Honey Bees and Other Social Insects Have an Unusual Reproductive

Multiple Choice

Honey bees and other social insects have an unusual reproductive genetic system called haplodiploidy. In this system the queen, which develops from a fertilized egg, has two sets of chromosomes and is diploid, while her mate, which develops from an unfertilized egg, has only one set of chromosomes and is haploid. How does haplodiploidy contribute to the altruistic behavior associated with social insects?

A) Female and male offspring produced in a haplodiploidy system are not as intelligent as the queen and therefore are more subservient.
B) Female offspring produced in a haplodiploidy system are born sterile and therefore cannot reproduce on their own. Therefore the only way to pass on their genes is protect the well-being of the queen.
C) Female workers fathered by the same male share about 75% of their genetic material (25% from mother and 50% from the father) and studies have shown that this encourages altruistic behavior in the colony.
D) Haplodiploidy has nothing to do with the altruistic behavior of the insects.
E) Individuals born from two diploid parents inherit genes that influence selfish behavior, while individuals born in a haplodiploidy system lack these genes and therefore, generally act more altruistically.