The formation of eusocial groups: partner choice, conflict and the role of the market

社会群体的形成：伙伴选择、冲突和市场的作用

• 批准号: NE/K00655X/1
• 负责人: Jeremy Field
• 金额: $ 53.39万
• 依托单位: University of Sussex
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2013 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FK00655X%2F1
• 关键词: formation; eusocial; groups; partner; choice

In eusocial or cooperatively-breeding groups of animals, some individuals act as helpers, rearing the offspring of other individuals (queens or breeders). Examples include honeybees, ants, naked mole-rats and meerkats. How and why these groups form is a key question in biology. The main testing-grounds are so-called primitively eusocial species, in which queens and helpers are not morphologically differentiated so that all individuals still have the option of independent reproduction outside the group. Paper wasps (Polistes) are the best studied insect system. In spring, overwintered females, known as foundresses, initiate new nests alone or in groups. On multiple-foundress nests, one 'dominant' female lays most of the eggs, while the others act as helpers, foraging to feed the dominant's larvae. However, although there is a well developed theoretical framework for understanding why individuals become helpers, the process of group formation itself has been little studied. Building on previous work, this proposal will combine three novel manipulative experiments with DNA profiling to investigate group formation in Polistes. The work will:(1) Test critical assumptions implicit in previous work: what options do foundresses have, in terms of alternative partners to join, and is there conflict between residents over group membership?(2) Manipulate market forces - the supply of pre-existing groups available to potential joiners - to reveal the effect on major features of eusociality such as partner switching, helping effort and group productivity. (3) Test the importance of partner choice in determining group productivity, partitioning of reproduction and cooperative behaviour.Results will provide the most comprehensive understanding of group formation in a primitively eusocial insect, and allow a critical evaluation of previous models and data.

在真社会或合作繁殖的动物群体中，一些个体充当帮手，养育其他个体（女王或繁殖者）的后代。例如蜜蜂、蚂蚁、裸鼹鼠和猫鼬。这些群体如何以及为什么形成是生物学中的一个关键问题。主要的试验场是所谓的纯社会性物种，在这种物种中，蚁后和帮手在形态上没有区别，因此所有的个体仍然可以选择在群体之外独立繁殖。纸蜂（Polistes）是研究得最好的昆虫系统。在春天，越冬的女性，被称为foundresses，单独或成群地开始新的巢穴。在多个巢中，一个“占主导地位”的雌性会产下大部分的卵，而其他的则充当助手，觅食以喂养占主导地位的幼虫。然而，尽管有一个完善的理论框架来理解为什么个体会成为帮助者，但对群体形成过程本身的研究却很少。在以前工作的基础上，这项建议将联合收割机三个新的操纵实验与DNA分析相结合，以调查在Polistes集团的形成。这项工作将：（1）测试在以前的工作中隐含的关键假设：什么样的选择做foundresses有，在替代合作伙伴加入，以及居民之间是否有冲突的群体成员？(2)操纵市场力量-供应现有的群体提供给潜在的加入者-揭示对eusociality的主要特征，如合作伙伴转换，帮助努力和群体生产力的影响。(3)测试伙伴选择在决定群体生产力、生殖分配和合作行为方面的重要性，结果将提供对一种亲合性真社会性昆虫群体形成的最全面的理解，并允许对以前的模型和数据进行批判性评估。

项目成果

Predictors of nest growth: diminishing returns for subordinates in the paper wasp Polistes dominula.

• DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2502-x
• 发表时间: 2018
• 期刊: Behavioral ecology and sociobiology
• 影响因子: 2.3
• 作者: Grinsted L;Field J
• 通讯作者: Field J

Biological markets in cooperative breeders: quantifying outside options.

• DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0904
• 发表时间: 2017-06-14
• 期刊: Proceedings. Biological sciences
• 作者: Grinsted L;Field J
• 通讯作者: Field J