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Altruism in insect societies: voluntary or enforced?
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 05:21 authored by T Wenseleers, Francis RatnieksThe altruism of insect workers has puzzled researchers for decades. Inclusive fitness theory suggests that high relatedness has been key in promoting such altruism. Recent theory, however, indicates that the intermediate levels of relatedness found within insect societies are too low to directly cause the extreme altruism observed in many species. Instead, recent results show that workers are frequently coerced into acting altruistically. Hence, the altruism seen in many modern-day insect societies is not voluntary but enforced. Here, we also consider the role of coercion in promoting altruism and cooperation in other social systems, such as vertebrate and human societies, and interspecific mutualisms.
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Publication status
- Published
Journal
Trends in Ecology and EvolutionISSN
0169-5347Publisher
ElsevierExternal DOI
Issue
1Volume
23Page range
45-52Pages
8.0Department affiliated with
- Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2012-02-06Usage metrics
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