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Unrelated helpers in a social insect

Nature volume 405, pages 784–787 (2000)Cite this article

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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Figure 1: Success of colonies begun by one foundress and multiple foundresses (monogynous and polygynous, respectively) measured for 1995 colonies through mid-August, when reproductives are being produced.
Figure 2: Relatedness (± s.e.) in three categories of adult female nestmates (the 1988 autumn gyne value is from a previously published allozyme study30).
Figure 3: Observed relatedness distribution of P. dominulus foundresses (filled squares) and expected distributions for several relationships, grouped into intervals of width 0.1.
Figure 4: Regressions of behaviour and colony growth on foundress relatedness.

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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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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolution Rice University, PO Box 1892, Houston, 22251-1892, Texas, USA

    David C. Queller, Francesca Zacchi, Michael T. Henshaw & Joan E. Strassmann

  2. Dipartmento di Biologia Animale é Genetica, Università di Firenze, Via Romana 17, Florence, 50125, Italy

    Rita Cervo, Stefano Turillazzi & Lorenzo A. Santorelli

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  1. David C. Queller
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  2. Francesca Zacchi
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  3. Rita Cervo
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  7. Joan E. Strassmann
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Correspondence to David C. Queller.

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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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