The evolution of division of labour: preconditions and evolutionary feedback

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 380(1922)

Опубликована: Март 20, 2025

Division of Labour (DoL) among group members reflects the pinnacle social complexity. The synergistic effects created by task specialization and sharing duties benefitting raise efficiency acquisition, use, management defence resources a fundamental step above potential individual agents. At same time, it may stabilize societies because involved interdependence collaborators. Here, I review conditions associated with emergence DoL, which include existence (i) sizeable groups enduring membership; (ii) improving performance; (iii) low conflict interest owing to correlated payoffs. This results in (iv) combination intra-individual consistency inter-individual variance carrying out different tasks, creates (v) some degree mutual members. DoL typically evolves ‘bottom-up’ without external regulatory forces, but latter gain importance at later stage evolution Owing feedback processes, cause effect are often difficult disentangle evolutionary trajectory towards structured well-developed their Nevertheless, entail one-way street complexity, retrogression getting increasingly more agents depend on each other progressing stages evolution. article is part theme issue ‘Division labour as key driver evolution’.

Язык: Английский

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Group size and labour demands determine division of labour as a consequence of demographic stochasticity

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 380(1922)

Опубликована: Март 20, 2025

Division of labour (DoL) is most prominently observed in eusocial insects but also occurs much smaller cooperative groups where all individuals could potentially perform any task. In such groups, previous experience and learning are the important mechanisms underlying specialization. Using behavioural simulations, we investigate dynamics task specialization various sizes with different constraints on choice We assume that choose tasks by weighing their own competence to a against group requirement how needs be performed. find even if based solely group’s rather than competence. As large less affected demographic stochasticity, they can more accurately distribute across tasks, become effective due reduced need switch between tasks. This effect enhanced must larger number However, from an evolutionary point view, develop greater responsiveness requirements those small when variation carries fitness penalty thus will readily Small seem able optimally over through increased switching, therefore evolve ignore imbalances up higher level before threshold crossed. Further, selection ability stronger groups. conclude reason why DoL may emerge might not group-size optimal decision-making, because lower degree distribution as consequence stochasticity. article part theme issue ‘Division key driver social evolution’.

Язык: Английский

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Multi-level societies: different tasks at different social levels

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 380(1922)

Опубликована: Март 20, 2025

Multi-level vertebrate societies, characterized by nested social units, allow individuals to perform a wide range of tasks in cooperation with others beyond their core unit. In these can selectively interact specific partners from higher levels cooperatively distinct tasks. Alternatively, units the same level merge form higher-level associations, enabling benefit large without always maintaining The reasons why multi-level sociality evolves some systems but not are well understood. We propose that this is partly due lack data, especially regarding fitness consequences at different levels. First, we argue societies individual benefits should increase when performing associates Second, as more documented across taxa, will continue find similar cooperative performed each By providing compelling species examples, dolphins fairy-wrens, underscore despite diversity organization, convergence task performance become clearer data accumulates. Finally, highlight role buffering fluctuating environmental conditions flexible associations emerge according need. This article part theme issue ‘Division labour key driver evolution’.

Язык: Английский

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The evolution of cooperative breeding in family groups: when should parents tolerate unhelpful helpers?

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 380(1922)

Опубликована: Март 20, 2025

Cooperatively breeding vertebrates typically live in family groups which some offspring delay and remain on the natal territory to help rear younger siblings. However, field studies find that helpers can have a neutral or even negative effect survival of their relatives. Why, then, do remain, why parents tolerate them? Here, we use kin selection approach model conditions under tolerating is adaptive parents. Unlike previous models, consider scenarios relatives compete for opportunities saturated habitat. We show competition sufficient favour tolerance helpers, when decrease parental fecundity. Helping additionally favoured delaying dispersal benefits helper (either by decreasing costs increasing chance inheritance). This suggests division reproduction cooperative emerge reasons unrelated effects itself, but resulting society sets stage more elaborate forms labour. Kin-based helping may therefore be not only because are related brood whom they help, also delayed reduces reproductive conflict among article part theme issue ‘Division labour as key driver social evolution’.

