The 'superorganism' concept is attributed to which entomologist?

• A. Karl Von Frisch
• B. Rachel Carson
• C. Thomas Hunt Morgan
• D. William Morton Wheeler

Answer: (C)

Imagine a colony of social insects as a single organism rather than a collection of individuals. In this view, workers, queens, and soldiers form an integrated system with a division of labor, communication networks, and coordinated behaviors that produce traits at the colony level. This superorganism concept highlights how natural selection can act on the colony as a unit, just as it does on a individual organism. The entomologist most closely associated with shaping and promoting this idea is William Morton Wheeler, an American, who described colonies as organism-like entities with emergent, colony-wide properties. His work stands in contrast to Karl von Frisch, who focused on bee communication; Rachel Carson, who wrote about environmental issues; and Thomas Hunt Morgan, who advanced genetics. Therefore, the superorganism attribution goes to Wheeler.