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Boudinot BE, Richter A, Katzke J, Chaul JCM, Keller RA, Economo EP, Beutel RG, Yamamoto S. Evidence for the evolution of eusociality in stem ants and a systematic revision of †Gerontoformica (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zool J Linn Soc 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
It is generally assumed that Cretaceous stem ants were obligately eusocial, because of the presence of wingless adult females, yet the available evidence is ambiguous. Here, we report the syninclusion of a pupa and adult of a stem ant species from Mid-Cretaceous amber. As brood are immobile, the pupa was likely to have been transported by an adult. Therefore, the fossil substantiates the hypothesis that wingless females were cooperators, thus these were true ‘workers’. Re-examination of all described Cretaceous ant species reveals that winged–wingless diphenism – hence a variable dispersal capacity – may have been ancestral to the total clade of the ants, and that highly specialized worker-specific phenotypes evolved in parallel between the stem and crown groups. The soft-tissue preservation of the fossil is exceptional, demonstrating the possibility of analysing the development of the internal anatomy in stem ants. Based on the highest-resolution µ-CT scans of stem ants to date, we describe †Gerontoformica sternorhabda sp. nov., redescribe †G. gracilis, redefine the species group classification of †Gerontoformica, and provide a key to the species of the genus. Our work clarifies the species boundaries of †Gerontoformica and renders fossils relevant to the discussion of eusocial evolution in a way that has heretofore been intractable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendon E Boudinot
- Institut für Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Erberstraße 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Adrian Richter
- Institut für Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Erberstraße 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Julian Katzke
- Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Japan
| | - Júlio C M Chaul
- Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal do Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Roberto A Keller
- Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Japan
- Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência & cE3c, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Evan P Economo
- Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Japan
| | - Rolf Georg Beutel
- Institut für Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Erberstraße 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Shûhei Yamamoto
- Hokkaido University Museum, Hokkaido University, Kita 8, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0808, Japan
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2
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Zhao H, Liu Y, Zhang H, Breeze TD, An J. Worker-Born Males Are Smaller but Have Similar Reproduction Ability to Queen-Born Males in Bumblebees. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12111008. [PMID: 34821809 PMCID: PMC8622041 DOI: 10.3390/insects12111008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Queen-worker conflict over the reproduction of males exists in the majority of haplodiplioidy hymenpteran species such as bees, wasps, and ants, whose workers lose mating ability but can produce haploid males in colony. Bumblebee is one of the representatives of primitively eusocial insects with plastic division labor and belongs to monandrous and facultative low polyandry species that have reproductive totipotent workers, which are capable of competing with mother queen to produce haploid males in the queenright colony compared to higher eusocial species, e.g., honeybees. So, bumblebees should be a better material to study worker reproduction, but the reproductive characteristics of worker-born males (WMs) remain unclear. Here, we choose the best-studied bumblebee Bombus terrestris to evaluate the morphological characteristics and reproductive ability of WMs from the queenless micro-colonies. The sexually matured WMs showed smaller in forewing length and weight, relatively less sperm counts but equally high sperm viability in comparison with the queen-born males (QMs) of the queenright colony. Despite with smaller size, the WMs are able to successfully mate with the virgin queens in competition with the QMs under laboratory conditions, which is quite different from the honeybees reported. In addition, there was no difference in the colony development, including the traits such as egg-laying rate, colony establishment rate, and populations of offspring, between the WM- and the QM-mated queens. Our study highlights the equivalent reproductive ability of worker-born males compared to that of queens, which might exhibit a positive application or special use of bumblebee rearing, especially for species whose males are not enough for copulation. Further, our finding contributes new evidence to the kin selection theory and suggests worker reproduction might relate to the evolution of sociality in bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiyue Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; (H.Z.); (Y.L.); (H.Z.)
| | - Yanjie Liu
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; (H.Z.); (Y.L.); (H.Z.)
| | - Hong Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; (H.Z.); (Y.L.); (H.Z.)
| | - Tom D. Breeze
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, Reading University, Reading RG6 6AH, UK;
| | - Jiandong An
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; (H.Z.); (Y.L.); (H.Z.)
- Correspondence:
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3
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Bourke AF. Inclusive fitness and the major transitions in evolution. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 34:61-67. [PMID: 31247419 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 03/16/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Inclusive fitness theory is the leading framework for explaining the major transitions in evolution, whereby free-living subunits (e.g. cells, organisms) have cooperated to form new, higher-level units (e.g. organisms, eusocial societies). The theory has attracted considerable controversy. From a brief survey of the controversy's present status, I conclude that inclusive fitness theory continues to provide both a concept and a principled modelling tool of value for understanding social evolution, including major transitions. Turning to new developments in the study of major transitions, I describe work defining the point of occurrence of major transitions and, from inclusive fitness theory, the required conditions. I also suggest that it remains important to understand the evolution of individuality that occurs beyond such thresholds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Fg Bourke
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7TJ, UK.
