Leaf Cutter Ants Engaged in Cooperative Labor (IMAGE)

Washington University in St. Louis

Leaf Cutter Ants Engaged in Cooperative Labor

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Even Darwin was vexed by the cooperative behavior of insects such as these leaf cutter ants, which didn't seem to fit with his theory of natural selection. Why would ants help other ants when it didn't benefit them directly? Inclusive fitness, the theory that creates room for altruism, has recently been attacked. Evolutionary biologist David Queller comes to its defense.

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Bandwagonman at en.wipideia This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license.

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