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Kapheim KM. Genomic sources of phenotypic novelty in the evolution of eusociality in insects. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2016; 13:24-32. [PMID: 27436550 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2015.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Revised: 10/13/2015] [Accepted: 10/28/2015] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Genomic resources are now available for closely related species that vary in social behavior, providing insight on the genomics of social evolution. Changes in the architecture of gene regulatory networks likely influence the evolutionary trajectory of social traits. Evolutionarily novel genes are likely important in the evolution of social diversity among insects, but it is unclear whether new genes played a driving role in the advent or elaboration of eusociality or if they were instead a result of other genomic features of eusociality. The worker phenotype appears to be the center of genetic novelty, but the mechanisms for this remain unresolved. Future studies are needed to understand how genetic novelty arises, becomes incorporated into existing gene regulatory networks, and the effects this has on the evolution of social traits in closely related social and solitary species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen M Kapheim
- Utah State University, Department of Biology, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan UT 84322, USA.
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53
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Taborsky M, Taborsky B. Evolution of genetic and physiological mechanisms of cooperative behaviour. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2015.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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54
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Caliari Oliveira R, Oi CA, do Nascimento MMC, Vollet-Neto A, Alves DA, Campos MC, Nascimento F, Wenseleers T. The origin and evolution of queen and fertility signals in Corbiculate bees. BMC Evol Biol 2015; 15:254. [PMID: 26573687 PMCID: PMC4647589 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0509-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2015] [Accepted: 10/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In social Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps), various chemical compounds present on the cuticle have been shown to act as fertility signals. In addition, specific queen-characteristic hydrocarbons have been implicated as sterility-inducing queen signals in ants, wasps and bumblebees. In Corbiculate bees, however, the chemical nature of queen-characteristic and fertility-linked compounds appears to be more diverse than in ants and wasps. Moreover, it remains unknown how queen signals evolved across this group and how they might have been co-opted from fertility signals in solitary ancestors. Results Here, we perform a phylogenetic analysis of fertility-linked compounds across 16 species of solitary and eusocial bee species, comprising both literature data as well as new primary data from a key solitary outgroup species, the oil-collecting bee Centris analis, and the highly eusocial stingless bee Scaptotrigona depilis. Our results demonstrate the presence of fertility-linked compounds belonging to 12 different chemical classes. In addition, we find that some classes of compounds (linear and branched alkanes, alkenes, esters and fatty acids) were already present as fertility-linked signals in the solitary ancestors of Corbiculate bees, while others appear to be specific to certain species. Conclusion Overall, our results suggest that queen signals in Corbiculate bees are likely derived from ancestral fertility-linked compounds present in solitary bees that lacked reproductive castes. These original fertility-linked cues or signals could have been produced either as a by-product of ovarian activation or could have served other communicative purposes, such as in mate recognition or the regulation of egg-laying. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0509-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Caliari Oliveira
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Socioecology & Social Evolution, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Cintia Akemi Oi
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Socioecology & Social Evolution, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | | | - Ayrton Vollet-Neto
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology, FFCLRP, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
| | - Denise Araujo Alves
- Department of Entomology and Acarology, ESALQ, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil.
| | - Maria Claudia Campos
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology, FFCLRP, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
| | - Fabio Nascimento
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology, FFCLRP, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
| | - Tom Wenseleers
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Socioecology & Social Evolution, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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55
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Schmickl T, Karsai I. How regulation based on a common stomach leads to economic optimization of honeybee foraging. J Theor Biol 2015; 389:274-86. [PMID: 26576492 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2015.10.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2015] [Revised: 10/27/2015] [Accepted: 10/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Simple regulatory mechanisms based on the idea of the saturable 'common stomach' can control the regulation of protein foraging and protein allocation in honeybee colonies and colony-level responses to environmental changes. To study the economic benefits of pollen and nectar foraging strategies of honeybees to both plants and honeybees under different environmental conditions, a model was developed and analyzed. Reallocation of the foraging workforce according to the quality and availability of resources (an 'adaptive' strategy used by honeybees) is not only a successful strategy for the bees but also for plants, because intensified pollen foraging after rain periods (when nectar quality is low) compensates a major fraction of the pollination flights lost during the rain. The 'adaptive' strategy performed better than the'fixed' (steady, minimalistic, and non-adaptive foraging without feedback) or the 'proactive' (stockpiling in anticipation of rain) strategies in brood survival and or in nectar/sugar economics. The time pattern of rain periods has profound effect on the supply-and-demand of proteins. A tropical rain pattern leads to a shortage of the influx of pollen and nectar, but it has a less profound impact on brood mortality than a typical continental rainfall pattern. Allocating more bees for pollen foraging has a detrimental effect on the nectar stores, therefore while saving larvae from starvation the 'proactive' strategy could fail to collect enough nectar for surviving winter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Schmickl
- Department of Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria.
| | - Istvan Karsai
- Department of Biological Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Box 70703, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.
