Abstract
Eusociality represents an extreme form of social behavior characterized by a reproductive division of labor. Eusociality necessarily evolved through kin selection, which requires interactions among related individuals. However, many eusocial taxa also show cooperation between non-kin groups, challenging the idea that cooperative actions should only occur among relatives. This review explores the causes and consequences of non-kin cooperation in ants. Ants display a diversity of behaviors that lead to non-kin cooperation within and between species. These interactions occur among both reproductive and non-reproductive individuals. The proximate and ultimate mechanisms leading to non-kin cooperative interactions differ substantially depending on the biotic and abiotic environment. We end this review with directions for future research and suggest that the investigation of non-kin cooperative actions provides insight into processes leading to social evolution.
Highlights
Cooperation is a fundamental part of life and occurs among entities at all levels of biological organization (Maynard Smith and Szathmary, 1998)
Indirect fitness benefits result from increased reproductive success for relatives of the cooperating individual (Hamilton, 1964)
Proximate mechanisms: Additional research is needed on understanding the proximate mechanisms involved in non-kin cooperation
Summary
Cooperation is a fundamental part of life and occurs among entities at all levels of biological organization (Maynard Smith and Szathmary, 1998). Polygyny is associated with increased worker production, success of incipient colonies, and probability of transported propagules containing reproductives (Holway et al, 2002; Boulay et al, 2014; Bertelsmeier et al, 2017; Eyer and Vargo, 2021) Introduced species such as the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, and little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata, can form expansive supercolonies (Giraud et al, 2002; Tsutsui and Suarez, 2003; Foucaud et al, 2009; Helantera et al, 2009). We outline eight areas that should be a priority for future study
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