A critical look at proximate causes of social insect senescence: damage accumulation or hyperfunction?

作者：de Verges Jane; Nehring Volker

来源：Current Opinion in Insect Science, 2016, 16: 69-75.

DOI：10.1016/j.cois.2016.05.003

Social insects have received attention for their extreme lifespan variation and reversal of the fecundity/longevity trade-off. However, proximate causes of senescence in general are disputed, and social insects often fail to meet the predictions of prevailing models. We present evidence for and against the long-held free radical theory of aging in social insects, and consider the application of the competing hyperfunction theory. Current results present problems for both theories, and a more complex picture of the biological processes involved emerges. The eusocial life style might allow colonies to allocate damage in ways that create seemingly senescence-free life histories. Only experimental approaches characterizing multiple senescence factors simultaneously will shed light on how social insects defy the conventions of senescence.

• 出版日期2016-8