The gain in intracolonial genetic variance (‘‘genetic variance’’ hypothesis) is one of the most prominent hypotheses for the evolution of polyandry in social insects. Genetic variance may support overall colony fitness in various aspects like increasing colony productivity, tolerance to variable environments and pathogen resistance. 

Moreover, the presence of many patrilines within a colony may improve worker caste specialization and thus division of labor. A potential problem for the genetic variance hypothesis at first glance is to explain the evolution of extreme polyandry. This is due to the fact that the genotypic diversity gained with each additional mating drops sharply beyond six to ten effective matings

However, at colony level, the synergistic fitness gain of mutualistic interactions between genotypically diverse individuals, known as social heterosis, may well increase beyond this threshold and also explain extreme polyandry in concordance with the genetic variance hypothesis.

The Evolution of Extreme Polyandry in Social Insects: Insights from Army Ants

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