Highlights•The IIS is the core pathway underlying caste determination.•The pathway can be
regulated by genes, nutrition, and other pathways.•Epigenetics mechanisms have been …

The evolution of eusociality is a perennial issue in evolutionary biology, and genomic
advances have fueled steadily growing interest in the genetic changes underlying social …

Developmental plasticity describes the influence of environmental factors on phenotypic
variation. An important mediator of developmental plasticity in many animals is parental …

Study of social traits in offspring traditionally reflects on interactions in simple family groups,
with famous examples including parent-offspring conflict and sibling rivalry in birds and …

Simple Summary Epigenetic molecular mechanisms (EMMs) are capable of regulating and
stabilizing a wide range of living cell processes without altering its DNA sequence. EMMs …

Laboratory-based animal rearing is a common tool used to control environmental variation.
However, important differences between lab and field environments may affect the biological …

It has been 55 years since Nikolaas Tinbergen formalized the field of ethology by identifying
four types of inquiry that address the “how” and “why” of animal behavior from both a …

Despite a strong history of theoretical work on the mechanisms of social evolution, relatively
little is known of the molecular genetic changes that accompany transitions from solitary to …

Highlights•Nutrient-sensing, endocrine pathways decoupled from reproduction in social
insects.•Diapause requirements may shape the evolution of these relationships.• …

The term 'caste'is used to describe the division of reproductive labour that defines eusocial
insect societies. The definition of 'caste'has been debated over the last 50 years, specifically …