PIWI proteins, a subfamily of PAZ/PIWI Domain family RNA-binding proteins, are best known
for their function in silencing transposons and germline development by partnering with …

Female ants display a wide variety of morphological castes, including workers, soldiers,
ergatoid (worker-like) queens and queens. Alternative caste development within a species …

Complex systems research is becoming ever more important in both the natural and social
sciences. It is commonly implied that there is such a thing as a complex system, different …

Polyphenism is a type of developmental plasticity that translates continuous environmental
variability into discontinuous phenotypes. Such discontinuity likely requires a switch …

Ants are highly polyphenic Hymenoptera, with at least three distinct adult forms in the vast
majority of species. Their sexual dimorphism, however, is overlooked to the point of being a …

Developmental plasticity generates phenotypic variation, but how it contributes to
evolutionary change is unclear. Phenotypes of individuals in caste-based (eusocial) …

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 …

Insects are the largest animal group on Earth both in biomass and diversity. Their
outstanding success has inspired genetics and developmental research, allowing the …

The study of insect social behavior has offered tremendous insight into the molecular
mechanisms mediating behavioral and phenotypic plasticity. Genomic applications to the …

Polyphenism, the extreme form of developmental plasticity, is the ability of a genotype to
produce discrete morphologies matched to alternative environments. Because polyphenism …