To leave or to stay: direct fitness through natural nest foundation in a primitively eusocial wasp

Brahma, Anindita; Mandal, Souvik; Gadagkar, Raghavendra

doi:10.1007/s00040-019-00702-2

Cited by 8 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…As I had hoped, we immediately began to observe new nest initiations by wasps leaving their parent nests. Anindita and Souvik collected nine large nests from nature and transplanted each one of them into such walk-in cages and observed a total of 29 new nest initiations [7]. They were able to record a detailed timeline of events in each cage.…”

Section: Considermentioning

confidence: 99%

How to Design Experiments in Animal Behaviour

Gadagkar

2019

Reson

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Section: Considermentioning

confidence: 99%

How to Design Experiments in Animal Behaviour

Gadagkar

2019

Reson

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“…It is now widely accepted that the evolution of the non-reproductive worker caste is facilitated by the indirect fitness gained by helping closely related reproductive castes and their offspring (Gadau and Fewell 2009). In primitively eusocial species, however, workers can reproduce in the future, either by replacing the present queens of their colonies or by leaving their nests to found new nests (Gadagkar 2001;Brahma et al 2019;Southon et al 2020). In a few species of primitively eusocial bees and wasps, workers also lay eggs in the presence of the queen (Gadagkar and Joshi 1982;Tsuchida et al 2003Tsuchida et al , 2020Leadbeater et al 2011;Andrade et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Upon the natural death or experimental removal of the queen, one and only one worker becomes temporarily hyper-aggressive and assumes the queen position within about a week. Predetermined potential queens in waiting are not challenged by others and also frequently leave their natal nests, either solitarily or in groups, to found new colonies of their own (Gadagkar 2001(Gadagkar , 2009Brahma et al 2019). However, unlike in some other primitively eusocial bees and wasps, workers in R. marginata colonies do not lay eggs in the presence of the queen (Gadagkar 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrition induced direct fitness for workers in a primitively eusocial wasp

et al. 2021

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Eusocial insects are characterised by a reproductive caste differentiation such that egg-laying is restricted to a small number of queens. The majority of the colony members function as non-reproducing workers and gain indirect fitness by rearing the offspring of the reproductives. In primitively eusocial species, some workers can also get direct fitness by sneaking in some eggs in the presence of the queens, replacing the queens and becoming new queens, or initiating new nests. Here we aimed to understand the factors that permit some workers to gain direct fitness and alter the number of workers doing so, using the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata. We transplanted 12 naturally occurring colonies into large laboratory cages where there was adequate space for the workers to leave their natal nests and initiate new colonies. We compared six control colonies that we provided with ad libitum food placed near the nest to six test colonies in which we hand-fed the wasps in addition to the ad libitum food. Wasps in test colonies consumed more food, showed more aggression, replaced their queens, and initiated new nests significantly more often than those in control colonies. When considering all 12 colonies, the rates of queen replacement and nest foundation were significantly positively correlated with food consumption rates. The additional nutrition gained by hand-fed wasps appears to help workers in test colonies to develop their ovaries and lay eggs, implying that they are nutritionally castrated in control colonies.

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“…Indeed, it is now well known that many eusocial insect species, in which societies are based primarily on kin-based, reproductive altruism, a substantial minority of females exhibit reproductive strategies that may represent avoidance of kin competition. In recent years, considerable evidence has accumulated that subordinate individuals, variously known as "drifters", "aliens", or "joiners" leave their natal colonies and join unrelated colonies (27,28). Some wait for opportunities to inherit the role of dominant egg-layer (the 'queen' role in eusocial colonies).…”

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confidence: 99%

An animal society based on kin competition, not kin cooperation

Vickruck

2019

Preprint

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Animals respond to competition among kin for critical breeding resources in two ways: avoidance of direct fitness costs via dispersal of siblings to breed separately, and formation of kin-based societies in which subordinates offset direct fitness costs of breeding competition via altruism and increased indirect fitness. Here we provide the first evidence that kin competition can promote the evolution of societies based on non-kin cooperation. For eastern carpenter bees, nests are a critical breeding resource in perpetually short supply, leading to strong competition among females. Observations of individually marked and genotyped females demonstrate that sisters disperse from their natal nests to join social groups of nonrelatives. By forming social groups of non-kin, females increase their chances of successful reproduction, while avoiding the indirect fitness cost of competition among sisters. Main Text:Ultimately, competition for crucial resources linked to reproduction, such as food or breeding sites, shapes the evolution of social behaviour in animals. One way for individuals to better extract or protect resources is to do so jointly, in cooperation with other individuals; cooperative and helping behaviours are a major reason why groups of individuals can have higher per-capita fitness than solitary individuals (1). However, individuals living in groups do not escape competition: often they are vulnerable to within-group competition for breeding (2)(3)(4) resources, competition that may be especially pronounced for limited resources, such as nests.While it is possible for group members to share resources equitably, most animal societies are hierarchical, rather than egalitarian (1). Moreover, most animal societies are kin-based (1). In

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To leave or to stay: direct fitness through natural nest foundation in a primitively eusocial wasp

Cited by 8 publications

References 29 publications

How to Design Experiments in Animal Behaviour

How to Design Experiments in Animal Behaviour

Nutrition induced direct fitness for workers in a primitively eusocial wasp

An animal society based on kin competition, not kin cooperation

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