Abstract
A plethora of recent models examines how genetic and environmental factors might influence partitioning of reproduction ('skew') in animal societies, but empirical data are sparse. We used three microsatellite loci to estimate skew on 13 nests of the Malaysian hover wasp, Liostenogaster flavolineata. Groups are small in L. flavolineata (1-10 females) and all females are capable of mating and laying eggs. Despite considerable variation between nests in parameters expected to influence skew, skew was uniformly high. On 11 of the 13 nests, all female eggs had been laid by a single dominant female. A second female had laid one to two out of 5-10 eggs respectively on the two remaining nests. A likelihood analysis suggested that on average, 90% of the male eggs had also been laid by the dominant. The slightly lower skew among male eggs might reflect the lower average relatedness of subordinates to male versus female offspring of the dominant. We suggest that high skew in L. flavolineata may result from strong ecological constraints and a relatively high probability that a subordinate will eventually inherit the dominant, egg-laying position.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (133.2 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Field J., Shreeves G., Sumner S., Casiraghi M. Insurance-based advantage to helpers in a tropical hover wasp. Nature. 2000 Apr 20;404(6780):869–871. doi: 10.1038/35009097. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Field J, Foster W. Helping behaviour in facultatively eusocial hover wasps: an experimental test of the subfertility hypothesis. Anim Behav. 1999 Mar;57(3):633–636. doi: 10.1006/anbe.1999.0995. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Heinze J, Keller L. Alternative reproductive strategies: a queen perspective in ants. Trends Ecol Evol. 2000 Dec 1;15(12):508–512. doi: 10.1016/s0169-5347(00)01995-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kokko H., Johnstone R. A., Clutton-Brock T. H. The evolution of cooperative breeding through group augmentation. Proc Biol Sci. 2001 Jan 22;268(1463):187–196. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2000.1349. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kokko H, Mackenzie A, Reynolds JD, Lindström J, Sutherland WJ. Measures of Inequality Are Not Equal. Am Nat. 1999 Sep;154(3):358–382. doi: 10.1086/303235. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- doi: 10.1098/rspb.1998.0386. [DOI] [PMC free article] [Google Scholar]
- Peters J. M., Queller D. C., Strassmann J. E., Solís C. R. Maternity assignment and queen replacement in a social wasp. Proc Biol Sci. 1995 Apr 22;260(1357):7–12. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1995.0052. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Reeve H. K., Keller L. Tests of reproductive-skew models in social insects. Annu Rev Entomol. 2001;46:347–385. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ento.46.1.347. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Reeve H. K., Starks P. T., Peters J. M., Nonacs P. Genetic support for the evolutionary theory of reproductive transactions in social wasps. Proc Biol Sci. 2000 Jan 7;267(1438):75–79. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2000.0969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]