COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Kin structure, conflict and caste formation: the evolution of sociality in Synalpheus

合作的起源是生物学上的主要转变之一，与家庭生活和包括人类在内的复杂动物社会的进化密切相关，并有助于解释白蚁等某些害虫的影响。为什么有些动物会形成复杂的社会，而另一些密切相关的动物则不会呢？复杂的昆虫群落与脊椎动物的群落相似吗？尽管研究人员早就认识到群居脊椎动物和无脊椎动物之间的相似之处，但群居动物群体之间的几个显著差异在历史上划分了社会生物学领域，导致了不同的术语、方法和理论框架。很少有研究系统地研究脊椎动物或昆虫的社会性解释是如何相关的，或者它们是否适用于其他家庭生活的物种。解决这些问题的一个有希望的方法是，在表现出一系列社会制度的单一相关物种群体中测试不同的社会进化模式。这项比较研究将评估家庭生活在一个社会多样性群体中的进化，这个群体异常地同时表现出群居脊椎动物和昆虫的特征，海绵栖息的咬虾，突触。利用分子方法，这项研究将集中于群体生活的凝聚性(亲属关系)和破坏性(冲突)影响如何相互作用来塑造社会组织，以及这些相互作用在密切相关的物种中如何变化，这可能作为家庭生活早期进化阶段的代表。这些结果将阐明几个关键问题，包括利他主义和合作的演变，家庭结构和冲突在社会性演变中的作用，社会制度之间的转变，以及社会演变与形态和行为多样化之间的联系。社会虾在公众教育和外展方面显示出极高的价值，有关在这些极具魅力的海洋动物中生活的家庭进化的研究结果将通过一个获奖网站和学校讲座向K-12学校和普通公众传播。

The origin of cooperation is one of the major transitions in biology, is intimately tied to family-living and the evolution of complex animal societies including humans, and helps explain the impacts of certain pests like termites. Why do some kinds of animals form complex societies, while other closely related ones do not? Are complex insect societies similar to those of vertebrates? Although researchers have long recognized similarities between social vertebrates and invertebrates, the several conspicuous differences among social animal groups have historically divided the field of social biology, leading to distinct terminologies, approaches, and theoretical frameworks. Few studies have systematically examined how explanations for sociality in vertebrates or insects are related, or whether they apply to other family-living species. One promising approach to resolving these issues involves testing different modes of social evolution in a single group of related species that exhibits a range of social systems. This comparative study will evaluate the evolution of family-living within a socially diverse group that unusually exhibits traits of both social vertebrates and insects, the sponge-dwelling snapping shrimp, Synalpheus. Using molecular methods, this research will focus on how the cohesive (kinship) and disruptive (conflict) influences of group-living interact to mold social organization and how these interactions vary among closely related species, which may serve as proxies for stages in the early evolution of family-living. The results will illuminate several key problems, including the evolution of altruism and cooperation, the roles of family structure and conflict in the evolution of sociality, transitions among social systems, and links between social evolution and the diversification of morphology and behavior. Social shrimp have demonstrated high value in public education and outreach, and findings on the evolution of family-living in these charismatic marine animals will be disseminated to K-12 schools and the general public via an award-winning website and school lectures.