[continued from previous message]   
      
   >> How can you get or retain much diversity? Wouldn't that result in   
   >> complete homozygosity after only a few generations? The male is   
   >> contributing nothing.   
   >>   
   > If the nondisjuction event occurs in meiosis I, meiosis II results in   
   > chromatid splitting in a full diploid genome.  I called this a   
   > tetraploid egg because that is what the composition of the egg cell   
   > would be if you started with a tetraploid and had a normal Meiosis I   
   > separation of homologous chromosomes.   
   >   
   > Since recombination occurs before Meiosis I you maintain genetic   
   > diversity and do not just produce clones.  When the chromatids split at   
   > Meiosis II, recombined genetically unique chromosomes can go into each   
   > egg cell.   
   >   
   > I used to make my genetic students understand Meiosis.  I would tell   
   > them that if they understood meiosis that they would understand   
   > Mendelian genetics.   
      
   Nevertheless, you start with a single diploid individual, and that's   
   limited genetic diversity. Recombination within a single genome can only   
   introduce a little, and mutation a little. Keeping in mind that the   
   effective population size (queens only) is likely to be small, how is   
   any significant diversity maintained?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)