Term
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Definition
| insects with extended parental care |
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Term
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Definition
| insects with reproductive division of labor (ie queens, who reproduce, and workers, who do not) |
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Term
| what characteristics are necessary for subsociality? |
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Definition
subsocial behavior is "postovipositional (after egg laying) parental care that promotes survival, growth, and development of the offspring"
subsocial behavior can take the form of egg or nympal and larval guarding, the construction of simple or elaborate nests, and provisioning of offspring with food collected by the parent. |
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Term
| which insect orders contain subsocial species? |
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Definition
blattodea (cockroaches)
mantodea (mantids)
embioptera (web-spinners)
orthoptera
dermaptera (earwigs)
zoraptera (zorapterans)
psocoptera (book lice and bark lice)
hemiptera (true bugs)
thysanoptera (thrips)
coleoptera (beetles)
hymenoptera (wasps, ants, bees) |
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Term
be familiar with the examples of subsocial behaviors for the orders we covered in class:
blattodea |
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Definition
cockroaches:
1. retention of egg mass
2. pheromonal communication between adults and nymphs
3. females in some species carry nymphs beneath their wings
4. viviparous roaches! |
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Term
be familiar with the examples of subsocial behaviors for the orders we covered in class:
embioptera |
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Definition
webspinners
-males and females coexist for long periods of time within silken gallery and care for a brood of offspring |
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Term
be familiar with the examples of subsocial behaviors for the orders we covered in class:
hemiptera |
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Definition
bugs
parental care is widespread: involving female care of eggs and nymphs
nymphs are often chemically protected and aposematically colored
in treehoppers, there is communication between adults and nymphs
in lacebugs, mothers herd offspring like cattle and lead them from one site to another. |
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Term
be familiar with the examples of subsocial behaviors for the orders we covered in class:
dermaptera |
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Definition
earwigs
nests are constructed in the soil, whre males and females overwinter.
in the spring, following mating, males are evicted and females remain with nymphs and feed them for an extended period of time
females feed their developing nymphs and even pick up and manipulate eggs to keep them fungi-free |
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Term
be familiar with the examples of subsocial behaviors for the orders we covered in class:
coleoptera |
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Definition
beetles
parental care is common in beetles. females often provide extended care to offspring.
some females carry eggs around with them!
passalid beetles live in family groups within rotting logs - communicate with sounds. |
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Term
be familiar with the examples of subsocial behaviors for the orders we covered in class:
hymenoptera |
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Definition
bees
a single female constructs the nest, provisions the cells with pollen and nectar, defends the nest against predators, and lays eggs. |
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Term
| which insect orders display eusociality? |
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Definition
isoptera (termites)
hymenoptera (bees, paper wasps, ants) |
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Term
| which 3 characteristics are NECESSARY for eusociality? |
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Definition
reproductive division of labor (caste-based societies)
cooperative brood care
overlap of generations |
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Term
| which characteristics are common, but not necessary for eusociality? |
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Definition
a complex (aggressively defended) nest
communication among colony-mates
decentralized decision-making |
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Term
characteristics of eusociality:
1. complex (aggressively defended) nest |
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Definition
| paper wasps build nests from masticated wood mixed with saliva. nests are often hidden and often have a narrow entrance to prevent predators from attacking. they have a nasty sting and will use it to defend the nest. |
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Term
characteristics of eusociality:
2. communication among colony-mates |
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Definition
a. alarm and colony defense
b. recruitment to food
c. queen presence, health and status
alarm and colony defense in honey beesL
1. mandibular glands produce 2-heptanone that acts as an alarm pheromone
2. sting releases isoamyl acetate (smells like bananas). initiates attack behavior in colony mates.
foraging and recruitment to food: honey bees perform a dance language. workers mark floral resources with hemicals from their nasonov gland. trail pheromones are made by ants, termites, stingless beesto lead foragers to rich resources. |
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Term
characteristics of eusociality:
3. reproductive division of labor (caste-based societies) |
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Definition
caste polymorphism (physical castes - ants, termites)
physical castes often involve "soldiers" who defend the nest
age polyethism (behavioral castes - bees, wasps) |
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Term
characteristics of eusociality:
4. cooperative brood care |
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Definition
alloparental care. means that individuals rear offspring who are not their own. this seems to be a form of altruism bcs organisms generally invest energy in rearing their own offspring.
it can be advantageous to rearing others' offspring when founding your own nest is a risky proposition |
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Term
characteristics of eusociality:
5. overlap of generations |
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Definition
| allows for interactions between parents and offspring |
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Term
characteristics of eusociality:
6. decentralized decision making |
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Definition
| one amazing feature of social insect colonies is that they are not centrally controlled. social insect colonies are more democracies than dictatorships |
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Term
| know some factors that promote the evolution of eusociality. |
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Definition
1. food that is of low nutritional value and requires long development time for nymphs or larvae
2. difficulty of establishing a new nest - makes the option to become a worker more attractive
3. haplodiploidy creates close genetic relatedness among colony mates; means that workers gain reproductive benefits (indirect fitness) from helping relatives. |
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