Re: Evolutionary biology: To work or not to work
- From: "Perplexed in Peoria" <jimmenegay@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 6 Nov 2006 13:42:09 -0500 (EST)
"Wirt Atmar" <atmar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:eilh4v$ok7$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jim writes:
IOW the proposition that eusociality was alone
verified by inclusive fitness was never true even if it fits
Hamilton's gene centric perspective. Yet the myth that eusociality
constitutes an _exclusive_ inclusive fitness verification persists
within evolutionary theory to this very day.
I've never heard that myth. What I have heard is that since
eusociality is common among haplodiploids and rare in the rest
of zoology, this suggests that Hamilton's math may have some
relevance in the real world.
Actually, if you perform the most casual of surveys of all of the
haplodiploid species on the planet, you'll quickly discover that
eusociality is also very rare among the haplodiploids. All Hymenoptera
are haplodiploid, but very few species are eusocial.
Really? I'm not an expert, but I thought that the hymenoptera pretty
much consist of the ants, the bees, and the wasps. And that the big
majority of the tens of thousands of ant species are eusocial. I've
certainly heard of solitary bees, and I suppose that wasps, even if
social, are rarely *eusocial*. So are there really a lot of solitary
species of ants? Are there other common non-social hymenoptera I haven't
heard of? Am I wrong about the relative number of species and/or
biomass categoried by social structure? Where do all those non-eusocial
hymenoptera hang out?
I do realize that there are other haplodiploids besides hymenoptera,
but now you are talking about microscopic organisms or other non-animals,
right? You wouldn't expect to find eusociality in any non-animal.
Haplodiploidy is not necessary for eusociality, as you agree, but
neither is it in any manner sufficient.
No disagreement. I've never heard of a bumble bee hive, and I'm not sure
I would want to hear about them if they exist!
.
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- RE: Evolutionary biology: To work or not to work
- From: John Edser
- Re: Evolutionary biology: To work or not to work
- From: Wirt Atmar
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