Alternative Reproductive Strategies and Cooperative Colony Initiation

非技术摘要NONACS，IBN 9408024，可供选择的繁殖策略和合作的群体启动在动物界有数以千计的社会性物种，从霉菌到昆虫，从鸟类到哺乳动物，包括人类。因此，动物行为研究中的一个中心理论和实践问题是如何以及为什么形成合作的动物群体。我们对合作生物学的许多见解都来自对纸蜂等群居昆虫的研究，这也可以提供一个模型系统，在这个系统中，合作的实验研究是可能的，成本相对较低。影响许多物种合作的两个因素是个体之间的关联度和有利于合作的生态压力(特别是有限的资源)。在这项研究中，诺纳克斯博士将研究雌性纸蜂在建立蜂群时是合作还是不合作的决定。DNA指纹和行为观察相结合的方法将被用来确定遗传关系如何决定合作单位的形成，如何影响建立新群体的雌性黄蜂之间的攻击性冲突水平，以及影响黄蜂在巢内喂养不同幼虫的决定。由此产生的数据将使人们能够衡量基因相关性和生态压力在合作群体形成过程中的相对重要性。这项研究还将增加我们对黄蜂群开始在哪里以及如何开始的理解。虽然黄蜂在正确的地方是害虫的重要控制剂，但黄蜂在人类附近筑巢是一种滋扰和危险。因此，这项研究具有潜在的应用效益，它为我们提供了更多关于如何鼓励黄蜂在需要的地方筑巢而不是在不需要的地方筑巢的信息。

NONTECHNICAL SUMMARY Nonacs, IBN 9408024, Alternative reproductive strategies and cooperative colony initiation There are thousands of social species in the animal kingdom, ranging from molds to insects to birds to mammals, including humans. A central theoretical and practical concern in the study of animal behavior, therefore, is how and why cooperative groups of animals are formed. Many of our insights into the biology of cooperation have come from the study of social insects such as paper wasps, which also can provide a model system in which experimental studies of cooperation are possible at relatively low cost. Two of the factors which affect cooperation in many species are the degree of relatedness among individuals and ecological pressures (especially restricted resources) that favor cooperation. In this research, Dr. Nonacs will examine the decision that female paper wasps make to either be cooperative or not to be cooperative when founding their colonies. A combination of DNA fingerprinting and behavioral observation will be used to determine how genetic relatedness determines the formation of cooperative units, affects the levels of aggressive conflicts between female wasps founding new colonies and influences the decisions of the wasps to feed different young within the nest. The resulting data will allow the measurement of the relative importance of genetic relatedness and ecological pressures in the formation of cooperative groups. This research will also increase our understanding of where and how wasp colonies are started. While wasps in the right places are important control agents of pest insects, wasps nesting near humans are a nuisance and a danger. Therefore, this research has the potential applied benefit of giving us more information about how to encourage wasps to nest where needed and not where they are unwanted.