M. SmithiiALEX WILD
Birds do it. Bees do it. But until now, no one thought the fungus farming ant did it. Documenting genetic variations and the presence of sperm, however, researchers have found evidence that some populations of Mycocepurus smithii actually do have sex, according to a study publishing today (July 18) in PNAS.
The study is “a tour de force of both field work and lab work,” said University of California, Berkeley, evolutionary biologist Neil Tsutsui, who was not involved in the study. The finding may offer insight into a long standing question in evolutionary biology about what forces cause species to choose sex over asexual reproduction and vice versa, he said.
On paper, asexuality seems like a winning strategy. Sexless creatures pass on all their genes—as ...