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4
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Affiliation(s)
- David Queller
- 1 Department of Biology, Washington University in St Louis , St Louis, MO 63130 , USA.,2 Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin , Berlin , Germany
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5
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Nonacs P. Hamilton's rule is essential but insufficient for understanding monogamy's role in social evolution. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:180913. [PMID: 30800348 PMCID: PMC6366207 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.180913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
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6
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Fronhofer EA, Liebig J, Mitesser O, Poethke HJ. Eusociality outcompetes egalitarian and solitary strategies when resources are limited and reproduction is costly. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:12953-12964. [PMID: 30619596 PMCID: PMC6309011 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Explaining the evolution and maintenance of animal groups remains a challenge. Surprisingly, fundamental ecological factors, such as resource variance and competition for limited resources, tend to be ignored in models of cooperation. We use a mathematical model previously developed to quantify the influence of different group sizes on resource use efficiency in egalitarian groups and extend its scope to groups with severe reproductive skew (eusocial groups). Accounting for resource limitation, the model allows calculation of optimal group sizes (highest resource use efficiency) and equilibrium population sizes in egalitarian as well as eusocial groups for a broad spectrum of environmental conditions (variance of resource supply). We show that, in contrast to egalitarian groups, eusocial groups may not only reduce variance in resource supply for survival, thus reducing the risk of starvation, they may also increase variance in resource supply for reproduction. The latter effect allows reproduction even in situations when resources are scarce. These two facets of eusocial groups, resource sharing for survival and resource pooling for reproduction, constitute two beneficial mechanisms of group formation. In a majority of environmental situations, these two benefits of eusociality increase resource use efficiency and lead to supersaturation-a strong increase in carrying capacity. The increase in resource use efficiency provides indirect benefits to group members even for low intra-group relatedness and may represent one potential explanation for the evolution and especially the maintenance of eusociality and cooperative breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuel A. Fronhofer
- Department of Aquatic EcologyEawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and TechnologyDübendorfSwitzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZürichSwitzerland
- ISEMUniversité de MontpellierCNRS, IRD, EPHEMontpellierFrance
- Field Station FabrikschleichachUniversity of WürzburgRauhenebrachGermany
| | - Jürgen Liebig
- School of Life Sciences and Center for Social Dynamics and ComplexityArizona State UniversityTempeArizona
| | - Oliver Mitesser
- Field Station FabrikschleichachUniversity of WürzburgRauhenebrachGermany
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Ohkubo Y, Yamamoto T, Ogusu N, Watanabe S, Murakami Y, Yagi N, Hasegawa E. The benefits of grouping as a main driver of social evolution in a halictine bee. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:e1700741. [PMID: 30306126 PMCID: PMC6170040 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1700741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2017] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Over the past decade, the cause of sociality has been much debated. Inclusive fitness [br in Hamilton's rule (br - c > 0)] has been criticized but is still useful in the organization of a framework by elucidating mechanisms through which br (benefit × relatedness) becomes larger than c (cost). The bee Lasioglossum baleicum is suitable for investigation of this issue because of the sympatric occurrence of both social and solitary nesting in its populations. We show that a large part (approximately 92%) of the inclusive fitness of a eusocial worker can be attributed to the benefits of grouping. A 1.5-fold relatedness asymmetry benefit in singly mated haplo-diploids explains a small part (approximately 8.5%) of the observed inclusive fitness. Sociality enables this species to conduct foraging and nest defense simultaneously, which is not the case in solitary nests. Our results indicate that this benefit of grouping is the main source of the increased inclusive fitness of eusocial workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusaku Ohkubo
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan
| | - Tatsuhiro Yamamoto
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan
| | - Natsuki Ogusu
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan
| | - Saori Watanabe
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan
| | - Yuuka Murakami
- Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Neuropharmacology, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan
| | - Norihiro Yagi
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan
| | - Eisuke Hasegawa
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan
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8
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Division of labour and the evolution of extreme specialization. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:1161-1167. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0564-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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9
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Davies NG, Gardner A. Monogamy promotes altruistic sterility in insect societies. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:172190. [PMID: 29892408 PMCID: PMC5990772 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.172190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Monogamy is associated with sibling-directed altruism in multiple animal taxa, including insects, birds and mammals. Inclusive-fitness theory readily explains this pattern by identifying high relatedness as a promoter of altruism. In keeping with this prediction, monogamy should promote the evolution of voluntary sterility in insect societies if sterile workers make for better helpers. However, a recent mathematical population-genetics analysis failed to identify a consistent effect of monogamy on voluntary worker sterility. Here, we revisit that analysis. First, we relax genetic assumptions, considering not only alleles of extreme effect-encoding either no sterility or complete sterility-but also alleles with intermediate effects on worker sterility. Second, we broaden the stability analysis-which focused on the invasibility of populations where either all workers are fully sterile or all workers are fully reproductive-to identify where intermediate pure or mixed evolutionarily stable states may occur. Third, we consider a broader range of demographically explicit ecological scenarios relevant to altruistic worker non-reproduction and to the evolution of eusociality more generally. We find that, in the absence of genetic constraints, monogamy always promotes altruistic worker sterility and may inhibit spiteful worker sterility. Our extended analysis demonstrates that an exact population-genetics approach strongly supports the prediction of inclusive-fitness theory that monogamy promotes sib-directed altruism in social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andy Gardner
