Susanne den Boer

Post doc (KU)

Insect societies are characterized by the presence of one or very few queens that normally produce all the offspring. Generally, these queens mate only during a single dispersal flight early in their life, and never remate. They can store the sperm in their spermatheca for several decades and use it to build and maintain colonies that can consist of up to 20 million sterile worker offspring. This is quite unique, which makes it interesting to study. My research focuses on the evolution of long sperm storage and the economy of sperm use, using leafcutter ants and honeybees as model systems.

SPAdenBoer@bio.ku.dk
homepage

Theme: [T1]
Organisms: [Fungus-growing ants], [Honey bees]