Family & Relationships13 mins ago
Bees
3 Answers
If the bee dies after stinging, what Darwinian (biological)advantage does this stinging mechanism afford the bee.
One would have thought that with this assumed disadvantage, the species would have died out.
One would have thought that with this assumed disadvantage, the species would have died out.
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Except sacrifice for the good of the colony presumes altruism, which is, in itself, antithetical to the evolutionary paradigm and generally unacceptable to the evolutionist. However, that aspect alone isn't the only problem in applying evolutionary theory to honeybees... all worker bees are facultatively sterile, i.e, they do not reproduce in the presence of a queen bee. But, as one source asks,"...Why would a bee forego reproduction to support its hive? That is a perplexing question for biologists. Darwin himself had a big problem with it, according to the author. Most biologists accept an explanation known as �kinship theory.� When individuals in a group are very closely related, the theory says that traits can evolve that seem to benefit the group and not the individual. That is the case with honeybees..." (Source: Arizona State University Research). The "kinship theory" is highly controversial though, since it disputes, at least the classical definition, of Darwinism.
It should be noted that many other species of bees are solitary and live socially considerably differently than do the honeybees...
It should be noted that many other species of bees are solitary and live socially considerably differently than do the honeybees...