Biologists since Darwin have been intrigued and confounded by the
complex issues involved in the evolution and ecology of the social
behavior of insects. The self- sacrifice of sterile workers in ant
colonies has been particularly difficult for evolutionary biologists to
explain. In this important new book, Andrew Bourke and Nigel Franks not
only present a detailed overview of the current state of scientific
knowledge about social evolution in ants, but also show how studies on
ants have contributed to an understanding of many fundamental topics in
behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology.One of the substantial
contributions of Social Evolution in Ants is its clear explanation of
kin selection theory and sex ratio theory and their applications to
social evolution in insects. Working to dispel lingering skepticism
about the validity of kin selection and, more broadly, of "selfish gene"
theory, Bourke and Franks show how these ideas underpin the evolution of
both cooperation and conflict within ant societies. In addition, using
simple algebra, they provide detailed explanations of key mathematical
models. Finally, the authors discuss two relatively little-known topics
in ant social biology: life history strategy and mating systems.This
comprehensive, up-to-date, and well-referenced work will appeal to all
researchers in social insect biology and to scholars and students in the
fields of entomology, behavioral ecology, and evolution.