Developmental plasticity refers to the property by which the same genotype produces
distinct phenotypes depending on the environmental conditions under which development …

Division of labour—individuals specializing in different activities—features prominently in the
spectacular success of the social insects. Until recently, genetic and genomic analyses of …

Recent evidence for genetic effects on royal and worker caste differentiation from diverse
social insect taxa has put an end to the view that these phenotypes stem solely from a …

Trophallaxis is a complex social fluid exchange emblematic of social insects and of ants in
particular. Trophallaxis behaviors are present in approximately half of all ant genera …

Thermal stress is a major driver of population declines and extinctions. Shifts in thermal
regimes create new environmental conditions, leading to trait adaptation, population …

Honey bee nutrition is complex and unique and is not analogous to that of other
livestock/animals, where nutritional needs of specific animals are well understood and …

Body size is a key life-history trait influencing all aspects of an organism's biology. Ants
provide an interesting model for examining body-size variation because of the high degree …

Complex quantitative traits, like size and behaviour, are a pervasive feature of natural
populations. Quantitative trait variation is the product of both genetic and environmental …

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the endocrine control of insect polyphenism.
Polyphenism in insects is associated with some of the most striking and successful life …

Honey bees provision glandular secretions in the form of royal jelly as larval nourishment to
develo** queens. Exposure to chemicals and nutritional conditions can influence queen …