Sex ratios and skew models: the special case of evolution of cooperation in polistine wasps

Cooperative breeding often involves reproductive dominance hierarchies. Such hierarchies have been proposed to form and to be maintained through an equitable skew in reproduction for both dominants and subordinates. The general form of skew models also predicts that cooperation can be stable only if cooperation greatly increases group reproductive success or subordinates are greatly constrained in their reproductive prospects relative to dominants. Neither, however, seems to be generally present in the colony initiation phase of temperate polistine wasps, although the behaviors of individuals within such groups are often consistent with skew model predictions. This apparent contradiction can be resolved in the context of a special case of the skew models that incorporate mother-offspring conflicts over sex ratios. Data suggest that all the needed preconditions are present for cooperating foundresses to gain an added benefit through producing male-biased investment ratios. Therefore, the special case model predicts that cooperation can evolve in Hymenoptera with both the observed high skews and reduced per capita group productivity. Further predictions of the special case model (e.g., mixed populations of single and multifoundresses) are also supported. Because the special case model is applicable only to haplodiploids, this may explain why cooperation in vertebrates rarely occurs without significant ecological or physiological constraints. Finally, comparisons to other social Hymenoptera taxa suggest that factors stabilizing cooperation between colony-initiating females may simultaneously constrain the evolution of morphologically specialized worker castes.