Possible evolution to quasisocial system through family combining in a subsocial burrower bug, Adomerus triguttulus

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25440241
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment
• Research Institution: Saga University
• Principal Investigator: NOMAKUCHI SHINTARO 佐賀大学, 農学部, 教授 (80253590)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): KUDO SHIN-ICHI 鳴門教育大学, 大学院学校教育研究科, 准教授 (90284330)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 亜社会性 / ツチカメムシ / 家族融合 / 抜け駆け / 側社会性ルート / 真社会性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In a subsocial burrower bug, Adomerus triguttulus, whose females show parental care such as guarding and provisioning of food after oviposition, a phenomenon of “family combining”, whereby two families mix and the mothers provide food to the combined nymphs under natural conditions, was recently discovered. The present study examined whether “family combining” could progress toward the more developed social system, “quasisociality”, through field and laboratory studies to investigate the formation process and causal factors of family combining, as well as inter-familial interactions. The findings suggest that evolutionary transition to the more developed social system though “family combining” for this species would be difficult because a “cheating” female who abandons the provisioning task, leaving the other female to provision the entire brood of combined nymphs, and begins to prepare for her subsequent nest brooding will often arise when family combining occurs.

Free Research Field

行動生態学