Mitesser, Oliver and Weissel, Norbert and Strohm, Erhard and Poethke, Hans-Joachim (2006) The evolution of activity breaks in the nest cycle of annual eusocial bees: a model of delayed exponential growth. BMC EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, 6: 45. ISSN 1471-2148,
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Background: Social insects show considerable variability not only in social organisation but also in the temporal pattern of nest cycles. In annual eusocial sweat bees, nest cycles typically consist of a sequence of distinct phases of activity ( queen or workers collect food, construct, and provision brood cells) and inactivity ( nest is closed). Since the flight season is limited to the time of the year with sufficiently high temperatures and resource availability, every break reduces the potential for foraging and, thus, the productivity of a colony. This apparent waste of time has not gained much attention. Results: We present a model that explains the evolution of activity breaks by assuming differential mortality during active and inactive phases and a limited rate of development of larvae, both reasonable assumptions. The model predicts a systematic temporal structure of breaks at certain times in the season which increase the fitness of a colony. The predicted pattern of these breaks is in excellent accordance with field data on the nest cycle of the halictid Lasioglossum malachurum. Conclusion: Activity breaks are a counter-intuitive outcome of varying mortality rates that maximise the reproductive output of primitively eusocial nests.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | COLONY SOCIAL-ORGANIZATION; ACTIVITY PATTERNS; SWEAT BEE; REPRODUCTIVE STRATEGIES; EGG LIMITATION; HALICTID BEE; SOLITARY BEE; PAPER WASP; HYMENOPTERA; TEMPERATURE; |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 590 Zoological sciences |
| Divisions: | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie > Evolutionary Ecology (Prof. Dr. Erhard Strohm) |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 15 Feb 2021 05:55 |
| Last Modified: | 15 Feb 2021 05:55 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/34452 |
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