Wenseleers T, Badcock N S, Erven K, Tofilski A, Nascimento F S, Hart A G, Burke T A, Archer M E, Ratnieks F L W
Zoological Institute, University of Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Evolution. 2005 Jun;59(6):1306-14.
Mutual policing is an important mechanism for maintaining social harmony in group-living organisms. In some ants, bees, and wasps, workers police male eggs laid by other workers in order to maintain the reproductive primacy of the queen. Kin selection theory predicts that multiple mating by the queen is one factor that can selectively favor worker policing. This is because when the queen is mated to multiple males, workers are more closely related to queen's sons than to the sons of other workers. Here we provide an additional test of worker policing theory in Vespinae wasps. We show that the yellowjacket Vespula rufa is characterized by low mating frequency, and that a significant percentage of the males are workers' sons. This supports theoretical predictions for paternities below 2, and contrasts with other Vespula species, in which paternities are higher and few or no adult males are worker produced, probably due to worker policing, which has been shown in one species, Vespula vulgaris. Behavioral observations support the hypothesis that V. rufa has much reduced worker policing compared to other Vespula. In addition, a significant proportion of worker-laid eggs were policed by the queen.
相互监督是群居生物维持社会和谐的重要机制。在某些蚂蚁、蜜蜂和黄蜂中，工蜂会监督其他工蜂产下的雄蜂卵，以维持蜂后的生殖主导地位。亲缘选择理论预测，蜂后多次交配是选择性地促进工蜂监督行为的一个因素。这是因为当蜂后与多个雄蜂交配时，工蜂与蜂后的儿子比与其他工蜂的儿子关系更密切。在此，我们对胡蜂科黄蜂的工蜂监督理论进行了额外测试。我们发现黄胡蜂（Vespula rufa）的交配频率较低，且相当比例的雄蜂是工蜂的后代。这支持了父系低于2时的理论预测，并且与其他黄胡蜂物种形成对比，在其他黄胡蜂物种中父系比例更高，很少或没有成年雄蜂是由工蜂产生的，这可能是由于工蜂监督，在普通黄胡蜂（Vespula vulgaris）这一物种中已得到证实。行为观察支持了这样的假设，即与其他黄胡蜂相比，黄胡蜂的工蜂监督行为大大减少。此外，相当比例的工蜂产的卵受到蜂后的监督。
