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somes that females lave. Males and females mate aid fertilized eggs are laid at the end of the growing season. Next spring, females hatch out «f eggs and start cloning themselves again.
Some aphids hive accomplished a female FullMonty and gotten rid of males (and eggs) entirely. These populations consist of parthenogenetic females that produce only asexual daughters all the time. At the end of the season, nymphs hunker down and overwinter as best they can. No males, are known.
AD of which begs the question: are males necessary? Couldn’t all species simply adopt this aphid strategy and drop males out of the picture entirely? As you can imagine, the answer you get depends on whom you ask. Theorists have complicated and thoughtful answers for and against, so you can take your pick depending on your prejudices. In reality, though, males seem to be doing pretty well in most species whether they’re necessary or not. And we all know that human males are needed for a few things, like spraying the aphids and knocking down the wasp nests.
We welcome your comments on this or anything else natural pliilosophical. Send to rappnature@aol.com.
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