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Monogamy and haplodiploidy act in synergy to promote the evolution of eusociality

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  • Lutz Fromhage

    (Zoological Institute, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3)

  • Hanna Kokko

    (Ecology, Evolution & Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University)

Abstract

In eusocial species, some individuals sacrifice their own reproduction for the benefit of others. The evolutionary transition towards eusociality may have been facilitated by ancestral species having a monogamous mating system (the monogamy hypothesis) or a haplodiploid genetic system (the haplodiploidy hypothesis), or it may have been entirely driven by other (ecological) factors. Here we show, using a model that describes the dynamics of insect colony foundation, growth and death, that monogamy and haplodiploidy facilitate the evolution of eusociality in a novel, mutually reinforcing way. Our findings support the recently questioned importance of relatedness for the evolution of eusociality, and simultaneously highlight the importance of explicitly accounting for the ecological rules of colony foundation, growth and death in models of social evolution.

Suggested Citation

  • Lutz Fromhage & Hanna Kokko, 2011. "Monogamy and haplodiploidy act in synergy to promote the evolution of eusociality," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 2(1), pages 1-6, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:2:y:2011:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms1410
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1410
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