Final answer:
The correct statement about Hymenoptera is that (c) group benefits come from living in and defending the nest. These insects have a haplodiploid sex determination system with haploid males and diploid females, where sterile worker bees care for the queen's offspring, promoting the well-being and genetic fitness of the colony.
Step-by-step explanation:
Regarding Hymenoptera, which includes ants, wasps, and bees, the right response is that nest-dwelling and nest-defending provide benefits to the group. Males emerge from unfertilized eggs and are haploid (containing a single set of chromosomes from their mother), whereas females are diploid (having two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent). This sex determination technique is known as haplodiploidy in Hymenoptera.
The reproductive strategy, where the queen produces eggs and the drones (males) produce sperm, benefits the survival of the species as it promotes genetic diversity and division of labor within the colony. The workers, which are typically sterile females, contribute to the colony by caring for the brood, foraging for food, and defending the hive. This division of labor ensures the well-being of the queen and the next generation of offspring, thus promoting the overall fitness of the colony.
A critical point in this system is that the degree of relatedness (r) for sister-sister relationships is higher than for mother-daughter relationships because sisters share more genes due to the haplodiploid sex determination. Thus, it is genetically advantageous for the worker bees to help rear their sisters (the queen's offspring) rather than producing offspring of their own.