A 60-year-old theory about ants, bees and wasps may be wrong
New research challenges a 60-year-old theory that haplodiploidy—a genetic system found in ants, bees, and wasps—is the primary driver of eusociality. The study suggests that complex social structures in insects are likely driven by specific evolutionary traits rather than inheritance patterns alone.
Why it matters
This finding forces a re-evaluation of long-standing evolutionary biology theories regarding how complex cooperative societies emerge in nature.
For more than six decades, evolutionary biologists have debated whether an unusual genetic system shared by ants, bees and wasps helped drive one of nature's most sophisticated forms of social organization: eusociality. In eusocial colonies, reproduction is divided between queens and workers, creating highly cooperative societies with specialized roles.
New research from Arizona State University now suggests that genetics alone may not explain how these complex societies evolved.
Published in Current Biology, the study found that eusociality does seem to arise more often among insects with a haplodiploid genetic system. However, nearly all of that pattern can be traced to one particular group: the aculeate Hymenoptera, which includes stinging wasps, bees and ants. When insects are considered more broadly, haplodiploidy alone does not reliably predict whether eusociality will evolve.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in