Superorganismality and caste differentiation as points of no return: how the major evolutionary transitions were lost in translation.

摘要: More than a century ago, William Morton Wheeler proposed that social insect colonies can be regarded as superorganisms when they have morphologically differentiated reproductive and nursing castes are analogous to the metazoan germ-line soma. Following rise of sociobiology in 1970s, Wheeler's insights were largely neglected, we left with multiple new superorganism concepts mutually inconsistent uninformative on how superorganismality originated. These difficulties traced broadened sociobiological concept eusociality, which denies physical queen–worker caste differentiation is universal hallmark superorganismal colonies. Unlike early evolutionary naturalists geneticists such Weismann, Huxley, Fisher Haldane, who set out explain acquisition an unmated worker caste, goal was understand evolution broad-brush convenience category covers most forms cooperative breeding. By lumping diverse spectrum systems into single category, drawing attention away from distinct quantifiable traits, tradition has impeded straightforward connections between inclusive fitness theory major transitions paradigm for understanding irreversible shifts higher organizational complexity. We evaluate history by these inconsistencies accumulated, develop common-cause approach origins all eukaryote hierarchical complexity, use Hamilton's rule argue directly comparable. show only original definition unambiguously linked context-dependent altruism unconditional permanently ants, corbiculate bees, vespine wasps termites. strictly monogamous parents necessary, albeit not sufficient condition superorganismality, single-zygote bottlenecking being necessary but convergent complex soma across multicellular eukaryotes. infer conflict reduction origin any transitions, conclude controversies over status primarily emanate arbitrarily defined itself.