Nutritional inequalities structure worker division of labor in social insects.
Curr Opin Insect Sci
; 58: 101059, 2023 08.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37230413
Eusocial insect societies are fundamentally non-egalitarian. The reproductive caste 'wins' in terms of resource accumulation, whereas non-reproductive workers 'lose'. Here, we argue that the division of labor among workers is also organized by nutritional inequalities. Across vastly different social systems and a variety of hymenopteran species, there is a recurrent pattern of lean foragers and corpulent nest workers. Experimental manipulations confirm causal associations between nutritional differences, associated molecular pathways, and behavioral roles in insect societies. The comparative and functional genomic data suggest that a conserved toolkit of core metabolic, nutrient storage, and signaling genes has evolved to regulate the social insect division of labor. Thus, the unequal distribution of food resources can be considered a fundamental organizing factor in the social insect division of labor.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Hormigas
/
Conducta Social
Aspecto:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
/
Equity_inequality
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Curr Opin Insect Sci
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Canadá
Pais de publicación:
Países Bajos