Natural History and Evolution of Paper-wasps

The diversity of social behaviour among birds and primates is surpassed only by members of the Hymenopteran insects (bees, andts, and wasps). The paper-wasps are a large and varied group, and have been studied extensively by a wide range of biologists interested in the evolution of sociality. This book comprises an in-depth survey of most major areas of research on the paper-wasps - from syntheses of taxonomy and phylogeny, natural history (nesting behaviour, social organization, orientation, and natural enemies) to topics of general theoretical interest such as the evolution of cooperation, social parasitism, kin recognition, and the division of labour.

Contents Include: 1 Polistes: analysis of a society 2 Phylogeny and biogeography of Polistes 3 Learning, individual programs, and higher-level rules in construction of behaviour of Polistes 4 Ecological factors influencing the colony cycle of Polistes 5 Social parsitism and its evolution in Polistes 6 Lek-like courtship in paper-wasps; 'a prolonged, delicate, and troublesome affair' 7 Homing in paper wasps 8 The evolution of exocrine gland function in wasps 9 Kin recognition in social waps 10 The role of cuticular hydrocarbons in social insects: is it the same in paper wasps? 11 Selective altruism towards closer over more distant relatives in colonies of the primitively eusocial wasp, Polistes 12 Behavioural screening and the evolution of polygyny in paper wasps 13 The origin and maintenance of eusociality: the advantage of extended parental care 14 Polistes in perspective: comparative social biology and evolution in Belanogaster and Stenogastrinae 15 The evolution of eusociality, including a review of the social status of Ropalidia marignata 16 Wasps make nests: nests make conditions 17 Wasp societies as microcosms for the study of development and evolution 18 Some epistemological reflections on Polistes as a model organisms References

Author: Stefano Turillazzi & Mary Jane West-Eberhard (editors)
Publisher: OUP
Extra Details: Hardback 7 x 10 inches tall.414 Pages.Illustrated with B&W artworks,tables, etc, throughout.NEW BOOK.