Complex social behaviour derived from maternal reproductive traits

• Published in: Nature Vol. 439; no. 7072; pp. 76 - 78
• Main Authors: Amdam, Gro V., Csondes, Angela, Fondrk, M. Kim, Page, Robert E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 05.01.2006; Nature Publishing; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Aging - physiology; Animal behavior; Animal ethology; Animal reproduction; Animals; Apidae; Apis mellifera; Bees; Bees - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Evolution; Evolution; Feeding Behavior - physiology; Female; Females; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Honey; Humanities and Social Sciences; Infertility, Female; Insects; letter; Maternal Behavior - physiology; Mothers; multidisciplinary; Ovary - physiology; Pollen - metabolism; Protozoa. Invertebrata; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Reproduction - physiology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Siblings; Social Behavior; Social interaction; Sociobiology; Nectar; Insecta; Biological evolution; Apidae; Polyethism; Social insect; Foraging behavior; Apis mellifera; Maternal behavior; Social behavior; Apoidea; Arthropoda; Solitary bee; Pollen; Hymenoptera; Invertebrata; Comparative study; Mating status; Aculeata; Worker insect

Working together On the cover, a solitary bee forages for pollen as a protein-source for her brood alongside a sterile ‘eusocial’ worker honey bee. The social biology of these two females is different, but the evolutionary origin of their behaviour is identical. A eusocial lifestyle involves sterile...