Korb, Judith (2006) Limited food induces nepotism in drywood termites. BIOLOGY LETTERS, 2 (3). pp. 364-366. ISSN 1744-9561,
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The evolution of cooperation and altruistic behaviour where individuals forego their own reproduction to help others reproduce can be explained by kin selection. Depending on the costs and benefits provided, altruism can be evolutionarily favoured if it is directed at close relatives. A considerable body of data supports the role of relatedness as a key determinant of cooperation and conflict within societies. However, the role of ecological factors and, in particular, how these costs and benefits interact with relatedness remains poorly understood. By studying 16 colonies, here I show that in a drywood termite ecological factors determine the importance of relatedness. In colonies with limited food supply, nestmates restrict cooperative interactions mainly to close relatives, while non-discriminative cooperation occurs when food is abundant. This shows for the first time directly the interaction between ecological conditions and relatedness in shaping cooperation.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | EVOLUTION; cooperation; ecological costs; kin selection; nepotism; relatedness; social insects |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 590 Zoological sciences |
| Divisions: | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie > Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie (Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heinze) |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 27 Jan 2021 10:42 |
| Last Modified: | 27 Jan 2021 10:42 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/34014 |
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