Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Animal behaviour

Rank crime and punishment

Nature volume 432, pages 160–161 (2004)Cite this article

In paper wasps, facial markings are cheap ‘status badges’ that would seem to be susceptible to cheating. But wasps punish those whose markings lie. Social competition is, it appears, a strong selective force.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Badge of status.

E. TIBBETTS

References

  1. Tibbetts, E. A. & Dale, J. Nature 432, 218–222 (2004).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Enteman, W. M. Carnegie Inst. Wash. Publ. 19, 1–88 (1904).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Singer, T. L., Espelie, K. E. & Gamboa, G. J. in Pheromone Communication in Social Insects: Ants, Wasps, Bees, and Termites (eds Vander Meer, R. K., Breed, M. D., Espelie, K. E. & Winston, M. L.) 104–125 (Westview, Boulder, CO, 1998).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Tibbetts, E. A. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 269, 1423–1428 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Pardi, L. Physiol. Zool. 21, 1–13 (1948).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Rohwer, S. Evolution 29, 593–610 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Senar, J. C. in Proc. 22 Int. Ornithol. Congr. (eds Adams, N. J. & Slotow, R. H.) 1669–1686 (1999).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Dale, J., Lank, D. B. & Reeve, H. K. Am. Nat. 158, 75–86 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Queller, D. C. et al. Nature 405, 784–787 (2000).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. West-Eberhard, M. J. Proc. Am. Phil. Soc. 123, 222–234 (1979).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Paz-y-Miño C, G., Bond, A. B., Kamil, A. C. & Balda, R. P. Nature 430, 778–781 (2004).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Turner, P. E. & Chao, L. Nature 398, 441–443 (1999).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, Houston, 77251-1892, Texas, USA

    Joan E. Strassmann

Authors
  1. Joan E. Strassmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Strassmann, J. Rank crime and punishment. Nature 432, 160–161 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/432160b

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/432160b

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing