(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011-07-12)
Goodisman, Michael
Biological complexity has increased through a series of major evolutionary transitions. One of the most
recent transitions occurred when individually reproducing organisms came together to form integrated social
groups. The transition to sociality is best exemplified by the social insects, such as ants, social bees, social
wasps, and termites. Social insects have been ranked as ‘among the greatest achievements of organic
evolution’ because of the extraordinary levels of cooperation. In addition, social insects have been extremely
successful ecologically. In this presentation, I will introduce the life history strategies and evolutionary
significance of social insects. I will then discuss aspects of research within my group aimed at understanding
the molecular basis underlying sociality, the nature of selection in social systems, the breeding biology of
social animals, and the process of self-organization in social groups.
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009-09-11)
Goodisman, Michael
The evolution of sociality represented one of the major transition points in evolutionary history. We are interested in understanding how
evolutionary processes affect social systems and how sociality, in turn, affects the course of evolution. The subjects of our research are
the social insects, which include ants, termites, social bees, and social wasps. Our research focuses on understanding the social structure
and mating biology of social insects. In addition, we are interested in the process of development and morphological evolution in the
context of sociality. In order to address these issues, we make use of a variety of techniques, including computer simulations, analytical
theory, field studies, and laboratory experiments, as well as molecular genetic and genomic analyses.