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Double Mutant Analysis Of Headless And Head Only In The Wasp Nasonia Vitripennis., Amy Maule

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Nasonia vitripennis is a relatively new model organism in the field of developmental genetics. It is a small, solitary, parasitic Hymenopteran found throughout the world. Recent research on Nasonia has primarily dealt with its mode of sex determination, and the reproductive isolation of species of Nasonia by a parasitic bacteria, Wolbachia (Werren 94). Like many Hymenopterans, Nasonia uses the haplo-diploid method of sex determination. In haplo-diploid organisms, fertilized eggs produce diploid females while unfertilized eggs produce haploid males. The system is a bit of a mystery, as it is possible to obtain fertile diploid males by setting triploid females unmated. …