Are ant supercolonies crucibles of a new major transition in evolution?
Författare
Summary, in English
The biological hierarchy of genes, cells, organisms and societies is a fundamental reality in the living world. This hierarchy of entities did not arise ex nihilo at the origin of life, but rather has been serially generated by a succession of critical events known as evolutionary transitions in individuality' (ETIs). Given the sequential nature of ETIs, it is natural to look for candidates to form the next hierarchical tier. We analyse claims that these candidates are found among supercolonies', ant populations in which discrete nests cooperate as part of a wider collective, in ways redolent of cells in a multicellular organism. Examining earlier empirical work and new data within the recently proposed Darwinian space' framework, we offer a novel analysis of the evolutionary status of supercolonies and show how certain key conditions might be satisfied in any future process transforming these collaborative networks into true Darwinian individuals.
Avdelning/ar
Publiceringsår
2014
Språk
Engelska
Sidor
1784-1796
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Journal of evolutionary biology
Volym
27
Issue
9
Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Ämne
- Biological Sciences
Nyckelord
- biological hierarchy
- Darwinian space
- individuality
- major transitions
- in evolution
- supercolony
Status
Published
Forskningsgrupp
- Evolutionary Biology
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 1420-9101