Social insects are members of the class Insecta that live in organized colonies and exhibit complex social behavior. Examples of social insects include ants, bees, wasps, and termites. These species are characterized by division of labor, cooperative brood care, and overlapping generations (Dornhaus et al., 2020).
Social insects display a variety of behaviors that enable them to function as a unit. Division of labor is a fundamental aspect of social insect societies, with different individuals within a colony performing different tasks (Wilson, 1971). For example, ants may specialize as workers, soldiers, or queens. In addition, social insects are capable of collective decision-making, whereby a group of individuals can come to a consensus about a specific action (Giraldeau et al., 2002).
Communication is essential for social insect colonies to function efficiently. Most species use a combination of chemical and vibrational signals, as well as tactile communication, to convey information about food sources, nest sites, and potential threats (Visscher et al., 2019).
Social insects also display a remarkable level of cooperative care for their young. In most social insect species, adult workers care for the broods of the queen, even though they do not produce any of their own offspring (Wilson, 1971). This behavior is thought to be adaptive for the colony, as it enables the queen to produce more offspring and thus increase the species’ chances of survival.
In addition to cooperative brood care, social insects also display a phenomenon known as overlapping generations. This means that the offspring of the queen are cared for by the same workers who were reared by the previous generation of the colony (Reeve, 1994). This allows the colony to maintain continuity, as workers are familiar with the queen’s offspring and can provide more efficient care.
In summary, social insects are characterized by complex social behavior, division of labor, cooperative brood care, and overlapping generations. Communication is essential for these species to function as a unit, and cooperative care for the young is adaptive for the colony. Understanding the behavior of social insects can provide insight into the evolution of complex societies in other species, as well as the development of cooperative behaviors in general.
References
Dornhaus, A., Beekman, M., Nielsen, M., & Ratnieks, F.L. (2020). Social Insects: Behavior and Ecology. Oxford University Press.
Giraldeau, L.-A., Valone, T.J., & Templeton, J.J. (2002). Social Foraging Theory. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Reeve, H.K. (1994). Overlapping Generations in Eusocial Insects. Annual Review of Entomology, 39(1), 305–328.
Visscher, P.K., Brown, M.J.F., & Dornhaus, A. (2019). Social insect communication: Evolutionary, behavioural and neurobiological perspectives. Current Opinion in Insect Science, 34, 11–17.
Wilson, E.O. (1971). The Insect Societies. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.