Dominance hierarchy in the primitively eusocial bee Lasioglossum (Dialictus) zephyrum: is genealogical relationship important?

A recent study considering the effects of genealogical relationship and colony age on the dominance interactions of Lasioglossum (Dialictus) zephyrum (= Dialictus zephyrus) revealed a negative correlation between genealogical relationship and (1) the levels of aggression displayed by the queen towards her workers, and (2) worker ovarian development. From this correlation it was concluded that kin recognition is important in colony integration and dominance relationships in halictine bees, i.e. that more closely related bees form more cohesive colonies. The issue of queen-worker conflict, however, is not a simple one in primitively social halictine bees and many factors are involved not only in the "choice" of a queen but also in the degree to which she is able to dominate her workers. We performed a laboratory study of worker reproduction in L. zephyrum and considered several factors that could be involved in the mechanisms of colony integration: colony size, relative queen size and relative queen age.