Conflict Over Male Production in Stingless Bees

非技术摘要建议数量：9808809个PI：斯特拉斯曼和奎勒亲缘选择理论得到了大量研究的支持，它预测社会昆虫群体内部将会发生冲突，但它们表现出非凡的合作程度。一个重要的可能解释是，如果工人有集体利益，他们可能会利用更多的人赢得冲突，镇压其他政党，特别是女王。斯特拉斯曼和奎勒将在无刺蜜蜂身上测试这一理论，无刺蜜蜂是一种与蜜蜂密切相关的大型热带种群。具体地说，他们将研究男性生育方面的冲突。使用DNA微卫星标记精确地对个体进行基因指纹识别，他们将确定谁产生了雄性(蜂王或工蚁)，以及这一结果是否表明工蚁确实直接繁殖，或者工蚁繁殖受到抑制。他们还将进行观察，以测试关于行为冲突程度的理论预测，例如在蜂群中发生的公开打斗，并将结果与对蜜蜂进行的类似研究进行对比。这项研究有望揭示更多关于社会群体内遗传冲突的表达和解决方法。这不仅是群居昆虫的重要话题，也是所有其他群居有机体的重要话题。它还关系到其他层次的生物组织的一致性，如多细胞动物和真核细胞。最后，这项研究还将增加一类重要的热带传粉者的基本知识。

Nontechnical Abstract Proposal Number: 9808809 PIs: Strassmann and Queller The theory of kin selection, which has been supported by numerous studies, predicts that there will be conflicts within social insect colonies, yet they display extraordinary degrees of cooperation. An important possible explanation is that if workers have a collective interest, they may use their greater numbers to win conflicts and suppress other parties, in particular the queen. Strassmann and Queller will test this theory in stingless bees, a large, tropical group closely related to honey bees. Specifically, they will study conflict over male production. Using DNA microsatellite markers to precisely "genetically fingerprint" individuals, they will determine who produces the males (queen or workers) and whether this result indicates that workers do reproduce directly or if worker reproduction is suppressed. They will also perform observations to test theoretical predictions about the degree of behavioral conflict such as overt fighting that occurs in colonies, and contrast the results with similar research done on honey bees. This research is expected to reveal much about the expression and resolution of genetic conflicts within social groups. This is a topic of importance not only for social insects, but also for all other social organisms. It also bears on the coherence of other levels of biological organization, such as multicellular animals and the eukaryotic cells. Finally, the research will also increase basic knowledge of an important group of tropical pollinators.