ABSTRACT

Cooperation is a commonly observed phenomenon among animal species, whereby individuals act for the mutual benefit of each other. Cooperation is often temporary or transitory, as in the example of offspring care, but may be permanent, lasting the lifespan of the individual the commonest general kind of cooperation involves the provision of nutrition and defense of the young. The fact that so many species of animals live in social groups, such as flocks of geese or herds of wildebeest, suggests that there are some fundamental advantages to this strategy. Being in a group has its disadvantages, particularly increased competition for food, increased conspicuousness to predators and increased risk of disease. Altruistic behavior, whereby an individual appears to sacrifice fitness to benefit another, seems paradoxical on first impression. Ants, bees and wasps, like all Hymenopteran insects, have an unusual chromosomal make-up, known as haplodiploid.