The evolution of division of labour: why does division of labour evolve and what factors affect the form that it takes?

复杂生命的进化是由少数重大转变驱动的，在这些转变中，个体结合在一起形成了一个新的更高层次的有机体。劳动分工在推动这些转变方面发挥了关键作用。如果我们想了解地球上复杂的生命是如何进化的，我们需要了解劳动分工是如何以及为什么进化的。随着最近分析技术的进步，以及生活史、生态和系统发育数据的爆炸性增长，我们现在能够解决这些问题。我们在广泛的分类范围内使用比较方法，包括所有主要的昆虫分支，以解决长期存在的争议，并确定有利于劳动分工进化的因素。劳动分工是所有层次生物组织的统一特征，理解劳动分工进化的原因可能对我们理解进化生物学、微生物学和行为生态学具有重要意义。

The evolution of complex life has been driven by a small number of major transitions, where individuals join together to form a new higher-level organism. The role of division of labour has been pivotal in driving these transitions. If we want to understand how complex life on Earth evolved, we need to understand how and why division of labour evolved. Following recent advances in analytical techniques, and an explosion in the availability of life history, ecological and phylogenetic data, we are now able to tackle these questions. We use a comparative approach across a broad taxonomic range, that includes all of the major insect clades, to resolve a longstanding controversy and identify the factors that favour the evolution of division of labour. Division of labour is a unifying feature across all levels of biological organisation and understanding why division of labour evolves could have important implications for our understanding of evolutionary biology, microbiology, and behavioural ecology.