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56
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Vojvodic S, Johnson BR, Harpur BA, Kent CF, Zayed A, Anderson KE, Linksvayer TA. The transcriptomic and evolutionary signature of social interactions regulating honey bee caste development. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:4795-807. [PMID: 26640660 PMCID: PMC4662310 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Revised: 08/13/2015] [Accepted: 08/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The caste fate of developing female honey bee larvae is strictly socially regulated by adult nurse workers. As a result of this social regulation, nurse-expressed genes as well as larval-expressed genes may affect caste expression and evolution. We used a novel transcriptomic approach to identify genes with putative direct and indirect effects on honey bee caste development, and we subsequently studied the relative rates of molecular evolution at these caste-associated genes. We experimentally induced the production of new queens by removing the current colony queen, and we used RNA sequencing to study the gene expression profiles of both developing larvae and their caregiving nurses before and after queen removal. By comparing the gene expression profiles of queen-destined versus worker-destined larvae as well as nurses observed feeding these two types of larvae, we identified larval and nurse genes associated with caste development. Of 950 differentially expressed genes associated with caste, 82% were expressed in larvae with putative direct effects on larval caste, and 18% were expressed in nurses with putative indirect effects on caste. Estimated selection coefficients suggest that both nurse and larval genes putatively associated with caste are rapidly evolving, especially those genes associated with worker development. Altogether, our results suggest that indirect effect genes play important roles in both the expression and evolution of socially influenced traits such as caste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svjetlana Vojvodic
- Center for Insect Science University of Arizona Tucson Arizona ; Department of Biological Sciences Rowan University Glassboro New Jersey
| | - Brian R Johnson
- Department of Entomology University of California Davis California
| | - Brock A Harpur
- Department of Biology York University Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Clement F Kent
- Department of Biology York University Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Amro Zayed
- Department of Biology York University Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Kirk E Anderson
- Carl Hayden Bee Research Center USDA Tucson Arizona ; Department of Entomology University of Arizona Tucson Arizona
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57
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Zhou X, Rokas A, Berger SL, Liebig J, Ray A, Zwiebel LJ. Chemoreceptor Evolution in Hymenoptera and Its Implications for the Evolution of Eusociality. Genome Biol Evol 2015; 7:2407-16. [PMID: 26272716 PMCID: PMC4558866 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evv149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Eusocial insects, mostly Hymenoptera, have evolved unique colonial lifestyles that rely on the perception of social context mainly through pheromones, and chemoreceptors are hypothesized to have played important adaptive roles in the evolution of sociality. However, because chemoreceptor repertoires have been characterized in few social insects and their solitary relatives, a comprehensive examination of this hypothesis has not been possible. Here, we annotate ∼3,000 odorant and gustatory receptors in recently sequenced Hymenoptera genomes and systematically compare >4,000 chemoreceptors from 13 hymenopterans, representing one solitary lineage (wasps) and three independently evolved eusocial lineages (ants and two bees). We observe a strong general tendency for chemoreceptors to expand in Hymenoptera, whereas the specifics of gene gains/losses are highly diverse between lineages. We also find more frequent positive selection on chemoreceptors in a facultative eusocial bee and in the common ancestor of ants compared with solitary wasps. Our results suggest that the frequent expansions of chemoreceptors have facilitated the transition to eusociality. Divergent expression patterns of odorant receptors between honeybee and ants further indicate differential roles of chemoreceptors in parallel trajectories of social evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofan Zhou
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University
| | - Antonis Rokas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University
| | - Shelley L Berger
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania
| | - Jürgen Liebig
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe
