Eusociality Research Proposal
Eusociality Research Proposal
Project Objectives The objective of this research is to aid in identifying how honey bees, Apis mellifera, and potentially all eusocial insects, have evolved to their current level of social organization, . By studying the behavior of the worker caste in the absence of the queen, we will be able to see signs of whether these organisms have evolved from kin selection or multilevel selection. The ultimate goal is to see if worker bees can thrive and manage a colony without a queen, whether they nurture a new queen or produce fertilized eggs themselves. We hypothesize that the worker bees will either have an increase in reproductive fitness in the absence of the queen bee, or they will nurture another queen bee. This would lead us to believe that eusociality may have evolved due to kin selection.
Significance and Justification This research is important because it would aid us in discovering how eusociality has evolved, and therefore how altruistic behavior has evolved due to kin selection. This could potentially lead us to discover how humans and other organisms have developed instances of altruistic behavior. It would guide us to the answer of whether humans perform altruistic behavior out of selflessness or selfish needs. Is selfless altruistic behavior really possible in humans, or do we only do it to feel good about ourselves? It may also show us that altruistic behavior doesn 't truly exist, and that eusocial insects have merely evolved due to multilevel selection. This would entail that these organisms have been acting for their own benefit and fitness rather than their species as a whole.
Background There are many species of organisms that live as groups, but they may not always be considered social. True sociality, or eusociality, is defined by three features. First, there is cooperative brood-care, where multiple individuals care for the young. Second, there is an overlapping of generations which allows
Project Objectives The objective of this research is to aid in identifying how honey bees, Apis mellifera, and potentially all eusocial insects, have evolved to their current level of social organization, . By studying the behavior of the worker caste in the absence of the queen, we will be able to see signs of whether these organisms have evolved from kin selection or multilevel selection. The ultimate goal is to see if worker bees can thrive and manage a colony without a queen, whether they nurture a new queen or produce fertilized eggs themselves. We hypothesize that the worker bees will either have an increase in reproductive fitness in the absence of the queen bee, or they will nurture another queen bee. This would lead us to believe that eusociality may have evolved due to kin selection.
Significance and Justification This research is important because it would aid us in discovering how eusociality has evolved, and therefore how altruistic behavior has evolved due to kin selection. This could potentially lead us to discover how humans and other organisms have developed instances of altruistic behavior. It would guide us to the answer of whether humans perform altruistic behavior out of selflessness or selfish needs. Is selfless altruistic behavior really possible in humans, or do we only do it to feel good about ourselves? It may also show us that altruistic behavior doesn 't truly exist, and that eusocial insects have merely evolved due to multilevel selection. This would entail that these organisms have been acting for their own benefit and fitness rather than their species as a whole.
Background There are many species of organisms that live as groups, but they may not always be considered social. True sociality, or eusociality, is defined by three features. First, there is cooperative brood-care, where multiple individuals care for the young. Second, there is an overlapping of generations which allows
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