Rates of genomic recombination in two termites with sexual (Reticulitermes flavipes) and asexual reproduction (R. speratus) as determined by high density, SNP-based markers

Meiotic recombination is a major process generating genetic variation. Rates of recombination are known to vary among taxa, but the reasons for this variation are poorly understood. The few social insects that have been studied so far show extraordinarily high rates of genomic recombination, suggesting a possible adaptive link between eusociality and genome-wide recombination rates. Here, we provide the first data for recombination rates in termites. We generated high-density SNP markers to compare rates of genomic recombination in two subterranean termites that differ in their breeding systems: Reticulitermes speratus which has asexual queen succession, and R. flavipes that has normal sexual queen succession. Results from data analysis currently underway will be presented.