Division of Tasks Among Castes

Question 1

What animals are the most advanced form of social organisation?

Answer 1

• eusocial animals

Question 2

How do eusocial animals live?

Answer 2

• in colonies

Question 3

What are the characteristics of the colonies in which eusocial animals live?

Answer 3

• there is a dominant breeding pair or a single female (queen)
• the non-breeding animals have different tasks to perform

Question 4

What kind of tasks do non-breeding eusocial animals do?

Answer 4

• collect food
• caring for the young
• building, maintaining and protecting the nest

Question 5

Why could eusocial colonies not survive on their own?

Answer 5

• environmental pressures such as shortage of resources

Question 6

What is eusociality?

Answer 6

• a major evolutionary innovation
• which has involved changes in life history, structure and behaviour

Question 7

What are some examples of eusocial animals?

Answer 7

• termites
• ants
• some species of bee and wasp
• the naked mole-rat

Question 8

What is a colony?

Answer 8

• a highly organised, integrated unit

Question 9

What does the termite caste system include?

Answer 9

• reproductives
• workers
• soldiers

Question 10

What do the reproductives in the termite caste system include?

Answer 10

• alates
• queen and king
• young reproductives

Question 11

What are alates and what do they do?

Answer 11

• two, winged termites
• appear in the rainy season and mate
• each pair can found a new colony

Question 12

What do the queen and king in a termite colony do?

Answer 12

• after losing their wings, they burrow underground
• the eggs continuously laid by the queen hatch into nymphs which will grow into other castes with different roles
• the king mates with the queen at regular intervals

Question 13

What do the young reproductives in a termite caste system do?

Answer 13

• they will either become the new alates
• or supplementary reproductive that can replace the queen and king should they die

Question 14

What do the workers in termite caste systems do?

Answer 14

• can be male or female
• make tunnels
• build the termite mound
• forage for food
• look after eggs and nymphs
• feed all members of the colony

Question 15

What do the soldiers in the termite caste system do?

Answer 15

• develops huge biting or squirting mouthparts
• that help with the defense of the colony

Question 16

How is the ratio of castes in a termite colony regulated?

Answer 16

• the king and queen set a ratio of soldiers to workers and nymphs