Язык: Английский

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Workload distribution in wild Damaraland mole-rat groups

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 380(1922)

Опубликована: Март 20, 2025

The social organization of Damaraland and naked mole-rats is often suggested to resemble the societies eusocial insects more closely than that any other vertebrate. Eusocial feature queens hardly contribute workforce, specialized worker castes. However, in mole-rats, which live family groups with a single breeding pair multiple non-breeding helpers, work division still unclear. Previous studies, largely confined laboratory settings, could not quantify their primary cooperative behaviour, digging extensive foraging tunnels. Here, we studied distribution workload 11 wild mole-rat groups, using body acceleration loggers evaluate behavioural time budgets 86 individuals. We found differences between breeders non-breeders emerged increases group size, such large spent less digging, resting, were overall active non-breeders. did find indication caste system among non-breeders, though amount individuals varied age sex. Overall, lower contribution by group’s pattern rarely observed vertebrates; nevertheless, lack evidence for castes suggests eusociality may be limited invertebrates. This article part theme issue ‘Division labour as key driver evolution’.

Язык: Английский

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Mutualism and division of labour: a mutual expansion of concepts

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 380(1922)

Опубликована: Март 20, 2025

Division of labour within social groups and the interspecific relationships mutualisms have traditionally been treated as separate research areas. In this opinion, we align terminologies concepts between two fields, by comparing within-group division to outsourcing functions in mutualisms. share fundamental similarities. Both are built from specialization some individuals relationship on tasks or required for survival, growth reproduction. also generate variable fitness outcomes. A key difference is that generally direct gain, while benefits cooperative sociality often accrue a mix indirect fitness. Additionally, levels physical physiological many expand far beyond differentiation seen groups, with exception reproductive labour. The consideration between-species context allows expansion our understanding both fields beyond, consider general principles drivers labour, role differences more broadly across complexity. This article part theme issue ‘Division driver evolution’.

Язык: Английский

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Division of labour as key driver of social evolution

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 380(1922)

Опубликована: Март 20, 2025

The social division of labour (DoL) has been renowned as a key driver the economic success human societies dating back to ancient philosophers such Plato (in Republic , ca 380 BCE), Xenophon Cyropaedia 370 BCE) and Aristotle Politics 350 BCE, Nicomachean Ethics 340 BCE). Over time, this concept evolved into cornerstone political thought, most prominently expressed in Smith Wealth Nations 1776). In his magnum opus, Adam posited that DoL caused greater increase production than any other factor history. There is little doubt immensely increases productive output, both humans organisms, but it less clear how comes about, organized what biological roots are ‘turbo enhancer’. We address these questions here using results from studies wide range organisms various modelling approaches. This article part theme issue ‘Division evolution’.

Язык: Английский

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Helping in greyish baywing decreases nest predation but does not ameliorate the costs of brood parasitism by screaming cowbirds

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 79(5)

Опубликована: Май 1, 2025

Язык: Английский

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Workload inequality increases with group size in a cooperatively breeding bird

Animal Behaviour, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 207, С. 87 - 99

Опубликована: Ноя. 18, 2023

Язык: Английский

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Multilevel societies: different tasks at different social levels

Опубликована: Авг. 26, 2024

Multilevel vertebrate societies, characterised by nested social units, allow individuals to perform a wide range of tasks in cooperation with others beyond their core unit. In these can selectively interact specific partners from higher levels cooperatively distinct tasks. Alternatively, units the same level merge form higher-level associations, enabling benefit large without always maintaining The reasons why multilevel sociality evolves some systems but not are well understood. We propose that this is partly due lack data, especially regarding fitness consequences at different levels. First, we argue societies individual benefits should increase when performing associates Secondly, as more documented across taxa, will continue find similar cooperative performed By providing compelling species examples, dolphins fairy-wrens, underscore despite diversity organisation, convergence task performance become clearer data. Finally, highlight role buffering fluctuating environmental conditions flexible associations emerge according need.

Язык: Английский

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