That comprehensive, non-intuitive approach was the forerunner of modern evolutionary analyses, according to George Eickwort, entomologist at Cornell University and a former student of Michener. But the Michener legacy extends beyond the museum drawer. Throughout his career, he used these phylogenies as a foundation for understanding the evolution of sociality and for doing comparative studies of behavior. Early on he realized the importance of plasticity in behavior, emphasizing the role of individual variation as the raw material of evolution. Working with primitively social insects, he and his students helped demonstrate the significance of genealogical relatedness and kin recognition in social interactions.
Some bees live alone and meet other species members only briefly to mate.
Others share nests but not workloads. More advanced social groups, like honeybees, divide into worker and reproductive castes. Michener, author of more than 360 papers, earned his Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley, then worked at the American Museum of Natural History before joining the University of Kansas faculty in 1948. Inc. All rights reserved. We welcome your opinion.