Cleptobiosis in Social Insects
In this review of cleptobiosis, we not only focus on social insects, but also consider broader issues and concepts relating to the theft of food among animals. Cleptobiosis occurs when members of a species steal food, or sometimes nesting materials or other items of value, either from members of the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2012-01-01
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| Series: | Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/484765 |
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| author | Michael D. Breed Chelsea Cook Michelle O. Krasnec |
| author_facet | Michael D. Breed Chelsea Cook Michelle O. Krasnec |
| author_sort | Michael D. Breed |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this review of cleptobiosis, we not only focus on social insects, but also consider broader issues and concepts relating to the theft of food among animals. Cleptobiosis occurs when members of a species steal food, or sometimes nesting materials or other items of value, either from members of the same or a different species. This simple definition is not universally used, and there is some terminological confusion among cleptobiosis, cleptoparasitism, brood parasitism, and inquilinism. We first discuss the definitions of these terms and the confusion that arises from varying usage of the words. We consider that cleptobiosis usually is derived evolutionarily from established foraging behaviors. Cleptobionts can succeed by deception or by force, and we review the literature on cleptobiosis by deception or force in social insects. We focus on the best known examples of cleptobiosis, the ectatommine ant Ectatomma ruidum, the harvester ant Messor capitatus, and the stingless bee Lestrimellita limão. Cleptobiosis is facilitated either by deception or physical force, and we discuss both mechanisms. Part of this discussion is an analysis of the ecological implications (competition by interference) and the evolutionary effects of cleptobiosis. We conclude with a comment on how cleptobiosis can increase the risk of disease or parasite spread among colonies of social insects. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-39d02d2b2a924a018300fd41a5e7c65f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0033-2615 1687-7438 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2012-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| spelling | doaj-art-39d02d2b2a924a018300fd41a5e7c65f2025-02-03T06:12:19ZengWileyPsyche: A Journal of Entomology0033-26151687-74382012-01-01201210.1155/2012/484765484765Cleptobiosis in Social InsectsMichael D. Breed0Chelsea Cook1Michelle O. Krasnec2Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0334, USADepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0334, USADepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0334, USAIn this review of cleptobiosis, we not only focus on social insects, but also consider broader issues and concepts relating to the theft of food among animals. Cleptobiosis occurs when members of a species steal food, or sometimes nesting materials or other items of value, either from members of the same or a different species. This simple definition is not universally used, and there is some terminological confusion among cleptobiosis, cleptoparasitism, brood parasitism, and inquilinism. We first discuss the definitions of these terms and the confusion that arises from varying usage of the words. We consider that cleptobiosis usually is derived evolutionarily from established foraging behaviors. Cleptobionts can succeed by deception or by force, and we review the literature on cleptobiosis by deception or force in social insects. We focus on the best known examples of cleptobiosis, the ectatommine ant Ectatomma ruidum, the harvester ant Messor capitatus, and the stingless bee Lestrimellita limão. Cleptobiosis is facilitated either by deception or physical force, and we discuss both mechanisms. Part of this discussion is an analysis of the ecological implications (competition by interference) and the evolutionary effects of cleptobiosis. We conclude with a comment on how cleptobiosis can increase the risk of disease or parasite spread among colonies of social insects.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/484765 |
| spellingShingle | Michael D. Breed Chelsea Cook Michelle O. Krasnec Cleptobiosis in Social Insects Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| title | Cleptobiosis in Social Insects |
| title_full | Cleptobiosis in Social Insects |
| title_fullStr | Cleptobiosis in Social Insects |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cleptobiosis in Social Insects |
| title_short | Cleptobiosis in Social Insects |
| title_sort | cleptobiosis in social insects |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/484765 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT michaeldbreed cleptobiosisinsocialinsects AT chelseacook cleptobiosisinsocialinsects AT michelleokrasnec cleptobiosisinsocialinsects |