Tim Vaughan wrote:

>> Well! It's starting to get technical!. As I understand it, a drone is a
>
>
>> clone of the queen. She lays an unfertilized egg, which is the product of
>
>
>> mysosis. I may be confused, but this would mean that the division of the
>
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>> chromosomes would not always be identical, which means that the drones
>> aren't techinically clones, unless the eggs are produced
>> parthenocarpically. If they are produced parthenocarpically, they are
>> clones.
>
While every drone only carries his mother's DNA, he is not a clone as he is not genetically identical to her - he only has 1/2 of her genetic material.  She has two copies of every gene, and each copy may function just a wee but differently than its allele on the other chromosome.  A clone is genetically identical - having *all* of the same DNA.

For every gene in a dipolid individual there are two alleles or copies. When one condenses one's chromosomes for replication there is a certain amount of cross over that occures, switching of alleles from one chromosome to another if you will.  Soooo, when an egg is produced, and and the chromosomes are divided, each half wanders off with a random sample of the two alleles for each gene.

Just because drones contain 1/2 of mothers chromosomes/genes/alleles
does not make them idetical - after all - whaddya think happens to the
other half of that genome??

Parthenocarpy is an altogether different phenomenon and does not apply
here.  Bees are not bananas!

Keith

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