Sex determination: Ant supergenes link sex ratio to social structure.

A new study maps individual Formica ant queens' tendency to produce single-sex offspring to a so-called 'supergene' locus. This supergene neighbors another supergene determining social structure. Consequently, single-queen and multi-queen colonies disproportionately produce daughters and sons, respectively. This association mirrors the predictions of kin selection, though other possible explanations remain.
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