MARDI 13 DÉCEMBRE 2016 À 14h30 en grande salle des séance de l’Académie des sciences 23 Quai de Conti - 75006 Paris Raghavendra Gadagkar has established an active school of research in the area of Animal Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. e evolution of social life in animals is a major theme of his research. He has published 290 articles and two books - Survival Strategies and e Social Biology of Ropalidia marginata, both published by Harvard University Press, USA. He is President of the Indian National Science Academy. As the Founder Chair of the Centre for Contemporary Studies, he aims to forge meaningful interaction between the natural and human sciences. Many insects such as ants, bees and wasps organize themselves into societies with sophisticated organization, communication and division of labour, paralleling and sometimes surpassing our own societies. We therefore have a natural curiosity to understand how these tiny insects can achieve such feats of social organization. What are the rules that govern their lives and how does a bee or a wasp know what to do when? How do they balance the opposing forces of cooperation and conflict that must be inevitable in their social life? In this talk I will illustrate the efforts of my research group to understand the workings of the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata in peninsular India. My goal will not merely be to convey the product of our research but even more to describe the process of our science, our methodology and the logic that drives our experiments and interpretations. I will conclude by reflecting on what we can learn from insect societies and argue that understanding insect societies helps us to reflect on how and why we live our lives the way we do and thus to better understand ourselves. Centre for Ecological Sciences & Centre for Contemporary Studies Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India President, Indian National Science Academy, Delhi Raghavendra GADAGKAR COOPERATION AND CONFLICT IN A TROPICAL INSECT SOCIETY WOLFF RAMANUJAN LECTURE Entrée libre sur inscription préalable (attention nombre de places limité) http://www.academie‐sciences.fr/fr/Séances‐publiques Service des séances – colloques@academie‐sciences.fr

COOPERATION AND CONFLICT IN A TROPICAL INSECT SOCIETY · Title: Coopération and conflict in a tropical insect society - Wolff Ramanujan Lecture - Le 13 décembre 2016 - Résumé

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Page 1: COOPERATION AND CONFLICT IN A TROPICAL INSECT SOCIETY · Title: Coopération and conflict in a tropical insect society - Wolff Ramanujan Lecture - Le 13 décembre 2016 - Résumé

MARDI 13 DÉCEMBRE 2016À 14h30 en grande salle des séance de l’Académie des sciences

23 Quai de Conti - 75006 Paris

Raghavendra Gadagkar has established an active school of research in the areaof Animal Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution at the Indian Institute of Science,Bangalore. e evolution of social life in animals is a major theme of hisresearch. He has published 290 articles and two books - Survival Strategiesand e Social Biology of Ropalidia marginata, both published by HarvardUniversity Press, USA. He is President of the Indian National ScienceAcademy. As the Founder Chair of the Centre for Contemporary Studies, heaims to forge meaningful interaction between the natural and human sciences.

Many insects such as ants, bees and wasps organize themselves intosocieties with sophisticated organization, communication and division oflabour, paralleling and sometimes surpassing our own societies. Wetherefore have a natural curiosity to understand how these tiny insects canachieve such feats of social organization. What are the rules that governtheir lives and how does a bee or a wasp know what to do when? How dothey balance the opposing forces of cooperation and conflict that must beinevitable in their social life? In this talk I will illustrate the efforts of myresearch group to understand the workings of the primitively eusocialwasp Ropalidia marginata in peninsular India. My goal will not merely beto convey the product of our research but even more to describe theprocess of our science, our methodology and the logic that drives ourexperiments and interpretations. I will conclude by reflecting on what wecan learn from insect societies and argue that understanding insectsocieties helps us to reflect on how and why we live our lives the way wedo and thus to better understand ourselves.

Centre for Ecological Sciences & Centre for Contemporary StudiesIndian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India

President, Indian National Science Academy, Delhi

Raghavendra GADAGKAR

COOPERATION AND CONFLICT IN A TROPICALINSECT SOCIETY

WOLFF RAMANUJAN LECTURE

Entrée libre sur inscription préalable (attention nombre de places limité) http://www.academie‐sciences.fr/fr/Séances‐publiquesService des séances – colloques@academie‐sciences.fr