Question

Explain the haplo-diploid method of sex determination in the honey bee.

Explain Haplodiploidy in honey-bees.

Answer 1

1. In honey bees, the chromosomal mechanism of sex determination is of haplo-diploid type.
2. In this type, the sex of the individual is determined by the number of the set of chromosomes received.
3. Females are diploid (2n = 32) and males are haploid (n = 16).
4. The female produces haploid eggs (n = 16) by meiosis and male produces haploid sperms (n = 16) by mitosis.
5. If the egg is fertilized by sperm, the zygote develops into a diploid female (2n = 32) (queen and worker), and an unfertilized egg develops into a haploid male (n = 16) (Drone) by way of parthenogenesis.
6. The diploid female gets differentiated into either a worker or a queen bee depending on the food they consume during their development.
7. Diploid larvae that get royal jelly as food develop into queens (fertile females) and others develop into workers (sterile females).

Answer 2

In honey bees, haplodiploidy is a sex determination method in which an individual’s sex is dictated by the number of sets of chromosomes they are given.

In honey bees:

1. Queen and worker bees are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, and they develop from fertilized eggs.
2. Male drones develop from unfertilized eggs and have one pair of chromosomes, making them haploid. According to this arrangement, females receive two sets of chromosomes, one from the queen and one from a male drone, while males receive only one, which is fully inherited from the queen.

Haplo-diploid sex determination system: