Phylogenetic analysis and the evolution of queen number in eusocial Hymenoptera

Analyses of the evolution of colony queen number in eusocial insects have generally been conducted without specific reference to phylogenetic relationships, leading to incomplete evolutionary explanations for this key attribute of social organization. Consideration of queen number in a phylogenetic context in the highly eusocial Hymenoptera reveals that its evolution has been very conservative in the bees but that it is a highly labile character in most ants. The wasps appear intermediate in this respect, with some large and widespread clades characterized by little or no phylogenetic variability in queen number. This hierarchy of phylogenetic lability suggests that while ant populations may often be responsive to selection on colony queen number linked with local ecology, bees and wasps appear less responsive in this regard, with a significant element of phylogenetic conservatism involved in the expression of this social trait in the latter two groups.

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