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Laubichler MD, Renn J. Extended evolution: A conceptual framework for integrating regulatory networks and niche construction. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2015; 324:565-77. [PMID: 26097188 PMCID: PMC4744698 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2015] [Accepted: 04/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This paper introduces a conceptual framework for the evolution of complex systems based on the integration of regulatory network and niche construction theories. It is designed to apply equally to cases of biological, social and cultural evolution. Within the conceptual framework we focus especially on the transformation of complex networks through the linked processes of externalization and internalization of causal factors between regulatory networks and their corresponding niches and argue that these are an important part of evolutionary explanations. This conceptual framework extends previous evolutionary models and focuses on several challenges, such as the path‐dependent nature of evolutionary change, the dynamics of evolutionary innovation and the expansion of inheritance systems. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 324B: 565–577, 2015. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred D Laubichler
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.,Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico.,Marine Biological Laboratory, Wood Hole, Massachusetts.,Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jürgen Renn
- Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin, Germany
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59
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Rehan SM, Toth AL. Climbing the social ladder: the molecular evolution of sociality. Trends Ecol Evol 2015; 30:426-33. [PMID: 26051561 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2015.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2015] [Revised: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 05/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Genomic tools are allowing us to dissect the roles of genes and genetic architecture in social evolution, and eusocial insects are excellent models. Numerous hypotheses for molecular evolution of eusociality have been proposed, ranging from regulatory shifts in 'old' genes to rapid evolution of 'new' genes. A broad model to explain this major transition in evolution has been lacking. We provide a synthetic framework centered on the idea that different evolutionary processes dominate during different transitional stages, beginning with changes in gene regulation and culminating in novel genes later on. By considering multiple mechanisms as we 'climb the social ladder', we can test whether the transitions from solitary to simple sociality to complex sociality represent incremental changes or genetic revolutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra M Rehan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA.
| | - Amy L Toth
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, and Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
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60
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Kapheim KM, Pan H, Li C, Salzberg SL, Puiu D, Magoc T, Robertson HM, Hudson ME, Venkat A, Fischman BJ, Hernandez A, Yandell M, Ence D, Holt C, Yocum GD, Kemp WP, Bosch J, Waterhouse RM, Zdobnov EM, Stolle E, Kraus FB, Helbing S, Moritz RFA, Glastad KM, Hunt BG, Goodisman MAD, Hauser F, Grimmelikhuijzen CJP, Pinheiro DG, Nunes FMF, Soares MPM, Tanaka ÉD, Simões ZLP, Hartfelder K, Evans JD, Barribeau SM, Johnson RM, Massey JH, Southey BR, Hasselmann M, Hamacher D, Biewer M, Kent CF, Zayed A, Blatti C, Sinha S, Johnston JS, Hanrahan SJ, Kocher SD, Wang J, Robinson GE, Zhang G. Social evolution. Genomic signatures of evolutionary transitions from solitary to group living. Science 2015; 348:1139-43. [PMID: 25977371 PMCID: PMC5471836 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa4788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 239] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 05/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of eusociality is one of the major transitions in evolution, but the underlying genomic changes are unknown. We compared the genomes of 10 bee species that vary in social complexity, representing multiple independent transitions in social evolution, and report three major findings. First, many important genes show evidence of neutral evolution as a consequence of relaxed selection with increasing social complexity. Second, there is no single road map to eusociality; independent evolutionary transitions in sociality have independent genetic underpinnings. Third, though clearly independent in detail, these transitions do have similar general features, including an increase in constrained protein evolution accompanied by increases in the potential for gene regulation and decreases in diversity and abundance of transposable elements. Eusociality may arise through different mechanisms each time, but would likely always involve an increase in the complexity of gene networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen M Kapheim
- Carl R. WoeseInstitute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA.
