Final answer:
A female worker in Hymenoptera has a coefficient of relationship of 0.75 to her siblings due to the haplodiploid sex-determination system. This leads to high genetic relatedness within the colony and influences altruistic behaviors, such as caring for the queen and her offspring, to maximize inclusive fitness through kin selection.
Step-by-step explanation:
The coefficient of relationship of a female worker to her siblings in Hymenoptera is 0.75. This high degree of relatedness is due to the haplodiploid sex-determination system found in this order of insects, which includes bees, wasps, and ants.
In Hymenoptera, females develop from fertilized eggs and are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent. Males, on the other hand, develop from unfertilized eggs and are haploid, having only one set of chromosomes from the mother. This genetic system leads to female workers being more genetically related to their sisters (other female workers) than they would be to their own offspring, were they to reproduce. Female workers share, on average, 75% of their genes with their sisters, due to receiving half of their genes from their mother, and potentially all alleles (genetic variations) from their father since he is haploid.
From this biological framework, the behavior of worker insects in caring for the queen and her offspring can be viewed as a way to maximize their own inclusive fitness, a concept related to kin selection. This phenomenon underlies the seemingly altruistic actions within social insect colonies, as working to raise siblings can still result in passing on a high proportion of shared genes, even without directly reproducing.