Article
Cheaters sometimes prosper: targeted worker reproduction in honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies during swarming.
Molecular ecology - 1 Aug 2013
Holmes Michael J, Oldroyd Benjamin P, Duncan Michael, Allsopp Michael H, Beekman Madeleine
Abstract excerpt
Kin selection theory predicts that honeybee (Apis mellifera) workers should largely refrain from producing their own offspring, as the workers collectively have higher inclusive fitness if they rear the sons of their mother, the queen. Studies that have quantified levels of ovary activation and reproduction among workers have largely supported this prediction. We sampled pre-emergent male pupae and adult workers...
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