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Subfamily‐dependent alternative reproductive strategies in worker honeybees
Author(s) -
Yagound Boris,
Duncan Michael,
Chapman Nadine C.,
Oldroyd Benjamin P.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1111/mec.14417
Subject(s) - biology , eusociality , selfishness , reproductive success , altruism (biology) , inclusive fitness , kin selection , subfamily , fertility , insect , kin recognition , reproductive isolation , zoology , evolutionary biology , ecology , hymenoptera , population , genetics , demography , social psychology , gene , psychology , sociology
Abstract Functional worker sterility is the defining feature of insect societies. Yet, workers are sometimes found reproducing in their own or foreign colonies. The proximate mechanisms underlying these alternative reproductive phenotypes are keys to understanding how reproductive altruism and selfishness are balanced in eusocial insects. In this study, we show that in honeybee ( Apis mellifera ) colonies, the social environment of a worker, that is, the presence and relatedness of the queens in a worker's natal colony and in surrounding colonies, significantly influences her fertility and drifting behaviour. Furthermore, subfamilies vary in the frequency of worker ovarian activation, propensity to drift and the kind of host colony that is targeted for reproductive parasitism. Our results show that there is an interplay between a worker's subfamily, reproductive state and social environment that substantially affects her reproductive phenotype. Our study further indicates that honeybee populations show substantial genetic variance for worker reproductive strategies, suggesting that no one strategy is optimal under all the circumstances that a typical worker may encounter.