| | - Hailin Pan
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Cai Li
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China. Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 1350, Denmark
| | - Steven L Salzberg
- Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, and Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA. Center for Computational Biology, McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Daniela Puiu
- Center for Computational Biology, McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Tanja Magoc
- Center for Computational Biology, McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Hugh M Robertson
- Carl R. WoeseInstitute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Matthew E Hudson
- Carl R. WoeseInstitute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Aarti Venkat
- Carl R. WoeseInstitute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Brielle J Fischman
- Carl R. WoeseInstitute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Department of Biology, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY 14456, USA
| | - Alvaro Hernandez
- Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Mark Yandell
- Department of Human Genetics, Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA. USTAR Center for Genetic Discovery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Daniel Ence
- Department of Human Genetics, Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Carson Holt
- Department of Human Genetics, Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA. USTAR Center for Genetic Discovery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - George D Yocum
- U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center, Biosciences Research Laboratory, Fargo, ND 58102, USA
| | - William P Kemp
- U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center, Biosciences Research Laboratory, Fargo, ND 58102, USA
| | - Jordi Bosch
- Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Robert M Waterhouse
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland. Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland. Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Evgeny M Zdobnov
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland. Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Eckart Stolle
- Institute of Biology, Department Zoology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 4, D-06099 Halle (Saale), Germany. Queen Mary University of London, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences Organismal Biology Research Group, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - F Bernhard Kraus
- Institute of Biology, Department Zoology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 4, D-06099 Halle (Saale), Germany. Department of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Halle, Ernst Grube Strasse 40, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Sophie Helbing
- Institute of Biology, Department Zoology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 4, D-06099 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Robin F A Moritz
- Institute of Biology, Department Zoology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 4, D-06099 Halle (Saale), Germany. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Karl M Glastad
- School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Brendan G Hunt
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Griffin, GA 30223, USA
| | | | - Frank Hauser
- Center for Functional and Comparative Insect Genomics, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Cornelis J P Grimmelikhuijzen
- Center for Functional and Comparative Insect Genomics, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Daniel Guariz Pinheiro
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. Departamento de Tecnologia, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), 14884-900 Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Francis Morais Franco Nunes
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, 13565-905 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Michelle Prioli Miranda Soares
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Érica Donato Tanaka
- Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Zilá Luz Paulino Simões
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Klaus Hartfelder
- Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular e Bioagentes Patogênicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Jay D Evans
- USDA-ARS Bee Research Lab, Beltsville, MD 20705 USA
| | - Seth M Barribeau
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
| | - Reed M Johnson
- Department of Entomology, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
| | - Jonathan H Massey
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Bruce R Southey
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Martin Hasselmann
- Department of Population Genomics, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Animal Breeding, University of Hohenheim, Germany
| | - Daniel Hamacher
- Department of Population Genomics, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Animal Breeding, University of Hohenheim, Germany
| | - Matthias Biewer
- Department of Population Genomics, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Animal Breeding, University of Hohenheim, Germany
| | - Clement F Kent
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada. Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institue, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Amro Zayed
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Charles Blatti
- Carl R. WoeseInstitute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Saurabh Sinha
- Carl R. WoeseInstitute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - J Spencer Johnston
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Shawn J Hanrahan
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Sarah D Kocher
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Jun Wang
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China. Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark. Princess Al Jawhara Center of Excellence in the Research of Hereditary Disorders, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia. Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai long, Taipa, Macau 999078, China. Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
| | - Gene E Robinson
- Carl R. WoeseInstitute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Center for Advanced Study Professor in Entomology and Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
| | - Guojie Zhang
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China. Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, Universitetsparken 15, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Schrader L, Simola DF, Heinze J, Oettler J. Sphingolipids, Transcription Factors, and Conserved Toolkit Genes: Developmental Plasticity in the Ant Cardiocondyla obscurior. Mol Biol Evol 2015; 32:1474-86. [PMID: 25725431 PMCID: PMC4615751 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msv039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental plasticity allows for the remarkable morphological specialization of individuals into castes in eusocial species of Hymenoptera. Developmental trajectories that lead to alternative caste fates are typically determined by specific environmental stimuli that induce larvae to express and maintain distinct gene expression patterns. Although most eusocial species express two castes, queens and workers, the ant Cardiocondyla obscurior expresses diphenic females and males; this provides a unique system with four discrete phenotypes to study the genomic basis of developmental plasticity in ants. We sequenced and analyzed the transcriptomes of 28 individual C. obscurior larvae of known developmental trajectory, providing the first in-depth analysis of gene expression in eusocial insect larvae. Clustering and transcription factor binding site analyses revealed that different transcription factors and functionally distinct sets of genes are recruited during larval development to induce the four alternative trajectories. In particular, we found complex patterns of gene regulation pertaining to sphingolipid metabolism, a conserved molecular pathway involved in development, obesity, and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Schrader
