AP Success - AP Biology Conceptual Analysis: Info Storage & Transfer - Cell Cycle (Mitosis & Meiosis)

In honey bees, sex is determined by the number of chromosome sets an individual has. Female bees, including workers and queens, are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes. Male bees, known as drones, are haploid and have only one set of chromosomes. This unusual system of sex determination is known as haplodiploidy.

Describe how sex is determined in bees.

Female bees are produced from fertilized eggs, while drones are produced from unfertilized eggs. Explain how this impacts the genetic material inherited by female bees compared to male bees.

Predict the genetic consequences if a mutation occurs in a gene in a drone bee.

Some researchers claim that the haplodiploid system in bees contributes to their complex social structure. Provide reasoning to justify this claim.