Caste and Ecology in the Social Insects. (MPB-12), Volume 12

George F. Oster; Edward O. Wilson

Published by Princeton University Press 1979

Caste and Ecology in the Social Insects. (MPB-12), Volume 12

George F. Oster and Edward O. Wilson

Volume 91 in the series Monographs in Population Biology

https://doi.org/10.12987/9780691209326

Overview
Contents

About this book

In this pathbreaking and far-reaching work George Oster and Edward Wilson provide the first fully developed theory of caste evolution among the social insects. Furthermore, in studying the effects of natural selection in generally increasing the insects' ergonomic efficiency, they go beyond the concentration of previous researchers on the physiological mechanisms of the insects and turn our attention instead to the scale and efficiency of the insects' division of labor.

Recognizing that the efficiency of the insect colony is based on a complex fitting of the division of labor to many simultaneous needs, including those imposed by the distribution of resources and enemies around the nest, Professors Oster and Wilson are able to construct a series of mathematical models to characterize the agents of natural selection that promote particular caste systems.

The social insects play a key role in the subject of sociobiology because their social organization is so rigid and can be related to genetic evolution. Because of this important consideration, the authors' work has consequences not only for entomology but also for general evolutionary theory.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	xiii
CHAPTER ONE. Why Is Caste Important? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	5
CHAPTER TWO. Colony Life Cycles Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	28
CHAPTER THREE. The Genetic Preconditions for Caste Evolution Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	77
CHAPTER FOUR. The Biological Characteristics of Caste Systems Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	121
CHAPTER FIVE. Caste Structure and Ergonomic Optimization Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	158
CHAPTER SIX. Optimum Caste Ratios Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	182
CHAPTER SEVEN. Caste in the Service of Foraging Strategy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	250
CHAPTER EIGHT. A Critique of Optimization Theory in Evolutionary Biology Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	294
CHAPTER NINE. Unsolved Problems Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	318
Glossary Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	323
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	329
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	349