Demographic mechanisms for the evolution of long life in social insects
Abstract
One of the most remarkable life history traits of many species of eusocial insects is the extraordinary longevity of their queens, with the recorded life span of some individuals exceeding 30 years. Surprisingly, little research has been conducted on either the proximate or ultimate questions concerning what factors favor the evolution of the long life spans in social insects. The broad objective of this paper is to address four sets of questions: (1) What are the similarities and differences in the longevity patterns among species in the four main groups of social insects - bees, wasps, ants and termites? (2) What is the evolutionary association of longevity and sociality in insects? (3) Are there biodemographic principles that can be derived from studies on longevity in social insects? and (4) What are the general implications for longevity in vertebrates, including humans?
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In controlled laboratory settings, social contact is linked to longer lifespan across many social species, including insects, rodents, and primates.
“Even in controlled laboratory environments (where external threats to survival are absent), the presence of social contact is associated with increased lifespan across a range of social species including honeybees, ants, Drosophila melanogaster22,23, mice24,25, and rats26–28, as well as in free-ranging groups of macaques29, and baboons30.”
From Neural mechanisms of social homeostasis (2019) · cites this paper as [22]
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References 44 · Cited by 98
- Authors
- Carey, J. R.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Davis (US)
- Corresponding author
- Carey, J.R.
- Venue
- Experimental Gerontology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2001-04
- Volume
- 36
- Issue
- 4-6
- Pages
- 713-722
- ISSN
- 0531-5565 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2023535953
- Cited by
- 98
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 4
- FWCI
- 0.22
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Experimental Gerontology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (P01AG008761, AG08761)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Aging › Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Keywords
- longevity, eusocial insects, queen longevity, life history evolution, sociality, biodemography, bees, wasps, ants, termites
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Ants, Bees, Behavior, Animal, Biological Evolution, Humans, Insecta, Longevity, Social Behavior, Wasps, Isoptera
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