The Superorganism: The Beauty, Elegance, and Strangeness of Insect Societies

CONTENTS
NOTE TO THE GENERAL READER
1 THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SUPERORGANISM
	WHY COLONIES ARE SUPERIOR
	THE CONSTRUCTION OF SUPERORGANISMS
	THE LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION
	EUSOCIALITY AND THE SUPERORGANISM
	A BRIEF HISTORY OF INSECT SOCIOBIOLOGY
2 GENETIC SOCIAL EVOLUTION
	AN ABRIDGED HISTORY OF THE GENETIC THEORY OF SOCIAL EVOLUTION
	MULTILEVEL NATURAL SELECTION
	THE EVOLUTION OF EUSOCIALITY
	CROSSING THE EUSOCIALITY THRESHOLD
	COUNTERVAILING FORCES OF SELECTION
	PASSING THE POINT OF NO RETURN
3 SOCIOGENESIS
	THE COLONY LIFE CYCLE
	SOCIAL ALGORITHMS
	SELF-ORGANIZATION AND EMERGENCE
	PHYLOGENETIC INERTIA AND DYNAMIC SELECTION
4 THE GENETIC EVOLUTION OF DECISION RULES
	THE GENETIC ORIGIN AND FURTHER EVOLUTION OF EUSOCIALITY
	SOCIOGENETICS AND SOCIOGENOMICS
	HONEYBEE SOCIOGENOMICS
	SOCIOGENOMIC CONSERVATION
	THE FIRE ANT CASE
	GENETIC VARIATION AND PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY
5 THE DIVISION OF LABOR
	PARALLELS: ORGANISM AND SUPERORGANISM
	THE ECOLOGY OF CASTE SYSTEMS
	THE EVOLUTION OF CASTE: PRINCIPLES
	DOMINANCE ORDERS IN CASTE DETERMINATION
	TEMPORAL CASTES
	THE PHYSIOLOGY OF TEMPORAL CASTES
	GENETIC VARIABILITY IN CASTE DIFFERENTIATION
	MEMORY IN DIVISION OF LABOR
	CHILD LABOR
	GENETIC CASTE DETERMINATION
	NONGENETIC CASTE DETERMINATION
	WORKER SUBCASTES
	THE PHYSIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF PHYSICAL CASTES
	ADAPTIVE DEMOGRAPHY
	TEAMWORK
	THE LARGER PICTURE
6 COMMUNICATION
	DANCE COMMUNICATION IN HONEYBEES
	COMMUNICATION IN ANT SOCIETIES
	THE EVOLUTION OF ANT RECRUITMENT SIGNALS AND TRAIL GUIDES
	DESIGN AND FUNCTIONAL EFFICIENCY OF PHEROMONES
	BEHAVIORAL MODES OF RECRUITMENT COMMUNICATION
	THE EXTREME MULTIPLE RECRUITMENT SYSTEM OF WEAVER ANTS
	MULTIMODAL SIGNALS, PARSIMONY, AND RITUALIZATION
	MESSAGE AND MEANING
	MODULATORY COMMUNICATION
	MOTOR DISPLAYS IN RECRUITMENT COMMUNICATION
	ENVIRONMENTAL CORRELATES OF RECRUITMENT SYSTEMS
	THE MEASUREMENT OF INFORMATION
	TACTILE COMMUNICATION AND TROPHALLAXIS
	THE SOCIAL BUCKET
	VISUAL COMMUNICATION
	ANONYMITY AND SPECIFICITY OF CHEMICAL SIGNALS
	NECROPHORIC BEHAVIOR
	NESTMATE RECOGNITION
	WITHIN-COLONY RECOGNITION
	RECOGNITION OF BROOD
	COMMUNICATING RESOURCE-HOLDING POTENTIAL AMONG COLONIES
	CONCLUSION
7 THE RISE OF THE ANTS
	THE ORIGIN OF ANTS
	THE EARLY RADIATION OF THE ANTS
	THE CENOZOIC RADIATION
	THE PONERINE PARADOX
	THE TROPICAL ARBOREAL ANTS
	THE DYNASTIC-SUCCESSION HYPOTHESIS
8 PONERINE ANTS: THE GREAT RADIATION
	THE SOCIAL REGULATION OF REPRODUCTION
	HARPEGNATHOS: LIFE CYCLE OF A COLONIAL ARCHITECT
	DINOPONERA: GIANT \"WORKER QUEENS\"
	QUEENS, WORKERS, GAMERGATES IN PERMUTATIONS
	DIACAMMA: REGULATING REPRODUCTION BY MUTILATION
	STREBLOGNATHUS: DOMINANCE AND FERTILITY UNCOUPLED
	GAMERGATES VERSUS ERGATOID QUEENS
	PACHYCONDYLA FOCHI: MASS TERMITE RAIDERS
	ERGATOID QUEENS AND ARMY ANTS
	PACHYCONDYLA: SOCIOBIOLOGICALLY THE MOST DIVERSE ANT GENUS
	PLATYTHYREA PUNCTATA: EXTREME PLASTICITY IN REPRODUCTION
	AGGRESSION AND DOMINANCE: ORIGIN AND LOSS
	HARPEGNATHOS: RESILIENCE IN REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR
	COLONY SIZE AS AN ECOLOGICAL ADAPTATION
	PACHYCONDYLA: HYPERDIVERSITY SUMMARIZED
9 THE ATTINE LEAFCUTTERS: THE ULTIMATE SUPERORGANISMS
	THE ATTINE BREAKTHROUGH
	THE ASCENT OF THE LEAFCUTTERS
	THE ATTA LIFE CYCLE
	THE ATTA CASTE SYSTEM
	HARVESTING VEGETATION
	COMMUNICATION IN ATTA
	THE ANT-FUNGUS MUTUALISM
	HYGIENE IN THE SYMBIOSIS
	WASTE MANAGEMENT
	AGROPREDATORS AND AGROPARASITES
	LEAFCUTTER NESTS
	TRAILS AND TRUNK ROUTES
10 NEST ARCHITECTURE AND HOUSE HUNTING
	THE ANALYSIS OF NEST ARCHITECTURE
	HOW ARCHITECTURE IS ACHIEVED
	THE PROCESS OF STIGMERGY
	HOUSE HUNTING AND COLONY EMIGRATION
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
GLOSSARY
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHORS