Review: The Four Genetic

Systems
 Asexual haploid
 Sexual haploid
 Asexual diploid
 Sexual diploid
Functionally reproductive diploid
and haploid males in an
inbreeding hymenopteran with
complementary sex determination
By: David P. Cowan and Julie K. Stahlhut
July 13, 2004

Reported by: Maria Clariza Coronado

 HYMENOPTERA
 "hymen" = membrane
 "ptera“ = wings
 200,000 species
 Ants, bees, wasps,
horntails and sawflies
 Haplo-diploid sex
determination system
 HAPLODIPLOIDY
 20% of animal species
 Nematodes, rotifers, a lot of insects
 Sex is determined by the # of chromosome sets
 Fertilized egg => diploid females
 Unfertilized egg => haploid males
 Hymenopterans
 Single-locus
complementary sex
determination (sl-CSD)
 Heterozygous (diploid)
=> female
 Hemizygous (haploid)
=> male
 Homozygous (diploid)
=> male
 DIPLOID MALES
 Low viability
 Unable to mate properly
 Genetic dead end
 Produce sterile offspring
 Result from matched matings
 Parents share allele at the sex locus
 sl-CSD HYPOTHESIS
 Genetic mechanism
 Individuals develop isolation from relatives
(sawflies)
 Disperse from natal area before mating
(honeybees)

 Euodynerus foraminatus (wasps) exhibit

inbreeding even they have sl-CSD
 66% of females mate with a brother
 OBJECTIVES
To determine
 whether diploid males are capable of
mating and fathering offspring
 the ploidy of any daughters fathered by
diploid males
 whether such daughters were fertile
 METHODOLOGY

Artificial rearing

Experimental breeding pedigrees

Genetic analysis:
determination of
haploid and diploid males
ARTIFICIAL REARING
 Female E. foraminatus deposits egg in a
narrow cylindrical cavity
 Builds mud partition
 Fertilized eggs (female-producing) in the
inner part of nest
 ½ will develop in diploid males (matched
matings)
 Unfertilized eggs (male-producing) in the
outer part of nest
ARTIFICIAL REARING

Artificial nest cavities

Adult pairs placed in cages

and allowed to mate

Individual females were caged

and provided with nesting materials
EXPERIMENTAL BREEDING PEDIGREES
GENETIC ANALYSIS

 Genotyping at five microsatellite loci

 Determination of haploid and diploid males
 Segregation of alleles
GENETIC ANALYSIS
 RESULTS
 39 F2 pairings
 16 of 19 diploid males
 12 of 18 haploid males
 No differences in time for courtship and
copulation
 RESULTS
 Differences in the number of male
offprings
 Diploid father: mean of 11.7
 Haploid father: mean of 3.2
 Differences in the number of female
offprings
 Diploid father: mean of 16.17
 Haploid father: mean of 21.1
 Diploid males have fertility comparable or
exceeding haploid males.
 RESULTS
 Nesting females
 With diploid fathers: 11 out of 18
 With haploid fathers: 10 out of 12
 Offsprings produced by female daughters
 With diploid fathers: mean of 23.8
 With haploid fathers: mean of 24.8
 RESULTS
 Daughters of diploid males had normal
fertility
 Daughters were diploid with one distinctive
allele from each parent
 Diploid fathers could pass either allele at a
locus to these daughters
 CONCLUSION
 Diploid males in E. foraminatus are
sexually competent and can transmit
either allele at a locus through their
sperm.
 Daughters of diploid males are also
diploid.
 They mate normally and fully fertile.