- Department for Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Daniel F Simola
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Department for Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jan Oettler
- Department for Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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Faircloth BC, Branstetter MG, White ND, Brady SG. Target enrichment of ultraconserved elements from arthropods provides a genomic perspective on relationships among Hymenoptera. Mol Ecol Resour 2015; 15:489-501. [PMID: 25207863 PMCID: PMC4407909 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.12328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 197] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2014] [Revised: 08/31/2014] [Accepted: 09/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Gaining a genomic perspective on phylogeny requires the collection of data from many putatively independent loci across the genome. Among insects, an increasingly common approach to collecting this class of data involves transcriptome sequencing, because few insects have high-quality genome sequences available; assembling new genomes remains a limiting factor; the transcribed portion of the genome is a reasonable, reduced subset of the genome to target; and the data collected from transcribed portions of the genome are similar in composition to the types of data with which biologists have traditionally worked (e.g. exons). However, molecular techniques requiring RNA as a template, including transcriptome sequencing, are limited to using very high-quality source materials, which are often unavailable from a large proportion of biologically important insect samples. Recent research suggests that DNA-based target enrichment of conserved genomic elements offers another path to collecting phylogenomic data across insect taxa, provided that conserved elements are present in and can be collected from insect genomes. Here, we identify a large set (n = 1510) of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) shared among the insect order Hymenoptera. We used in silico analyses to show that these loci accurately reconstruct relationships among genome-enabled hymenoptera, and we designed a set of RNA baits (n = 2749) for enriching these loci that researchers can use with DNA templates extracted from a variety of sources. We used our UCE bait set to enrich an average of 721 UCE loci from 30 hymenopteran taxa, and we used these UCE loci to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships spanning very old (≥220 Ma) to very young (≤1 Ma) divergences among hymenopteran lineages. In contrast to a recent study addressing hymenopteran phylogeny using transcriptome data, we found ants to be sister to all remaining aculeate lineages with complete support, although this result could be explained by factors such as taxon sampling. We discuss this approach and our results in the context of elucidating the evolutionary history of one of the most diverse and speciose animal orders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brant C Faircloth
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
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63
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Oppenheim SJ, Baker RH, Simon S, DeSalle R. We can't all be supermodels: the value of comparative transcriptomics to the study of non-model insects. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2015; 24:139-54. [PMID: 25524309 PMCID: PMC4383654 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Insects are the most diverse group of organisms on the planet. Variation in gene expression lies at the heart of this biodiversity and recent advances in sequencing technology have spawned a revolution in researchers' ability to survey tissue-specific transcriptional complexity across a wide range of insect taxa. Increasingly, studies are using a comparative approach (across species, sexes and life stages) that examines the transcriptional basis of phenotypic diversity within an evolutionary context. In the present review, we summarize much of this research, focusing in particular on three critical aspects of insect biology: morphological development and plasticity; physiological response to the environment; and sexual dimorphism. A common feature that is emerging from these investigations concerns the dynamic nature of transcriptome evolution as indicated by rapid changes in the overall pattern of gene expression, the differential expression of numerous genes with unknown function, and the incorporation of novel, lineage-specific genes into the transcriptional profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara J Oppenheim
- Department of Entomology, Division of Invertebrates, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural HistoryNew York, NY, USA
| | - Richard H Baker
- Department of Entomology, Division of Invertebrates, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural HistoryNew York, NY, USA
| | - Sabrina Simon
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen UniversityWageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rob DeSalle
- Department of Entomology, Division of Invertebrates, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural HistoryNew York, NY, USA
- Correspondence: Dr. Robert DeSalle, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street at Central Park West, New York, NY 10024, USA. Tel.: 212-769-5670; e-mail:
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Mikheyev AS, Linksvayer TA. Genes associated with ant social behavior show distinct transcriptional and evolutionary patterns. eLife 2015; 4:e04775. [PMID: 25621766 PMCID: PMC4383337 DOI: 10.7554/elife.04775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2014] [Accepted: 01/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of the genetic basis and evolution of complex social behavior emphasize
either conserved or novel genes. To begin to reconcile these perspectives, we studied
how the evolutionary conservation of genes associated with social behavior depends on
regulatory context, and whether genes associated with social behavior exist in
distinct regulatory and evolutionary contexts. We identified modules of co-expressed
genes associated with age-based division of labor between nurses and foragers in the
ant Monomorium pharaonis, and we studied the relationship between
molecular evolution, connectivity, and expression. Highly connected and expressed
genes were more evolutionarily conserved, as expected. However, compared to the rest
of the genome, forager-upregulated genes were much more highly connected and
conserved, while nurse-upregulated genes were less connected and more evolutionarily
labile. Our results indicate that the genetic architecture of social behavior
includes both highly connected and conserved components as well as loosely connected
and evolutionarily labile components. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04775.001 Animal species vary widely in their degree of social behavior. Some species live
solitarily, and others, such as ants and humans, form large societies. Many
researchers have tried to understand the genetic changes underlying the evolution of
social behavior. Some researchers suggest that it involves recycling existing genes
that also have other conserved functions. Others propose that the evolution of social
behavior involves completely new genes that are not found in related but solitary
species. Ants are one of the best-studied social animals. An established colony can contain
many 1000s of individuals that live and work together and perform different roles.
