Modeling Social Insect Populations. I. Ergonomics of Foraging and Population Growth in Bumblebees

1976 ◽  
Vol 110 (972) ◽  
pp. 215-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Oster
Keyword(s):  
Population Growth ◽  
Social Insect ◽  
Insect Populations

scholarly journals The sensitivity of a honeybee colony to worker mortality depends on season and resource availability

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie J Lemanski ◽  
Siddhant Bansal ◽  
Nina H Fefferman
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Social Insect ◽  
Seasonal Differences ◽  
Extrinsic Mortality ◽  
Age Dependent ◽  
Honeybee Colony ◽  
Insect Populations ◽  
Age Independent

Abstract Background: Honeybees have extraordinary phenotypic plasticity in their senescence rate, making them a fascinating model system for the evolution of aging. Seasonal variation in senescence and extrinsic mortality results in a tenfold increase in worker life expectancy in winter as compared to summer. To understand the evolution of this remarkable pattern of aging, we must understand how individual longevity scales up to effects on the entire colony. In addition, threats to the health of honey bees and other social insects are typically measured at the individual level. To predict the effects of environmental change on social insect populations, we must understand how individual effects impact colony performance. We develop a matrix model of colony demographics to ask how worker age-dependent and age-independent mortality affect colony fitness and how these effects differ by seasonal conditions. Results: We find that there are seasonal differences in honeybee colony elasticity to both senescent and extrinsic worker mortality. Colonies are most elastic to extrinsic (age-independent) nurse and forager mortality during periods of higher extrinsic mortality and resource availability but most elastic to age-dependent mortality during periods of lower extrinsic mortality and lower resource availability.Conclusions: These results suggest that seasonal changes in the strength of selection on worker senescence partly explain the observed pattern of seasonal differences in worker aging in honey bees. More broadly, these results extend our understanding of the role of extrinsic mortality in the evolution of senescence to social animals and improve our ability to model the effects of environmental change on social insect populations of economic or conservation concern.

scholarly journals The sensitivity of a honeybee colony to worker mortality depends on season and resource availability

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie J Lemanski ◽  
Siddhant Bansal ◽  
Nina H Fefferman
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Social Insect ◽  
Seasonal Differences ◽  
Extrinsic Mortality ◽  
Age Dependent ◽  
Honeybee Colony ◽  
Insect Populations ◽  
Age Independent

Abstract Background: Honeybees have extraordinary phenotypic plasticity in their senescence rate, making them a fascinating model system for the evolution of aging. Seasonal variation in senescence and extrinsic mortality results in a tenfold increase in worker life expectancy in winter as compared to summer. To understand the evolution of this remarkable pattern of aging, we must understand how individual longevity scales up to effects on the entire colony. In addition, threats to the health of honey bees and other social insects are typically measured at the individual level. To predict the effects of environmental change on social insect populations, we must understand how individual effects impact colony performance. We develop a matrix model of colony demographics to ask how worker age-dependent and age-independent mortality affect colony fitness and how these effects differ by seasonal conditions. Results: We find that there are seasonal differences in honeybee colony elasticity to both senescent and extrinsic worker mortality. Colonies are most elastic to extrinsic (age-independent) nurse and forager mortality during periods of higher extrinsic mortality and resource availability but most elastic to age-dependent mortality during periods of lower extrinsic mortality and lower resource availability.Conclusions: These results suggest that seasonal changes in the strength of selection on worker senescence partly explain the observed pattern of seasonal differences in worker aging in honey bees. More broadly, these results extend our understanding of the role of extrinsic mortality in the evolution of senescence to social animals and improve our ability to model the effects of environmental change on social insect populations of economic or conservation concern.

