The Insect SocietiesThis first comprehensive study of social insects since the 1930s includes more than 250 illustrations and covers all aspects of classification, evolution, anatomy, physiology, and behavior of the social insects--social wasps and bees, ants, termites. Since the publication of W. M. Wheeler's The Social Insects in 1928 and Franz Maidl's Die Lebensgewohnheiten und Instinkte der staatenbikdenden Insekten in 1934, the literature on social insects has increased enormously, and new ways of studying insect societies have developed. Edward O. Wilson reinterprets the knowledge of the subject through the concepts of modern biology--from IOC chemistry to evolutionary theory and population ecology. He reviews the evolution of parental care and other primitive forms of social behavior throughout the arthropods and includes full coverage of various forms of symbiosis between the social insects and other anthropods. He also compares insect and vertebrate societies in basic theoretical terms, showing how a unified sociobiology is possible if developed as a branch of population biology. |
Contents
The Degrees of Social Behavior | 4 |
The Ants | 27 |
The Social Bees | 75 |
Copyright | |
19 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
abdomen adult alarm allometry antennae Apis mellifera army ants Atta beetles behavior biology bivouac body Bombus Brian brood cells bumblebees Camponotus caste determination combs communication Crematogaster cycle Dolichoderinae Dorylinae dulosis Eciton eggs eusocial evidence evolution evolutionary example feed females FIGURE foraging Formica formicine function fungus genera genus gland growth hive honeybee host queen host workers Hymenoptera individuals Inquilinism larvae Lasius least Leptothorax Lindauer living males mandibles mate mature colony meliponine Michener morphological Myrmecia myrmecophiles Myrmica myrmicine nestmates Noirot nuptial flight nymphs observed occur odor trails organization pattern Pheidole pheromones Pogonomyrmex Polistes pollen polymorphism population prey primitive produce pupae raids regurgitated relatively reproductive Rettenmeyer rufa Sakagami single social insects social parasitism social wasps soldiers Solenopsis solitary species stage stingless bees studies Subfamily subsocial substance swarm termites Termitidae tion tropical Vespinae Vespula waggle dance wasps Wheeler Wilson wings worker caste workerless