The queen's job is to lay eggs, while the worker ants do everything else,
including collecting food, caring for the young, and protecting the colony. In some
species of ant—including the pharaoh ant—a worker's role changes
as it ages. Younger workers tend to stay in the nest and nurse the brood, while older
workers tend to leave the nest and forage for food. Mikheyev and Linksvayer asked: which genes are responsible for this age-based
division of labor? And how did this aspect of social behavior evolve? First, after
observing pharaoh ants from two colonies set up in the laboratory, they confirmed
that workers nursing the brood were on average almost a week younger than those seen
collecting food. Next Mikheyev and Linksvayer identified which genes were expressed
in ants of different ages, or ants engaged in different tasks. Specific sets of genes
were expressed more (or ‘up-regulated’) in nurse workers, while others
were up-regulated in foraging workers. Mikheyev and Linksvayer then investigated how rapidly these genes had evolved by
comparing them to related genes found in other social insects (fire ants and honey
bees). They also determined the ‘connectivity’ of these genes by asking
how many other genes showed similar expression patterns. In many organisms, how
rapidly a gene evolves depends on how tightly connected its expression is to the
expression of other genes; highly connected genes evolve more slowly. The genes that were expressed more in the older foraging workers were both more
highly connected and more evolutionarily conserved in the other social insects. Genes
that were up-regulated in the younger nurse workers were more loosely connected and
rapidly evolving. Mikheyev and Linksvayer's findings show that the evolution of social behavior
in animals involves both new genes, which tend to be loosely connected, and conserved
genes, which tend to be more highly connected. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04775.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander S Mikheyev
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, Japan
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65
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Jasper WC, Linksvayer TA, Atallah J, Friedman D, Chiu JC, Johnson BR. Large-scale coding sequence change underlies the evolution of postdevelopmental novelty in honey bees. Mol Biol Evol 2014; 32:334-46. [PMID: 25351750 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msu292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Whether coding or regulatory sequence change is more important to the evolution of phenotypic novelty is one of biology's major unresolved questions. The field of evo-devo has shown that in early development changes to regulatory regions are the dominant mode of genetic change, but whether this extends to the evolution of novel phenotypes in the adult organism is unclear. Here, we conduct ten RNA-Seq experiments across both novel and conserved tissues in the honey bee to determine to what extent postdevelopmental novelty is based on changes to the coding regions of genes. We make several discoveries. First, we show that with respect to novel physiological functions in the adult animal, positively selected tissue-specific genes of high expression underlie novelty by conferring specialized cellular functions. Such genes are often, but not always taxonomically restricted genes (TRGs). We further show that positively selected genes, whether TRGs or conserved genes, are the least connected genes within gene expression networks. Overall, this work suggests that the evo-devo paradigm is limited, and that the evolution of novelty, postdevelopment, follows additional rules. Specifically, evo-devo stresses that high network connectedness (repeated use of the same gene in many contexts) constrains coding sequence change as it would lead to negative pleiotropic effects. Here, we show that in the adult animal, the converse is true: Genes with low network connectedness (TRGs and tissue-specific conserved genes) underlie novel phenotypes by rapidly changing coding sequence to perform new-specialized functions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Joel Atallah
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California-Davis
| | - Daniel Friedman
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California-Davis
| | - Joanna C Chiu
- Department of Entomology, University of California-Davis
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66
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Kennedy P, Uller T, Helanterä H. Are ant supercolonies crucibles of a new major transition in evolution? J Evol Biol 2014; 27:1784-96. [PMID: 24976004 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2014] [Revised: 05/01/2014] [Accepted: 05/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The biological hierarchy of genes, cells, organisms and societies is a fundamental reality in the living world. This hierarchy of entities did not arise ex nihilo at the origin of life, but rather has been serially generated by a succession of critical events known as 'evolutionary transitions in individuality' (ETIs). Given the sequential nature of ETIs, it is natural to look for candidates to form the next hierarchical tier. We analyse claims that these candidates are found among 'supercolonies', ant populations in which discrete nests cooperate as part of a wider collective, in ways redolent of cells in a multicellular organism. Examining earlier empirical work and new data within the recently proposed 'Darwinian space' framework, we offer a novel analysis of the evolutionary status of supercolonies and show how certain key conditions might be satisfied in any future process transforming these collaborative networks into true Darwinian individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Kennedy
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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67
