Behaviour And Social Evolution Of Wasps: The Communal Aggregation Hypothesis (oxford Series In Ecology And Evolution)

In This Book, Yosiaki Ito Presents Data On Tropical Wasps Which Encourage Him To Suggest That Kin Selection Has Been Over-emphasized As An Evolutionary Explanation Of Sociality. He Concentrates On The Vespidae (paper Wasps And Hornets), A Group Much Discussed By Evolutionary Biologists Because It Exhibits All Stages Of Social Evolution: Subsociality, Primitive Eusociality, And Advanced Eusociality. The Author Reports Field Observations By Himself And Others In Central America, Asia, And Australia, Showing That Multiple Egg-layers In A Nest Are Not Uncommon. Because Coexistence Of Many 'queens' Leads To Lower Relatedness Among Colony Members Than In Single-queen Colonies, He Suggests That Kin Selection May Not Be The Most Powerful Force Determining Observed Social Patterns. Instead, Subsocial Wasps May First Have Aggregated For Defence Purposes In Habitats With A High Risk Of Predation, With Mutualistic Associations Among Many Queens. Through Parental Manipulation And Then Kin Selection, Differentiation Into Within-generation Castes May Have Followed. Of Interest To All Students Of Ecology, Evolution, And Behaviour, This Book Beautifully Illustrates The Ability To Combine Wide-ranging Data With Thoughtful Questions That Is The Author's Trademark. 1. Introduction -- 2. Systematics And Sociality Of Wasps. 2.1. The Hymenoptera. 2.2. The Vespidae. 2.3. Terminology. 2.4. Hypothetical Routes Towards Eusociality In The Hymenoptera -- 3. Theories On The Evolution Of Eusociality. 3.1. Charles Darwin's Dilemma. 3.2. Hamilton's Theory Of Inclusive Fitness And Kin-selection. 3.3. Parental Manipulation And Mutualistic Aggregation Hypotheses -- 4. Problems With The Kin-selection Hypothesis. 4.1. Facts Which Contradict The 3/4 Relatedness Hypothesis. 4.2. The Dominance-hierarchy/functional Haplometrosis Hypothesis -- 5. Comparison Of Dominance Relations And Proportion Of Multi-female Nests In The Polistinae. 5.1. Intranidal Dominance Relations. 5.2. Proportion Of Multi-female Nests -- 6. Ropalidia Fasciata In Okinawa, Japan: A Species With Flexible Social Relations. 6.1. Life History. 6.2. Mean Fitness Of Cofoundresses In Relation To Foundress Group Size. 6.3. Interactions Among Cofoundresses. 6.4. Coexistence Of Multiple Foundresses. 6.5. Severe Aggression Observed In A Satellite Nest. 6.6. Summary. 6.7. Appendix: Some Other Ropalidia Species -- 7. Social Relations In Wasp Colonies In The Wet Tropics: Polistine Wasps In Panama. 7.1. A Typically Aggressive Society: Polistes Canadensis. 7.2. A Typically 'peaceful' Social System: Polistes Versicolor. 7.3. Changes In The Social Systems Of Two Mischocyttarus Species: 'peaceful' To Aggressive Society -- 8. Role Of Multiple Comb Construction And The Perennial Nature Of Nests: Polistine Wasps In Australia. 8.1. Ropalidia Revolutionalis. 8.2. Polistine Wasps In Darwin: Ropalidia Sp. Nr. Variegata, R. Gregaria Gregaria, And Polistes Bernardii Richardsi. 8.3. Three Methods Of Nest Foundation: Polistes Humilis. 8.4. Ropalidia Plebeiana: A Species Which Constructs 'towns' And Divides The Nest By Biting It With The Mandibles -- 9. Multi-queen Societies: Swarm-founding Wasps In The Tropics. 9.1. Neotropical Swarm-founding Wasps. 9.2. Swarm-founding Ropalidia: Subgenus Icarielia. 9.3. Relations Among Adult Females On A Nest. 9.4. Metapolybia Aztecoides: Co-operation Or Altruism? -- 10. Social Lives Of The Other Social Wasps. 10.1. Pleometrosis And Swarm-founding In The Vespinae. 10.2. Social Structure Of The Stenogastrinae. 10.3. Social Life Of The Belonogaster -- 11. Origin Of Pleometrosis: Altruism Or Mutualism? 11.1. Mutualistic Co-operation Under Conditions In Which Haplometrosis Is Almost Impossible. 11.2. A Model Of Mutualistic Aggregation. 11.3. Eusocial Insects Other Than Wasps. 11.4. Conclusion -- 12. Manipulation Of Progeny By Mother Groups: An Hypothesis For The Evolution Of Multi-queen Societies. 12.1. A Problem: Evolution Of Multi-queen Societies In Swarm-founding Polistinae. 12.2. Intranidal Dominance Relations Among Females In Some Mischocyttarus And Ropalidia After The Emergence Of Progeny Females. 12.3. Conditions Favouring Manipulation Of Progeny By Foundress Groups -- 13. Kin-selection And Multi-queen Social Systems: Conclusion. Yosiaki Itô. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [135]-150) And Indexes.