Concept:Honeybees follow a haplodiploid sex-determination system where sex depends on the number of chromosome sets.
Key Fact:Females (queen and worker) are diploid (
2n=32 chromosomes), while males (drones) are haploid (
n=16 chromosomes).
Explanation:Statement A is true: a fertilised egg (union of sperm and egg) develops into a female (diploid).
Statement B is true: an unfertilised egg develops into a male by parthenogenesis (haploid).
Statement C is true: males have half the chromosome number of females (
n vs
2n).
Statement D is false: males produce sperms by mitosis, not meiosis, because they are haploid.
Statement E is true: this pattern is called haplodiploidy.
Answer:Option A: A, B, C and E only.
