Soucy Sheryl L, Danforth Bryan N
Department of Ecology and Evolution, State University of New York, Stony Brook 11794-5245, USA.
Evolution. 2002 Feb;56(2):330-41. doi: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2002.tb01343.x.
The evolution of sociality in insects holds a central place in evolutionary theory. By examining the phylogenetic patterns of solitary and social behavior and how they correlate with ecological variables, we may identify factors important in the evolution of sociality. In this study, we investigated historical and biogeographical patterns of sociality in a socially polymorphic bee species (one that demonstrates both social and solitary nesting behavior). This unique system allows for a more powerful examination of evolutionary transitions in sociality than interspecific studies of obligately social and solitary species. We conducted a phylogenetic analysis among populations of the halictine bee Halictus rubicundus and then identified relationships among mitochondrial DNA sequence data, sociality, environmental conditions at the nesting site, and geographic location of populations of this species. Within North America, populations of H. rubicundus expressing social and solitary behavior belong to different genetic lineages. Sociality is also correlated with at least one environmental variable used in this study. Taken together, the results support the predictions for genetic control of sociality, but they are still consistent with social behavior at some level being determined by the environmental conditions at the nesting site.
昆虫社会性的进化在进化理论中占据核心地位。通过研究独居和社会行为的系统发育模式以及它们如何与生态变量相关联，我们或许能够确定在社会性进化中起重要作用的因素。在本研究中，我们调查了一种具有社会多态性的蜜蜂物种（即表现出社会和独居筑巢行为的物种）社会性的历史和生物地理模式。相较于对专性社会和独居物种的种间研究，这个独特的系统能够更有力地检验社会性的进化转变。我们对隧蜂科蜜蜂红隧蜂的种群进行了系统发育分析，然后确定了该物种线粒体DNA序列数据、社会性、筑巢地点的环境条件以及种群地理位置之间的关系。在北美，表现出社会和独居行为的红隧蜂种群属于不同的遗传谱系。社会性还与本研究中使用的至少一个环境变量相关。综合来看，这些结果支持了社会性受遗传控制的预测，但它们在某种程度上仍与筑巢地点的环境条件决定社会行为相一致。
