Societies and organization of work - part 2

Question 1

Fitness gains from division of labor - feedback loops

Answer 1

• Division of labor allows the regulation of the inputs and outputs of each “station” in the series-parallel system, so that the system of throughput is optimized.
• If any one step is being completed too quickly, individuals can be reallocated or resources redirected

Question 2

feedback loops - example

Answer 2

Brood cannibalism

Question 3

feedback loops - brood cannibalism

Answer 3

• Sudden, high food intake leads to high egg production by the queen.
• This may lead to more larvae than can be adequately fed as they grow, based on more typical food intake rates.
• Numbers of larvae are adjusted by nurse workers by “recycling” their biomass

Question 4

Fitness gains from division of labor - skill improvement

Answer 4

• Division of labor allows individuals to repeat a task many times.
• Repetition builds experience and increased performance

Question 5

skill improvement - example

Answer 5

Nest emigrations in the rock ant

Question 6

rock ant - The ______________________________ into the new nest is ____ with experienced individuals present

Answer 6

• time until the first item is transported
• less

Question 7

rock ants - Individuals that transported items in the preceding emigration ___________________ in subsequent emigrations.

Answer 7

begin transport earlier

Question 8

rock ants - Experienced individuals ____________________ in subsequent emigrations

Answer 8

transport more items

Question 9

skill improvement - rock ants

Answer 9

The presence and effort of experienced individuals improves overall collective performance

Question 10

Fitness gains from division of labor - collective decision making: Quorum

Answer 10

the minimum number of members of a society that must be present to make the decision making process valid

Question 11

what is the quorum threshold approach to decision making

Answer 11

it is a mechanism that reduces the significance of individual error or opinion.

Question 12

collective decision making - army ants: problem to be solved

Answer 12

Find a bigger nesting cavity among many options and opinions

Question 13

army ants - inability to select best nest results in what

Answer 13

potential significant fitness consequences, including colony death.

Question 14

collective decision making - army ants: solution to the problem

Answer 14

relatively simple individual-level rules combined with a collective quorum sensing decision mechanism

Question 15

The most sophisticated collective task completion involves division of labor ____________________________________.

Answer 15

among specializing individuals trying to complete the same task

Question 16

define team task

Answer 16

A collective task that can only be completed by group members performing different subtasks concurrently.

Question 17

collective task completion - army ants: problem

Answer 17

• they move rapidly through the forest to capture prey, and deliver large quantities of prey back to the nest.
• need to have the fastest route, which is hard to find in the forest

Question 18

collective task completion - army ants: solution

Answer 18

Make a straight line using sophisticated team collective task completion.

Question 19

collective task completion - building in army ants

Answer 19

Bridges allow the collective group to take shortcuts across large gaps, significantly increasing the rate of prey delivery

Question 20

define self sacrifice

Answer 20

• an extreme example of division of labor that involves a social act with a high likelihood of death, to protect the social group as a whole
• and maximize the individual’s indirect fitness

Question 21

fitness gains from division of labor - self sacrifice: when is it common

Answer 21

in the simpler non-lethal context

Question 22

fitness gains from division of labor - self sacrifice: when is it rare

Answer 22

in the extreme example of subsequent social adaptation to maximize effectiveness for harming or killing an enemy at the cost of death for the actor

Question 23

self sacrifice example

Answer 23

• exploding ants
• honeybee dying after stinging

Question 24

Caste evolution is an extreme in the evolution of division of labor —__________________________________________________________

Answer 24

increases bio-mechanical efficiency of specialized group members for only a specific set of social tasks

Question 25

what is constraining the performance in completing a task for solitary organisms

Answer 25

constrained by the individuals shape having to be capable of a range of tasks — “jack of all trades, but a master of none” phenotype.

Question 26

how can caste evolution liberates shape evolution

Answer 26

caste morphology can evolve to maximize functional performance for a certain task

Question 27

A specialized caste can do things other group members cannot, but a phenotype __________________________________

Answer 27

is only viable in the context of a complex social group

Question 28

caste formation - “porter” caste of army ants

Answer 28

• Specialize in transporting largest, most awkwardly shaped prey items
• They lead teams for exceptionally large and awkward items — new feeding niche

Question 29

caste formation - “porter” caste of army ants: morphology

Answer 29

• have disproportionately longer legs, large heads, and hooked mandibles
• run faster, despite large and more awkward loads.

Question 30

Fitness gains from division of labor are derived from

Answer 30

1. Reduction of task transfer delays.
2. Redundancy and robustness.
3. Feedback loops.
4. Skill improvement through specialization.
5. Collective decision making.
6. Collective task completion.
7. Self sacrifice.
8. Caste function.