Abstract
High-resolution genetic markers have revolutionized our understanding of vertebrate mating systems1, but have so far yielded few comparable surprises about kinship in social insects. Here we use microsatellite markers to reveal an unexpected and unique social system in what is probably the best-studied social wasp, Polistes dominulus. Social insect colonies are nearly always composed of close relatives2,3; therefore, non-reproductive helping behaviour can be favoured by kin selection, because the helpers aid reproductives who share their genes4. In P. dominulus, however, 35% of foundress nestmates are unrelated and gain no such advantage. The P. dominulus system is unlike all other cases of unrelated social insects, because one individual has nearly complete reproductive dominance over subordinates who could have chosen other reproductive options. The only significant advantage that subordinates obtain is a chance at later reproduction, particularly if the queen dies. Thus, P. dominulus societies are functionally unlike other social insects, but similar to certain vertebrate societies5,6, in which the unrelated helpers gain through inheritance of a territory or a mate.
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Acknowledgements
We thank G. Bernasconi and L. Keller for helpful comments on the manuscript and ENEL SpA PDT Centro for the permission to work in the re-forestation area of the ‘Miniera di Santa Barbara’. This work was supported by the NSF (US) and the Italian MURST. We dedicate this paper to the memory of Bill Hamilton, who taught us how to think about social insect evolution.
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Queller, D., Zacchi, F., Cervo, R. et al. Unrelated helpers in a social insect. Nature 405, 784–787 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35015552
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35015552
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