Worker Control of Reproduction in Multiple-queen Wasp Societies

[摘要]多蜂后蜂群中工蜂对繁殖的控制这种群居昆虫为研究自然界的合作行为提供了最好的模型之一。亲缘选择理论成功地解释了为什么群居昆虫可能会帮助近亲而不是独自繁殖，但一个更困难的问题仍未解决。考虑到一个个体决定加入一个群体，它通常应该被选择成为一个繁殖者而不是帮助者。但如果是这样的话，如何避免无政府状态，特别是在大的殖民地，女王不能指望在物理上统治她所有的下属？最有希望的假说似乎是工人集体控制繁殖，但这种可能性尚未得到广泛的验证。Strassmann和Queller将利用过去对一种社会性黄蜂——colobopterus的广泛研究，在三种不同的环境下测试集体工蜂控制。首先，工蜂是否决定谁会产下单倍体雄性卵子？第二，工蜂是否能决定众多的蜂王中哪一个能存活下来产生新的蜂王？第三，工人决定新皇后的时间和身份吗？在每种情况下，这些预测都将来自亲缘选择理论，并将通过对录像行为的分析，结合基于DNA微卫星基因型的亲缘关系分析进行检验。这项研究最终将揭示基因利益冲突的表达和解决方法。它还将促进围绕微卫星基因的新技术，这些方法在许多领域都很重要，包括进化研究、保护遗传学、法医学以及满足农业和医疗需要的基因定位研究。除了为培养博士后和研究生做出贡献外，Strassmann和Queller还鼓励本科生、高中生和教师参与其中，把他们学到的知识带回课堂。

Abstract Strassmann & Queller IBN-9507515 Worker control of reproduction in multiple-queen wasp societies The social insects provide one of the best models for studying cooperative behavior in the natural world. Kin selection theory has successfully explained why a social insect might help relatives instead of trying to reproduce alone, but a more difficult problem remains unsolved. Given that an individual decides to join a group, it should often be selected to prefer being a reproductive rather than helping. But if this is so, how is anarchy avoided, particularly in large colonies where the queen cannot hope to physically dominate all her subordinates? The most promising hypothesis appears to be collective worker control of reproduction, but this possibility has not been tested very widely. Strassmann and Queller will take advantage of extensive past work on a species of social wasp, Parachartergus colobopterus, to test for collective worker control in three distinct contexts. First, do workers determine who lays the haploid male eggs? Second, do workers determine which of the numerous queens survives to produce new queens? Third, do workers determine the timing and the identity of new queens? In each case the predictions will be derived from kin selection theory and will be tested through the analysis of videotaped behavior, combined with kinship analysis based on DNA microsatellite genotypes. This research will ultimately reveal much about the expression and resolution of genetic conflicts of interest. It will also contribute to the new technology surrounding microsatellite genes, methods which are important in many areas, including evolutionary studies, conservation genetics, forensics, and gene-mapping studies for agricultural and medical needs. Besides contributing to the training of postdoctoral and graduate students, Strassmann and Queller encourage p articipation of undergraduates, high school students, and teachers who take the knowledge they gain back to the classroom.