Question

in 9th grade work and writing In honey bee colonies, the queen produces sterile offspring that protect the nest and forage for food. Assess how this altruistic behavior may have arisen through natural selection. Explain your answer in one to two sentences.

Answer 1

This altruistic behavior of the sterile offspring may have arisen through natural selection because it increases the chances of the queen's own genes being passed on to future generations. By helping to protect the nest and forage for food, the queen's sterile offspring are ensuring the survival of the colony as a whole, including their own genetic lineage.