Unmated queens in the primitively eusocial waspRopalidia marginata (Lep.) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) |
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Authors: | K Chandrashekara R Gadagkar |
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Affiliation: | (1) Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, 560012 Bangalore, India |
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Abstract: | Summary In the primitively eusocial tropical waspRopalidia marginata, five out of eleven colonies studied had an unmated female as their queen. In two colonies this was the case despite the presence of another mated individual in the colony. We found no detectable differences between colonies with unmated queens and those with mated queens. We argue that in species such asR. marginata, where intracolony relatedness is expected to be low and where sociality is likely to be maintained because several individuals have opportunities for direct reproduction in the future, individual selection is likely to override the good of the colony and lead to such phenomena as that of unmated queens. |
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Keywords: | Ropalidia marginata Unmated queens Individual selection Evolution of sociality |
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