Insect sociality and its consequential effects on intraspecific competition.

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Behavioral Ecology

Background:

• Colonialism is a common phenomenon in insect societies.
• Intraspecific competition, competition between individuals of the same species, is a key factor shaping social insect populations.
• The impact of colonialism on intraspecific competition has not been fully explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model the effect of colonialism on intraspecific competition in insect colonies.
• To investigate how colony size and inequity influence the number of potential competing encounters.
• To compare model predictions with empirical data.

Main Methods:

• Developed a mathematical model using combinatorial formulae to quantify potential competing encounters.
• Analyzed two-colony and multi-colony systems.
• Compared model predictions with existing empirical data from various insect groups.

Main Results:

• Colonialism significantly reduces the number of potential competing encounters between individuals of differing colony origin.
• The reduction in encounters is more substantial when colony sizes are inequitable and the total population exceeds 100 individuals.
• Model predictions align well with empirical observations of colony size variance.

Conclusions:

• Colonialism acts as a mechanism to mitigate intraspecific competition in insect societies.
• Inequitable colony sizes are a likely consequence of colonial interactions, leading to increased variance in colony size.
• The developed model provides a valuable framework for understanding the ecological and evolutionary consequences of colonialism in insects.