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
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10
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Olejarz J, Veller C, Nowak MA. The evolution of queen control over worker reproduction in the social Hymenoptera. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:8427-8441. [PMID: 29075460 PMCID: PMC5648666 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2017] [Revised: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
A trademark of eusocial insect species is reproductive division of labor, in which workers forego their own reproduction while the queen produces almost all offspring. The presence of the queen is key for maintaining social harmony, but the specific role of the queen in the evolution of eusociality remains unclear. A long‐discussed scenario is that a queen either behaviorally or chemically sterilizes her workers. However, the demographic and ecological conditions that enable such manipulation are still debated. We study a simple model of evolutionary dynamics based on haplodiploid genetics. Our model is set in the commonly observed case where workers have lost the ability to lay female (diploid) eggs by mating, but retain the ability to lay male (haploid) eggs. We consider a mutation that acts in a queen, causing her to control the reproductive behavior of her workers. Our mathematical analysis yields precise conditions for the evolutionary emergence and stability of queen‐induced worker sterility. These conditions do not depend on the queen's mating frequency. We find that queen control is always established if it increases colony reproductive efficiency, but can evolve even if it decreases colony efficiency. We further derive the conditions under which queen control is evolutionarily stable against invasion by mutant workers who have recovered the ability to lay male eggs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Olejarz
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics Harvard University Cambridge MA USA
| | - Carl Veller
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics Harvard University Cambridge MA USA.,Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Harvard University Cambridge MA USA
| | - Martin A Nowak
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics Harvard University Cambridge MA USA.,Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Harvard University Cambridge MA USA.,Department of Mathematics Harvard University Cambridge MA USA
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11
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Quiñones AE, Pen I. A unified model of Hymenopteran preadaptations that trigger the evolutionary transition to eusociality. Nat Commun 2017; 8:15920. [PMID: 28643786 PMCID: PMC5490048 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Explaining the origin of eusociality, with strict division of labour between workers and reproductives, remains one of evolutionary biology's greatest challenges. Specific combinations of genetic, behavioural and demographic traits in Hymenoptera are thought to explain their relatively high frequency of eusociality, but quantitative models integrating such preadaptations are lacking. Here we use mathematical models to show that the joint evolution of helping behaviour and maternal sex ratio adjustment can synergistically trigger both a behavioural change from solitary to eusocial breeding, and a demographic change from a life cycle with two reproductive broods to a life cycle in which an unmated cohort of female workers precedes a final generation of dispersing reproductives. Specific suits of preadaptations are particularly favourable to the evolution of eusociality: lifetime monogamy, bivoltinism with male generation overlap, hibernation of mated females and haplodiploidy with maternal sex ratio adjustment. The joint effects of these preadaptations may explain the abundance of eusociality in the Hymenoptera and its virtual absence in other haplodiploid lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés E. Quiñones
- Theoretical Research in Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ido Pen
- Theoretical Research in Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands
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12
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13
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14
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Olejarz JW, Allen B, Veller C, Gadagkar R, Nowak MA. Evolution of worker policing. J Theor Biol 2016; 399:103-16. [PMID: 26976051 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2015] [Revised: 01/23/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Workers in insect societies are sometimes observed to kill male eggs of other workers, a phenomenon known as worker policing. We perform a mathematical analysis of the evolutionary dynamics of policing. We investigate the selective forces behind policing for both dominant and recessive mutations for different numbers of matings of the queen. The traditional, relatedness-based argument suggests that policing evolves if the queen mates with more than two males, but does not evolve if the queen mates with a single male. We derive precise conditions for the invasion and stability of policing alleles. We find that the relatedness-based argument is not robust with respect to small changes in colony efficiency caused by policing. We also calculate evolutionarily singular strategies and determine when they are evolutionarily stable. We use a population genetics approach that applies to dominant or recessive mutations of any effect size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason W Olejarz
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Benjamin Allen
- Department of Mathematics, Emmanuel College, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Center for Mathematical Sciences and Applications, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Carl Veller
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Raghavendra Gadagkar
- Centre for Ecological Sciences and Centre for Contemporary Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012, India; Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi 110 002, India
| | - Martin A Nowak
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Mathematics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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15
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Doebeli M, Abouheif E. Modeling evolutionary transitions in social insects. eLife 2016; 5:e12721. [PMID: 26780668 PMCID: PMC4744194 DOI: 10.7554/elife.12721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2015] [Accepted: 11/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mathematical models based on direct fitness calculations may be able to explain important aspects of social evolution in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Doebeli
- Department of Zoology and Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Ehab Abouheif
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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