Staghorn ferns are popular houseplants, sporting long, antler-like fronds that poke out from a brown, tissue-papery base. They may also be the first known example of a plant that exhibits a type of social organization—that is, the first plant thought … Continue reading
Journal Club
Highlighting recent, timely papers selected by Academy member labs
Tag Archives: social insects
A popular household fern may be the first known eusocial plant
Categories: Ecology | Evolution | Journal Club
Tagged behavioral ecology, eusociality, social behavior, social insects, staghorn fern, tropical dry forest
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Cooperative defense against disease may have helped insects evolve complex societies
The lifestyles of insects, such as bees and wasps, range from simple solitary arrangements to more recently evolved, highly complex family social structures. One major factor that allowed social complexity to evolve may have been insects’ ability to defend their … Continue reading
Categories: Ecology | Evolution | Journal Club
Tagged ambrosia beetle, eusociality, insects, social insects
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Journal Club: CRISPR elucidates genetic basis of social behavior in ants
Drosophila has been a workhorse of genetics for roughly a century. But as a solitary insect, it hasn’t allowed researchers to investigate the genetic basis of complex social behavior in ants and bees. Now, a pair of studies published today in … Continue reading
Categories: Animal Behavior | Biochemistry | Genetics | Journal Club
Tagged ants, CRISPR, drosophila, odorant receptor, social behavior, social insects
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Cheaters always prosper, to a point
Is it better to cooperate or cheat? To work for the good of others, or focus on yourself? This classic self vs. group conflict is a common musing of game theorists and experimental economics known as the “public goods dilemma.” … Continue reading
Categories: Ecology | Evolution
Tagged ants, behavior, game theory, insects, social insects
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