The effect of sex-allocation biasing on the evolution of worker policing in hymenopteran societies

The American Naturalist
K R Foster, F L Ratnieks

Abstract

Mutual policing is thought to be important in conflict suppression at all levels of biological organization. In hymenopteran societies (bees, ants, and wasps), multiple mating by queens favors mutual policing of male production among workers (worker policing). However, worker policing of male production is proving to be more widespread than predicted by relatedness patterns, occurring in societies headed by single-mated queens in which, paradoxically, workers are more related to the workers' sons that they kill than the queen's sons that they spare. Here we develop an inclusive-fitness model to show that a second reproductive conflict, the conflict over sex allocation, can explain the evolution of worker policing contrary to relatedness predictions. Among ants, and probably other social Hymenoptera, workers kill males to favor their more related sisters. Importantly, males are killed at the larval stage, presumably because workers cannot determine the sex of queen-laid eggs. Sex-allocation biasing favors worker policing because policing removes some males (the workers' sons) at low cost at the egg stage rather than at higher cost at the larval stage. Our model reveals an important interaction between two reproductive conflicts ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Aug 7, 2009·Biology Letters·Heikki Helanterä, Francis L W Ratnieks
Oct 26, 2005·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Ido Pen, Peter D Taylor
Oct 7, 2009·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Jacobus J Boomsma
Oct 7, 2009·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Francis L W Ratnieks, Heikki Helanterä
Dec 8, 2005·Annual Review of Entomology·Francis L W RatnieksTom Wenseleers
Aug 26, 2004·PLoS Biology·Robert L Hammond, Laurent Keller
Nov 17, 2006·The American Naturalist·Tom Wenseleers, Francis L W Ratnieks
Mar 16, 2016·Journal of Theoretical Biology·Jason W OlejarzMartin A Nowak
Jul 30, 2005·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·T WenseleersF L W Ratnieks
Nov 25, 2003·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Koji TsuchidaShinya Miyano
Apr 29, 2015·BioEssays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology·Cintia A OiTom Wenseleers
Jan 28, 2014·Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution·Federico Lopez-OsorioIngi Agnarsson
Aug 18, 2004·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·T WenseleersF L W Ratnieks
Nov 26, 2003·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·R L HammondA F G Bourke
Apr 8, 2006·Molecular Ecology·Daniel J C KronauerJacobus J Boomsma

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