Fig wasps are a model system for the study of sex ratio evolution because as more females enter a fig to lay their eggs they produce a higher proportion of sons.
How they achieve this has not confirmed before. We managed to poison females at varying times after entry into figs, without killing their offspring.
They produced most of their sons in the first few minutes and mostly daughters after that.
This simple mechanism leads to sex ratio adjustment because as more females enter a fig there is more competition for oviposition sites, and smaller clutches are less female-biased.
Dr. Steve Compton, University of Leeds, UK
Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.
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The Royal Society
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