ArticleBiology letters2021
The weird eusociality of polyembryonic parasites.
Article in Biology letters, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Alternative splicing of squid is associated with sex-ratio allocation in the wasp Copidosomopsis nacoleiae.BMC genomics · 2025Article
- Evolutionary origins and life-history correlates of coloniality in the epiphytic fern genus Platycerium (Polypodiaceae).PloS one · 2025Article
- Long-read genome assembly of the Japanese parasitic wasp Copidosoma floridanum (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae).G3 (Bethesda, Md.) · 2024Article
- Freshwater trematodes differ from marine trematodes in patterns connected with division of labor.PeerJ · 2024Article
- Association between parasite microbiomes and caste development and colony structure in a social trematode.Molecular ecology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Some parasitoid wasps possess soldier castes during their parasitic larval stage, but are often neglected from our evolutionary theories explaining caste systems in animal societies. This is primarily due to the polyembryonic origin of their societies. However, recent discoveries of polyembryonic trematodes (i.e. flatworms) possessing soldier castes require us to reconsider this reasoning. I argue we can benefit from including these polyembryonic parasites in eusocial discussions, for polyembryony and parasitism are taxonomically vast and influence the evolution of social behaviours and caste systems in various circumstances. Despite their polyembryony, their social evolution can be explained by theories of eusociality designed for parent-offspring groups, which are the subjects of most social evolution research. Including polyembryonic parasites in these theories follows the trend of major evolutionary transitions theory expanding social evolution research into all levels of biological organization. In addition, these continued discoveries of caste systems in parasites suggest social evolution may be more relevant to parasitology than currently acknowledged.
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