Darwin's 'one special difficulty': celebrating Darwin 200.
Darwin identified eusocial evolution, especially of complex insect societies, as a particular challenge to his theory of natural selection. A century later, Hamilton provided a framework for selection on inclusive fitness. Hamilton's rule is robust and fertile, having generated multiple subdisciplines over the past 45 years. His suggestion that eusociality can be explained via kin selection, however, remains contentious. I review the continuing debate on the role of kin selection in eusocial evolution and suggest some lines of research that should resolve that debate.
Herbers
Joan M
JM
Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, 384 West 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. herbers.4@osu.edu