title: Do unicolonial wood ants favor kin?
abstract: Vast supercolonies of interconnected nests formed by unicolonial ant species are the largest cooperative groups of animals known. Research published recently in BMC Evolutionary Biology reveals that a supercolony can be more genetically structured than previously thought, comprising several extended families. Surprisingly, the families coexist peacefully, even though they seem to recognize each other as non-kin.
authors: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. heikki.helantera@helsinki.fi
authors: Heikki
authors: H
authors: Helanterä
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D005075:Biological Evolution; D013045:Species Specificity