Why is haplodiploidy thought to predispose hymenopteran lineages to eusocial behavior?
A) Daughters have a higher r than in diploid species.
B) Females have higher inclusive fitness from helping mothers than from reproducing.
C) Sisters are more closely related to each other than to their own offspring.
D) b and c
E) a, b, and c

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Haplodiploidy in hymenopterans (such as bees, ants, and wasps) leads to unique genetic relationships where sisters share, on average, 75% of their genes due to the haplodiploid sex determination system. This system results in daughters (A) having a higher relatedness (r) to each other than they would in diploid species, (B) females can increase their inclusive fitness more by helping their mother produce more sisters (with whom they share a high degree of genetic relatedness) than by producing their own offspring, and (C) sisters being more closely related to each other (r = 0.75) than to their potential offspring (r = 0.5), making eusocial behavior, where individuals forego their own reproduction to help raise their siblings, more advantageous in terms of passing on genes to the next generation.

Why Is Haplodiploidy Thought to Predispose Hymenopteran Lineages to Eusocial