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PubMedDate not supplied

[Present state and evolution of the law of social defence (author's transl)].

The law of April 9, 1930 concluded to the non responsibility of the insane. It applyed a measure of social defence and treatment of some length. The evolution of ideas, the psychological and biological discoveries had bring a change in July 1964. The measure was finalized, not for the "insanes", but demented people, severe mental disturbed patients and severe mental retarded patients. The measure became non determined in time. The role of the lawyer is important, not only for the decision, but following the decision. The role of the physician is also important and the creation of a center of guidance becomes urgent. Therapy can be extended by ambulatory care with the necessary security measures.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed2003

Socially mediated speciation.

We employ a simple model to show that social selection can lead to prezygotic reproductive isolation. The evolution of social discrimination causes the congealing of phenotypically similar individuals into different, spatially distinct tribes. However, tribal formation is only obtained for certain types of social behavior: altruistic and selfish acts can produce tribes, whereas spiteful and mutualistic behaviors never do. Moreover, reduced hybrid fitness at tribal borders leads to the selection of mating preferences, which then spread to the core areas of the respective tribes. Unlike models of resource competition, our model generates reproductive isolation in an ecologically homogeneous environment. We elaborate on how altruistic acts can lead to reproductive isolation, but also predict that certain types of competition can lead to the speciation effect. Our theory provides a framework for how individual-level interactions mold lineage diversification, with parapatric speciation as a possible end product.

Social Behavior↗
PubMed1997

Cooperative care of young in mammals.

The provision of care to non-offspring in animal societies has attracted substantial scientific attention because of its apparent contradiction to the concept of individual selection. In mammals such cooperative care of alien young has been described for both non-breeding and breeding females. I first review the types of non-offspring care that are known from mammals and then discuss the actual and potential fitness benefits and costs for the donors and recipients of this cooperative behaviour. For many species, however, quantitative analysis is still missing. Non-offspring care provided by non-breeding individuals may best be explained by indirect fitness benefits due to improved reproduction of a related breeder under environmental conditions in which successful direct reproduction is not possible. Cooperative care of young among breeding females is also directed preferentially to non-descendant kin and may have evolved due to mutualistic benefits. Our current knowledge of mammalian cooperative care of the young raises questions that must be answered in order to fully understand the evolution of social behaviour.

Altruism↗
PubMed1977

The social behaviour of captive muntjacs Muntiacus reevesi (Ogilby 1839).

The social behaviour of 8 captive muntjacs was studied from May to October 1970 and 1971. In 1970 close range observation and photography resulted in a descriptive account of the animal's social behaviour patterns. In 1971, 450 h of observation of undisturbed muntjacs living in a 2200 m2 enclosure were devoted to a quantitative study of social interactions. It was found that the social relationships of muntjacs are complex and subtale, maybe more than one might expect from a solitary and primitive mammal. Because of the animal's similarities with the ancestors of the Artiodactyls, a knowledge of the muntjac's social behaviour is essential for a proper understanding of the evolution and social behaviour of the order.

Aggression↗
PubMed2001

[Contribution of disability-free life expectancy indicators to the study of social inequities in health].

In looking at increases in disability-free life expectancy we examine the scope and evolution of social inequalities in health. As early as the end of the 18th century, Moheau had already emphasised the differences in life expectancy according to profession but it wasn't until much later that official statistics could confirm them. Despite the growing concern related to this phenomenon, the data are lacking for tracking its evolution and understanding its causes. The indicators of disability-free life expectancy that we established for socio-professional groups allowed us to respond to certain outstanding questions. The results of this study are summarised in this article. They serve to re-open the debate around the problems involved in measuring social inequalities and their place in public health.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Kin recognition.

Many organisms, from sea squirts to primates, can identify their relatives. Understanding how and why they do so has prompted new thinking about the evolution of social behavior.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Genetics of social behaviour in fire ants.

A recent study is the first to sequence a gene known to underlie a complex social phenotype. In the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, a single allelic difference at the Gp-9 locus specifies the number of queens a colony has, and hence the social structure of the colony. Gp-9 appears to encode a protein implicated in chemical recognition of nestmates, consistent with workers determining queen number by selectively executing queens as a function of workers' and queens' Gp-9 genotypes. Other Solenopsis species exhibit the same social and genetic polymorphism. This study pioneers the integrated understanding of the evolution of social behaviour at molecular, individual and social levels.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Demographic mechanisms for the evolution of long life in social insects.

One of the most remarkable life history traits of many species of eusocial insects is the extraordinary longevity of their queens, with the recorded life span of some individuals exceeding 30 years. Surprisingly, little research has been conducted on either the proximate or ultimate questions concerning what factors favor the evolution of the long life spans in social insects. The broad objective of this paper is to address four sets of questions: (1) What are the similarities and differences in the longevity patterns among species in the four main groups of social insects - bees, wasps, ants and termites? (2) What is the evolutionary association of longevity and sociality in insects? (3) Are there biodemographic principles that can be derived from studies on longevity in social insects? and (4) What are the general implications for longevity in vertebrates, including humans?

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Culture, social minds, and governance in evolution.

In the past quarter century, the concept of culture has undergone change as evolutionary scientists have come to include social behavior in their purview. Evolutionary psychology is the newest field to concern itself with culture by claiming that most specific human behaviors are generated by minds specifically designed for these behaviors -- and not from a general-purpose mind -- as a result of adaptations made during the Pleistocene. Thus, mental behaviors are explained as having formed independently of cultural learning. In defending the concept, however, the leading proponents practically slough off culture as significant in human affairs. I argue that they have neglected the powerful explanatory statement of Darwin regarding at least one general-purpose adaptation of social animals, namely, the instinct for sociability, a position supported by recent neurological studies. Expanding the Darwinian concept, modern research shows that (1) the human brain was selected for sociability, which explains the origin and strength of culture, as well as its variability; (2) the development of complex culture in a pre-human primate initiated the two-and-one-half million-year evolution to modern humans; and (3) there are political contributions to cultural evolution that rest on the nature of groups (competitive and cooperative).

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Comparative social biology of basal taxa of ants and termites.

Lacking a comprehensive fossil record, solitary representatives of the taxa, and/or a definitive phylogeny of closely related insects, comparison of the life history and social biology of basal, living groups is one of the few available options for developing inferences regarding the early eusocial evolution of ants and termites. Comparisons of a select group of basal formicid and isopteran taxa suggest that the reproductive organization of colonies and their patterns of division of labor were particularly influenced, in both groups, by nesting and feeding ecology. Opportunities for serial inheritance of the nest structure and colony population by kin may have been significant in the evolution of multiple reproductive forms and options. Disease has been a significant factor in the evolution of social organization in ants and termites, but the adaptive mechanisms of infection control differ. Evaluations of the convergent and divergent social biology of the two taxa can generate novel domains of research and testable hypotheses.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Trans-generational immune priming in a social insect.

Detecting functional homology between invertebrate and vertebrate immunity is of interest in terms of understanding the dynamics and evolution of immune systems. Trans-generational effects on immunity are well known from vertebrates, but their existence in invertebrates remains controversial. Earlier work on invertebrates has interpreted increased offspring resistance to pathogens as trans-generational immune priming. However, interpretation of these earlier studies involves some caveats and thus full evidence for a direct effect of maternal immune experience on offspring immunity is still lacking in invertebrates. Here we show that induced levels of antibacterial activity are higher in the worker offspring of the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris L. when their mother queen received a corresponding immune challenge prior to colony founding. This shows trans-generational immune priming in an insect, with ramifications for the evolution of sociality.

Animals↗