Worker-brood genetic relatedness in a primitively eusocial wasp

Gadagkar, Raghavendra; Chandrashekara, K.; Chandran, Swarnalatha; Bhagavan, Seetha

doi:10.1007/bf01131405

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…The results reported here confirm the previously observed lack of intra-colony kin recognition in R. marginata. Taken together with previously reported low intracolony genetic relatedness values in this species (Muralidharan et al, 1986;Gadagkar, 1990a;Gadagkar et al, 1991;Gadagkar et al, 1993), these results lend further support to the idea that kin selection (based on genetic asymmetries created by haplodiploidy) alone does not appear to be an adequate explanation for the evolution and maintenance of worker behaviour in this species. On the other hand, they lend credence to the possibility that factors other than genetic relatedness may be important in this regard (Lin and Michener, 1972;Alexander, 1974;West-Eberhard, 1975;Evans, 1977;Gadagkar, 1990bGadagkar, , 1990Gadagkar, c, 1991b.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 85%

Social organization in experimentally assembled colonies of Ropalidia marginata : comparison of introduced and natal wasps

1997

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In the primitively eusocial wasp, Ropalidia marginata worker behaviour cannot be explained satisfactorily by the haplodiploidy hypothesis due to the existence of polyandry, serial polygyny and movement of wasps between nests, which reduce intra-colony genetic relatedness to levels lower than the value expected between a solitary foundress and her offspring. We introduced wasps eclosing from one set of colonies into other colonies separated by a distance of 10 km or more, to examine the possibility of kin recognition and task specialization under conditions of low intracolony relatedness. Introduced wasps were readily accepted into unrelated foster colonies, where they performed most of the behaviours and tasks shown by the natal wasps. We found no evidence of kin recognition or task specialization among natal and introduced wasps. Introduced wasps sometimes became replacement queens in spite of the presence of natal wasps. Taken together with previous observations, these results lend support to the idea that factors other than genetic relatedness must play a prominent role in the evolution of worker behaviour in Ropalidia marginata.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 85%

Social organization in experimentally assembled colonies of Ropalidia marginata : comparison of introduced and natal wasps

1997

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“…Helper-brood relatedness was not significantly different from 0.5 in 2017, but was significantly lower than 0.5 in 2018. Other studies of diverse primitively eusocial insects also suggest values below 0.5, which show that helpers are generally less related to the brood than they would be if they reproduced solitarily (Gadagkar et al, 1991;Sumner et al, 2007;Field, 2008;Brand and Chapuisat, 2016;Gadagkar, 2016). Helper-brood relatedness values equal to or below 0.5 suggest that ecological benefits of helping (Field, 2008), or perhaps coercion, must help to maintain eusociality, since helpers could instead produce their own offspring (r = 0.5) by nesting independently.…”

Section: Average Relatedness Of Helpers To Broodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Split sex ratios and genetic relatedness in a primitively eusocial sweat bee

Pennell

Field

2020

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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In eusocial Hymenoptera, queens and their helper offspring should favour different sex investment ratios. Queens should prefer a 1:1 investment ratio, as they are equally related to offspring of both sexes (r = 0.5). In contrast, helpers should favour an investment ratio of 3:1 towards the production of female brood. This conflict arises because helpers are more closely related to full sisters (r = 0.75) than brothers (r = 0.25). However, helpers should invest relatively more in male brood if relatedness asymmetry within their colony is reduced. This can occur due to queen replacement after colony orphaning, multiple paternity and the presence of unrelated alien helpers. We analysed an unprecedentedly large number of colonies (n = 109) from a UK population of Lasioglossum malachurum, an obligate eusocial sweat bee, to tease apart the effects of these factors on colony-level investment ratios. We found that multiple paternity, unrelated alien helpers and colony orphaning were all common. Queen-right colonies invested relatively more in females than did orphaned colonies, producing a split sex ratio. However, investment ratios did not change due to multiple paternity or the presence of alien helpers, reducing inclusive fitness pay-offs for helpers. Queen control may also have been important: helpers rarely laid male eggs, and investment in female brood was lower when queens were large relative to their helpers. Genetic relatedness between helpers and the brood that they rear was 0.43 in one year and 0.37 in another year, suggesting that ecological benefits, as well as relatedness benefits, are necessary for the maintenance of helping behaviour. Significance statement How helping behaviour is maintained in eusocial species is a key topic in evolutionary biology. Colony-level sex investment ratio changes in response to relatedness asymmetries can dramatically influence inclusive fitness benefits for helpers in eusocial Hymenoptera. The extent to which helpers in primitively eusocial colonies can respond adaptively to different sources of variation in relatedness asymmetry is unclear. Using data from 109 colonies of the sweat bee Lasioglossum malachurum, we found that queen loss, but not multiple paternity or the presence of alien helpers, was correlated with colony sex investment ratios. Moreover, we quantified average helper-brood genetic relatedness to test whether it is higher than that predicted under solitary reproduction (r = 0.5). Values equal to and below r = 0.5 suggest that relatedness benefits alone cannot explain the maintenance of helping behaviour. Ecological benefits of group living and/or coercion must also contribute.

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“…By limiting resources or nesting options, mothers can force offspring to remain at the nest and help raise siblings. This behavior has been observed across a wide variety of taxa from mammals (Briga et al, 2012) and birds (Clarke, 1984;Stacey and Koenig, 1990) to bees (Hogendoorn, 1996;Hogendoorn et al, 2001) and wasps (Gadagkar, 1991;Gadagkar et al, 1991). The imposed division of labor between a reproductive individual and her worker offspring is considered a key component in the evolution of highly social groups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Effects of nutritional deprivation on development and behavior in the subsocial beeCeratina calcarata(Hymenoptera: Xylocopinae)

Lawson

Helmreich

Rehan

2017

Journal of Experimental Biology

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By manipulating resources or dispersal opportunities, mothers can force offspring to remain at the nest to help raise siblings, creating a division of labor. In the subsocial bee , mothers manipulate the quantity and quality of pollen provided to the first female offspring, producing a dwarf eldest daughter that is physically smaller and behaviorally subordinate. This daughter forages for her siblings and forgoes her own reproduction. To understand how the mother's manipulation of pollen affects the physiology and behavior of her offspring, we manipulated the amount of pollen provided to offspring and measured the effects of pollen quantity on offspring development, adult body size and behavior. We found that by experimentally manipulating pollen quantities we could recreate the dwarf eldest daughter phenotype, demonstrating how nutrient deficiency alone can lead to the development of a worker-like daughter. Specifically, by reducing the pollen and nutrition to offspring, we significantly reduced adult body size and lipid stores, creating significantly less aggressive, subordinate individuals. Worker behavior in an otherwise solitary bee begins to explain how maternal manipulation of resources could lead to the development of social organization and reproductive hierarchies, a major step in the transition to highly social behaviors.

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Worker-brood genetic relatedness in a primitively eusocial wasp

Cited by 19 publications

References 7 publications

Social organization in experimentally assembled colonies of Ropalidia marginata : comparison of introduced and natal wasps

Social organization in experimentally assembled colonies of Ropalidia marginata : comparison of introduced and natal wasps

Split sex ratios and genetic relatedness in a primitively eusocial sweat bee

Effects of nutritional deprivation on development and behavior in the subsocial beeCeratina calcarata(Hymenoptera: Xylocopinae)

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