Scientists Discover Astonishing Reproduction in Ants – How?
Researchers have documented an unprecedented phenomenon in European ants. A single queen ant is now known to produce two distinct species. This discovery challenges fundamental biological rules.
The ants, Vespula squamosa, exhibit a unique cloning ability. They clone members of another ant species, Vespula germanica. This allows them to exploit the offspring for their own benefit.
Genetic analysis confirmed the startling finding. Approximately 2% of the V. squamosa queens produce clones of V. germanica. This marks the first documented case of cloning across species in the animal kingdom.
This groundbreaking research opens new avenues for understanding evolutionary biology. Further study explores how this unusual reproductive strategy impacts ant colony dynamics.