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Watanabe D, Gotoh H, Miura T, Maekawa K. Social interactions affecting caste development through physiological actions in termites. Front Physiol 2014; 5:127. [PMID: 24782780 PMCID: PMC3988372 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2014.00127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2013] [Accepted: 03/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A colony of social insects is not only an aggregation of individuals but also a functional unit. To achieve adaptive social behavior in fluctuating environmental conditions, in addition to coordination of physiological status in each individual, the whole colony is coordinated by interactions among colony members. The study on the regulation of social-insect colonies is termed "social physiology." Termites, a major group of social insects, exhibit many interesting phenomena related to social physiology, such as mechanisms of caste regulation in a colony. In their colonies, there are different types of individuals, i.e., castes, which show distinctive phenotypes specialized in specific colony tasks. Termite castes comprise reproductives, soldiers and workers, and the caste composition can be altered depending on circumstances. For the regulation of caste compositions, interactions among individuals, i.e., social interactions, are thought to be important. In this article, we review previous studies on the adaptive meanings and those on the proximate mechanisms of the caste regulation in termites, and try to understand those comprehensively in terms of social physiology. Firstly, we summarize classical studies on the social interactions. Secondly, previous studies on the pheromone substances that mediate the caste regulatory mechanisms are overviewed. Then, we discuss the roles of a physiological factor, juvenile hormone (JH) in the regulation of caste differentiation. Finally, we introduce the achievements of molecular studies on the animal sociality (i.e., sociogenomics) in terms of social physiology. By comparing the proximate mechanisms of social physiology in termites with those in hymenopterans, we try to get insights into the general principles of social physiology in social animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dai Watanabe
- Laboratory of Ecological Genetics, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido UniversitySapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, University of ToyamaToyama, Japan
| | - Hiroki Gotoh
- Laboratory of Ecological Genetics, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido UniversitySapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
- Department of Entomology, Washington State UniversityPullman, WA, USA
| | - Toru Miura
- Laboratory of Ecological Genetics, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido UniversitySapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Kiyoto Maekawa
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, University of ToyamaToyama, Japan
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68
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Roth KM, Beekman M, Allsopp MH, Goudie F, Wossler TC, Oldroyd BP. Cheating workers with large activated ovaries avoid risky foraging. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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69
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Manfredini F, Lucas C, Nicolas M, Keller L, Shoemaker D, Grozinger CM. Molecular and social regulation of worker division of labour in fire ants. Mol Ecol 2014; 23:660-72. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.12626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2013] [Revised: 12/01/2013] [Accepted: 12/06/2013] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Manfredini
- Department of Entomology; Center for Pollinator Research; The Pennsylvania State University; University Park PA 16802 USA
- School of Biological Sciences; Royal Holloway University of London; Egham TW 20 0EX UK
| | - Christophe Lucas
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l‘Insecte (UMR 7261), CNRS; University of Tours; Parc de Grandmont 37200 Tours France
- Department of Ecology & Evolution; University of Lausanne; Biophore Unil-Sorge Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Michael Nicolas
- Department of Ecology & Evolution; University of Lausanne; Biophore Unil-Sorge Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Laurent Keller
- Department of Ecology & Evolution; University of Lausanne; Biophore Unil-Sorge Lausanne Switzerland
| | | | - Christina M. Grozinger
- Department of Entomology; Center for Pollinator Research; The Pennsylvania State University; University Park PA 16802 USA
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70
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Jandt JM, Dornhaus A. Bumblebee response thresholds and body size: does worker diversity increase colony performance? Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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71
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Camiletti AL, Awde DN, Thompson GJ. How flies respond to honey bee pheromone: the role of the foraging gene on reproductive response to queen mandibular pheromone. Naturwissenschaften 2013; 101:25-31. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-013-1125-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2013] [Revised: 11/13/2013] [Accepted: 11/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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72
