NROC34H3 Lecture Notes - Queen Ant, Kin Recognition, Higher Alkanes
Document Summary
Kin recognition in wasps, squirrels, elephants: learning, memory might be important, changes in cues that might happen could happen through a change in social interaction. Why recognize friend or foe: cooperation, parental care, predators. All provide a selective force that would drive selection for recognition. Why live in groups? mechanisms: ultimate hypothesis - why it benefits organism fitness, reproductive success. Avoiding being eaten able to improve defence. Is there transmission of those cues and information. Nests of polistes : can look at animals that live in solitary to eusocial communities, polistes contain odours that allow recognition. Immediately after eclosion from pupal case, a wasp is a very young adult wasp. Isolating find no tolerance of nest mates (have not learned odour of nest). Given an hour of contact with nest mates, are better able to withstand nest mates. Like the critical period for learning in ducks (imprinting).
