Citation

Boomsma JJ, D'Ettorre P. Biol. Lett. 2013; 9(6): 20130444.

Affiliation

Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, , Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Royal Society Publishing)

DOI

10.1098/rsbl.2013.0444

PMID

24132094

Abstract

When helping behaviour is costly, Hamiltonian logic implies that animals need to direct helpful acts towards kin, so that indirect fitness benefits justify the costs. We revisit inferences about nepotism and aggression in Hamilton's 1964 paper to argue that he overestimated the general significance of nepotism, but that other issues that he raised continue to suggest novel research agendas today. We now know that nepotism in eusocial insects is rare, because variation in genetic recognition cues is insufficient. A lower proportion of individuals breeding and larger clutch sizes selecting for a more uniform colony odour may explain this. Irreversible worker sterility can induce both the fiercest possible aggression and the highest likelihood of helping random distant kin, but these Hamiltonian contentions still await large-scale testing in social animals.

Language: en