Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 30 May 2008:
Vol. 320. no. 5880, pp. 1213 - 1216
DOI: 10.1126/science.1156108
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Reports

Ancestral Monogamy Shows Kin Selection Is Key to the Evolution of Eusociality

William O. H. Hughes,1* Benjamin P. Oldroyd,2 Madeleine Beekman,2 Francis L. W. Ratnieks3

Close relatedness has long been considered crucial to the evolution of eusociality. However, it has recently been suggested that close relatedness may be a consequence, rather than a cause, of eusociality. We tested this idea with a comparative analysis of female mating frequencies in 267 species of eusocial bees, wasps, and ants. We found that mating with a single male, which maximizes relatedness, is ancestral for all eight independent eusocial lineages that we investigated. Mating with multiple males is always derived. Furthermore, we found that high polyandry (>2 effective mates) occurs only in lineages whose workers have lost reproductive totipotency. These results provide the first evidence that monogamy was critical in the evolution of eusociality, strongly supporting the prediction of inclusive fitness theory.

1 Institute of Integrative and Comparative Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
2 School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
3 Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: w.o.h.hughes{at}leeds.ac.uk

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
The evolution of extreme altruism and inequality in insect societies.
F. L. W. Ratnieks and H. Helantera (2009)
Phil Trans R Soc B 364, 3169-3179
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Lifetime monogamy and the evolution of eusociality.
J. J. Boomsma (2009)
Phil Trans R Soc B 364, 3191-3207
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Adaptation and the genetics of social behaviour.
L. Keller (2009)
Phil Trans R Soc B 364, 3209-3216
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Kin structure, ecology and the evolution of social organization in shrimp: a comparative analysis.
J. E. Duffy and K. S. Macdonald (2009)
Proc R Soc B
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Caste-specific expression of genetic variation in the size of antibiotic-producing glands of leaf-cutting ants.
W. O. H. Hughes, A. N. M. Bot, and J. J. Boomsma (2009)
Proc R Soc B
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Nonrelatives inherit colony resources in a primitive termite.
P. M. Johns, K. J. Howard, N. L. Breisch, A. Rivera, and B. L. Thorne (2009)
PNAS 106, 17452-17456
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
DNA methylation is widespread and associated with differential gene expression in castes of the honeybee, Apis mellifera.
N. Elango, B. G. Hunt, M. A. D. Goodisman, and S. V. Yi (2009)
PNAS 106, 11206-11211
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Maternal effects in cooperative breeders: from hymenopterans to humans.
A. F Russell and V. Lummaa (2009)
Phil Trans R Soc B 364, 1143-1167
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Sperm length evolution in the fungus-growing ants.
B. Baer, M. B. Dijkstra, U. G. Mueller, D. R. Nash, and J. J. Boomsma (2009)
Behav. Ecol. 20, 38-45
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)