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Articles by Heikki Helanterä
Evolutionary transitions in social organization and the relationship between climate and queen number in ant societies
Abstract In about one fourth of ant species, multiple queens reproduce within the same colony (‘polygyny’), reducing relatedness and potentially fuelling evolutionary conflicts among colony members. Polygyny is more common at higher altitudes / latitudes in several species, suggesting that cold climates favour multiple queens. We tested this prediction with phylogenetic analyses comparing 263 ant species and modelled the evolutionary pathways between alternative social structures.
On the Life History of the Honey Bee Superorganism
This version is not peer-reviewed. Hannes Augustus Bonhoff * ,Heikki Helanterä * Hannes Augustus Bonhoff * ,Heikki Helanterä * Submitted: 02 February 2026 You are already at the latest version honey bee ; Apis mellifera ; superorganism ; life history ; life cycle ; swarming This open access article is published under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, which permit the free download, distribution, and reuse, provided that the author and preprint are cited in any reuse.
Population Genomics of the Invasive Argentine Ant (Linepithema humile) - Adaptive Evolution in the Introduced Supercolonies Despite Low Genetic Diversity
Abstract The Argentine ant (Linepithema humile), native to South America, has spread globally over the past 150 years, forming extremely large supercolonies in its introduced range. For example, the European Main supercolony spans over 6,000 km along the Mediterranean coastline. Despite the recent demographic history, including founder effects, Argentine ants thrive in the introduced range and displace native ant species.
Factors promoting hunting groups’ sustainable harvest of moose in a co-management system - Scientific Reports
Abstract Collaboration between and within management levels and involvement of local communities (co-management) increases sustainable management of natural resources. In Finland, moose (Alces alces) are harvested by hunting groups within a co-management system, providing meat and social benefits. We computed the 14-year change in moose harvest (2007–2020) for 4320 hunting groups.
Evidence of phylosymbiosis in Formica ants
New Results doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.01.20.524858 Abstract Insects share intimate relationships with microbes that play important roles in their biology. Yet our understanding of how host-bound microbial communities assemble and perpetuate over evolutionary time is limited. Ants host a wide range of microbes with diverse functions and are an emerging model for studying the evolution of insect microbiomes.
The Evolution of Altruism - Public lectures and events
Recorded on 24 February 2018 at Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building If evolution is a 'struggle for existence', why do we witness so much altruism in nature? From bacteria to baboons, the natural world is full of spectacular examples of organisms cooperating with one another. In the early 1960s, WD Hamilton changed the way we think about how such behaviour evolves, and his pioneering work kick-started a research programme now known as 'social evolution theory'.
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