Which of the following statements are true with reference to the sex-determination in honeybees ? A. An offspring formed from the union of a sperm and an egg, develops as a female (queen or worker). B. An unfertilized egg develops as a male by parthenogenesis. C. A male has half the number of chromosomes than that of a female. D. Males produce sperms by meiosis. E. Honeybees have a haplodiploid sex-determination system. Choose the correct answer from the options given below :
A. A, B, C and E only
In honeybees, sex determination is based on the haplodiploid system. Statement A is correct. Fertilized eggs (diploid) develop into females, which can be either queens or workers depending on their nutrition. Statement B is correct. Unfertilized eggs develop into males (drones) through parthenogenesis. Statement C is correct. Males are haploid (n=16) and females are diploid (2n=32), so males have half the number of chromosomes compared to females. Statement D is incorrect. Since males are already haploid, they produce sperms by mitosis, not meiosis. Statement E is correct. This entire mechanism is known as the haplodiploid sex-determination system. Therefore, statements A, B, C, and E are correct. Answer: A, B, C and E only
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