Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Allometry Of Individual Reproduction And Defense In Eusocial Colonies: A Comparative Approach To Trade-Offs In Social Sponge- Dwelling Synalpheus Shrimps, Sarah L. Bornbusch, Jonathan S. Lefcheck, J. Emmett Duffy

VIMS Articles

Eusociality, one of the most complex forms of social organization, is thought to have evolved in several animal clades in response to competition for resources and reproductive opportunities. Several species of snapping shrimp in the genus Synalpheus, the only marine organisms known to exhibit eusociality, form colonies characterized by high reproductive skew, and aggressive territoriality coupled with cooperative defense. In eusocial Synalpheus colonies, individual reproduction is limited to female 'queens', whose fecundity dictates colony growth. Given that individual reproduction and defense are both energetically costly, individual and colony fitness likely depend on the optimal allocation of resources by these reproducing …