| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Wenseleers, Tom
[1]
;
Helantera, Heikki
[2]
;
Alves, Denise A.
[3]
;
Duenez-Guzman, Edgar
[1]
;
Pamilo, Pekka
[2]
Total Authors: 5
|
| Affiliation: | [1] Catholic Univ Louvain, Dept Biol, Lab Socioecol & Social Evolut, B-3000 Louvain - Belgium
[2] Univ Helsinki, Dept Biosci, Ctr Excellence Biol Interact, FIN-00014 Helsinki - Finland
[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Philosophy Sci & Letters Ribeirao Preto, BR-14040901 Sao Paulo - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 3
|
| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | BIOLOGY LETTERS; v. 9, n. 6 DEC 23 2013. |
| Web of Science Citations: | 11 |
| Abstract | |
The conflicts over sex allocation and male production in insect societies have long served as an important test bed for Hamilton's theory of inclusive fitness, but have for the most part been considered separately. Here, we develop new coevolutionary models to examine the interaction between these two conflicts and demonstrate that sex ratio and colony productivity costs of worker reproduction can lead to vastly different outcomes even in species that show no variation in their relatedness structure. Empirical data on worker-produced males in eight species of Melipona bees support the predictions from a model that takes into account the demographic details of colony growth and reproduction. Overall, these models contribute significantly to explaining behavioural variation that previous theories could not account for. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 10/19717-4 - Intraspecific social parasitism as a reproductive strategy in stingless bees (Apidae, Meliponini) |
| Grantee: | Denise de Araujo Alves |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral |