Social evolution: daily self-sacrifice by worker ants.
Each evening, a few workers of a Brazilian ant doom themselves to die overnight by remaining outside the nest to seal its entrance. This striking behaviour is a novel form of worker self-sacrifice.
Bourke
Andrew F G
AF
School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK. a.bourke@uea.ac.uk
D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001938:Brazil; D006608:Hierarchy, Social; D007206:Individuality; D012919:Social Behavior; D014937:Work