Rossiter Henry Crozier 1943 - 2009

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin P. Oldroyd ◽  
Oliver Mayo
Keyword(s):  
Kin Selection ◽  
Heart Attack ◽  
Social Insect ◽  
Molecular Genetic ◽  
Evolutionary Genetics ◽  
Explanatory Theory ◽  
Mutation Pressure ◽  
James Cook ◽  
Directional Mutation Pressure ◽  
Insect Populations

Ross Crozier, population geneticist and leader in the study of the evolutionary genetics of social insects, was born on 4 January 1943 in Jodhpur, India. He died of a heart attack in his office at James Cook University in Townsville on 12 November 2009. He is survived by his wife Yuen Ching Kok, who was his inseparable companion and collaborator in life as in the laboratory. Crozier was a pioneer in the application of molecular genetic markers to the analysis of social insect populations, and generated much of the theory that made these analyses possible. Ross and Ching Crozier produced the first sequence of the honey bee mitochondrial genome?the second insect mitochondria to be fully sequenced. From the sequence Crozier produced fundamental insights into the nature of DNA evolution, particularly directional mutation pressure towards particular nucleotides. Crozier contributed massively to the development of kin selection theory, which remains the most potent explanatory theory for the evolution of social behaviour in insects.

scholarly journals Social Insect Populations

1967 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 246-247
Author(s):  
G. E. Bohart ◽  
F. H. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Social Insect ◽  
Insect Populations

DETERMINISTIC AND STOCHASTIC MODELS SIMULATING THE GROWTH OF INSECT POPULATIONS OVER A RANGE OF TEMPERATURES UNDER MALTHUSIAN CONDITIONS

1976 ◽  
Vol 108 (9) ◽  
pp. 907-924 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Hardman
Keyword(s):  
Stochastic Model ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Life Table ◽  
Stochastic Models ◽  
Input Data ◽  
Computer Experiments ◽  
Tribolium Confusum ◽  
Life Table Parameters ◽  
Chance Events ◽  
Insect Populations

AbstractThe concept of degree-day summation was employed in three models of malthusian growth predictive over a range of temperatures. When supplied input data from life table studies conducted at five constant temperatures, the models were able to predict the magnitude and pattern of growth of populations of Tribolium confusum Duval reared under malthusian conditions. The stochastic model, moreover, revealed that the series of chance events found in the course of population growth could explain differences between one population and the next. When computer experiments on the importance of various life table parameters were run, the models revealed the overwhelming importance of time taken to mature on the rate of population growth. The level of fecundity was next in order of importance while population growth was least sensitive to changes in survivorship.

Social Insect Populations

10.2307/2928 ◽  
1967 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 465
Author(s):  
N. Waloff ◽  
M. V. Brian
Keyword(s):  
Social Insect ◽  
Insect Populations

scholarly journals The sensitivity of a honeybee colony to worker mortality depends on season and resource availability

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie J. Lemanski ◽  
Siddhant Bansal ◽  
Nina H. Fefferman
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Social Insect ◽  
Seasonal Differences ◽  
Extrinsic Mortality ◽  
Age Dependent ◽  
Honeybee Colony ◽  
Insect Populations ◽  
Age Independent

Abstract Background Honeybees have extraordinary phenotypic plasticity in their senescence rate, making them a fascinating model system for the evolution of aging. Seasonal variation in senescence and extrinsic mortality results in a tenfold increase in worker life expectancy in winter as compared to summer. To understand the evolution of this remarkable pattern of aging, we must understand how individual longevity scales up to effects on the entire colony. In addition, threats to the health of honey bees and other social insects are typically measured at the individual level. To predict the effects of environmental change on social insect populations, we must understand how individual effects impact colony performance. We develop a matrix model of colony demographics to ask how worker age-dependent and age-independent mortality affect colony fitness and how these effects differ by seasonal conditions. Results We find that there are seasonal differences in honeybee colony elasticity to both senescent and extrinsic worker mortality. Colonies are most elastic to extrinsic (age-independent) nurse and forager mortality during periods of higher extrinsic mortality and resource availability but most elastic to age-dependent mortality during periods of lower extrinsic mortality and lower resource availability. Conclusions These results suggest that seasonal changes in the strength of selection on worker senescence partly explain the observed pattern of seasonal differences in worker aging in honey bees. More broadly, these results extend our understanding of the role of extrinsic mortality in the evolution of senescence to social animals and improve our ability to model the effects of environmental change on social insect populations of economic or conservation concern.

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