The main character of the book I’m reading identifies as male, but was reincarnated as a worker in a colony of monstrous ants. So if it’s like ant colonies on earth, he’d be biologically female, but as far as he can tell, his species actually reproduces asexually, so he’s just sticking with male XD
My understanding of that whole system is that while workers are female in the sense that they can lay eggs in specific circumstances, they usually only lay males. Therefore, the only long term genetic contribution most workers can ever make is functionally male. This is because male ants generally get the short end of the stick, serving as vessels for genetic exchange between colonies. They’re basically sperm themselves.
The main character of the book I’m reading identifies as male, but was reincarnated as a worker in a colony of monstrous ants. So if it’s like ant colonies on earth, he’d be biologically female, but as far as he can tell, his species actually reproduces asexually, so he’s just sticking with male XD
My understanding of that whole system is that while workers are female in the sense that they can lay eggs in specific circumstances, they usually only lay males. Therefore, the only long term genetic contribution most workers can ever make is functionally male. This is because male ants generally get the short end of the stick, serving as vessels for genetic exchange between colonies. They’re basically sperm themselves.