to make eggs with only structor nuclei.M. ibericus queens thus lay eggs for TWO DIFFERENT SPECIES of male ant, while her workers are all hyrbids and her princesses are pure diploid M. ibericus.2/3
       
 (DIR) Post #AxqDhlJcIYyxNba8ie by Infrapink@mastodon.ie
       2025-09-03T21:14:01Z
       
       0 likes, 1 repeats
       
       When the princesses leave to make their own nests, they mate with both species of male from other colonies. Like their mothers, the new queens clone M. structor while laying M. ibericus eggs the normal way.As the authors of the paper note, this requires a massive rethink of the whole concept of species, because nature cares not what boxes we put things in.I assume @futurebird is aware of all this? ↑3/3#Science #Ant #Ants #Entomology