Trade-offs in the evolution of bumblebee colony and body size: a comparative analysis.

ABSTRACT: Trade-offs between life-history traits - such as fecundity and survival - have been demonstrated in several studies. In eusocial insects, the number of organisms and their body sizes can affect the fitness of the colony. Large-than-average body sizes as well as more individuals can improve a colony's thermoregulation, foraging efficiency, and fecundity. However, in bumblebees, large colonies and large body sizes depend largely on high temperatures and a large amount of food resources. Bumblebee taxa can be found in temperate and tropical regions of the world and differ markedly in their colony sizes and body sizes. Variation in colony size and body size may be explained by the costs and benefits associated with the evolutionary history of each species in a particular environment. In this s

SUBMITTER: Cueva Del Castillo R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4588658 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature