Why do social insect queens live so long? Approaches to unravel the sociality-aging puzzle

â¿¢Social insects seem to lack the life history trade-off between fecundity/longevity.â¿¢This apparent reversal with sociality must be tested using manipulations.â¿¢Manipulations must include those of resources, fecundity and senescence factors.â¿¢Fitness consequences must be measured at the worker, queen and colony level.â¿¢Such an approach provides insights into the rules governing senescence and health.

Social insects are characterized by an apparent reshaping of the fecundity/longevity trade-off with sociality. Currently, we have only sketchy information about the potential underlying causes and mechanisms of aging and senescence which in addition are restricted to few model insect organisms (mainly the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the honey bee Apis mellifera). How can we gain a more thorough understanding how sociality shapes senescence and the fecundity/longevity trade-off? By reviewing available literature, I propose a comparative approach that offers the opportunity to gain fundamental insights into uncovering the basis for this life history trade-off and its reshaping with sociality.

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