Wasp genetics study suggests altruism evolved from maternal behavior

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A female paper wasp (Polistes metricus) on her recently founded nest in this case constructed in the laboratory from source materials in University of Illinois school colors. The first of her daughters will emerge as a worker from the cocoon at lower ...
A female paper wasp (Polistes metricus) on her recently founded nest, in this case constructed in the laboratory from source materials in University of Illinois school colors. The first of her daughters will emerge as a worker from the cocoon at lower right, and then the foundress will become queen of the developing wasp society. Credit: Photo by J. H. Hunt and A. L. Toth

Researchers at the University of Illinois have used an innovative approach to reveal the molecular basis of altruistic behavior in wasps. The research team focused on the expression of behavior-related genes in Polistes metricus paper wasps, a species for which little genetic data was available when the study was begun. Their findings appear today online in Science Express.


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