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Manfredini F, Riba-Grognuz O, Wurm Y, Keller L, Shoemaker D, Grozinger CM. Sociogenomics of cooperation and conflict during colony founding in the fire ant Solenopsis invicta. PLoS Genet 2013; 9:e1003633. [PMID: 23950725 PMCID: PMC3738511 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2013] [Accepted: 05/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the fundamental questions in biology is how cooperative and altruistic behaviors evolved. The majority of studies seeking to identify the genes regulating these behaviors have been performed in systems where behavioral and physiological differences are relatively fixed, such as in the honey bee. During colony founding in the monogyne (one queen per colony) social form of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta, newly-mated queens may start new colonies either individually (haplometrosis) or in groups (pleometrosis). However, only one queen (the “winner”) in pleometrotic associations survives and takes the lead of the young colony while the others (the “losers”) are executed. Thus, colony founding in fire ants provides an excellent system in which to examine the genes underpinning cooperative behavior and how the social environment shapes the expression of these genes. We developed a new whole genome microarray platform for S. invicta to characterize the gene expression patterns associated with colony founding behavior. First, we compared haplometrotic queens, pleometrotic winners and pleometrotic losers. Second, we manipulated pleometrotic couples in order to switch or maintain the social ranks of the two cofoundresses. Haplometrotic and pleometrotic queens differed in the expression of genes involved in stress response, aging, immunity, reproduction and lipid biosynthesis. Smaller sets of genes were differentially expressed between winners and losers. In the second experiment, switching social rank had a much greater impact on gene expression patterns than the initial/final rank. Expression differences for several candidate genes involved in key biological processes were confirmed using qRT-PCR. Our findings indicate that, in S. invicta, social environment plays a major role in the determination of the patterns of gene expression, while the queen's physiological state is secondary. These results highlight the powerful influence of social environment on regulation of the genomic state, physiology and ultimately, social behavior of animals. The characterization of the genomic basis for complex behaviors is one of the major goals of biological research. The genomic state of an individual results from the interplay between its internal condition (the “nature”) and the external environment (the “nurture”), which may include the social environment. Colony founding in the fire ant Solenopsis invicta is a complex process that serves as a useful model for investigating how the interplay between genes and social environment shapes social behavior. Unrelated, newly mated S. invicta queens may start a new colony as a group, but ultimately only one queen will survive and gain full reproductive dominance. By uncovering the genetic basis for founding behavior in fire ants we therefore provide useful insights into how cooperative behavior evolved in a context that might be considered primitively eusocial, because newly mated queens in a founding association are morphologically, physiologically and genetically very similar and display no evident division of labor. Our results suggest that social environment (founding singly or in pairs, switching dominance rank vs. maintaining rank) is a much greater driver of gene expression changes than social rank itself, suggesting that social environment, and not reproductive state, is a key regulator of gene expression, physiology and ultimately, behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Manfredini
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
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73
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Linksvayer TA, Busch JW, Smith CR. Social supergenes of superorganisms: Do supergenes play important roles in social evolution? Bioessays 2013; 35:683-9. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.201300038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeremiah W. Busch
- School of Biological Sciences; Washington State University; Pullman WA, USA
| | - Chris R. Smith
- Department of Biology; Earlham College; Richmond IN, USA
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75
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Tibbetts EA, Mettler A, Donajkowski K. Nutrition-dependent fertility response to juvenile hormone in non-social Euodynerus foraminatus wasps and the evolutionary origin of sociality. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2013; 59:339-344. [PMID: 23247338 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2012.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2012] [Revised: 11/29/2012] [Accepted: 11/30/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The reproductive ground plan hypothesis (RGPH) proposes that the ovarian cycle in solitary insects provides the basis for social evolution, so similar mechanisms are predicted to influence reproductive plasticity in social and solitary species. Specifically, reproductive plasticity in social species originated via modification of nutrition-dependent fertility response to juvenile hormone (JH) in solitary insects. Testing this prediction requires information about the factors that influence fertility in non-social relatives of the eusocial hymenoptera. However, no previous studies have examined how JH or nutritional condition influence fertility in Eumenines, the non-social group most closely related to social wasps. Here, we find support for the RGPH, as JH increases Euodynerus foraminatus fertility. Fertility is also condition-dependent, as heavy E. foraminatus are more fertile than light E. foraminatus. In addition, we measure the factors associated with mating success in E. foraminatus, finding that multiple factors influence mating success, including male weight, male mating experience, and female age. There is also higher variance in male than female reproductive success, suggesting that males may experience substantial sexual selection in this species. Overall, the relationships between JH, body weight, and fertility in E. foraminatus support the RGPH for the origin of sociality by demonstrating that there are strong parallels in the mechanisms that mediate fertility of social and non-social wasps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Tibbetts
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States.
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76
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Ferreira PG, Patalano S, Chauhan R, Ffrench-Constant R, Gabaldón T, Guigó R, Sumner S. Transcriptome analyses of primitively eusocial wasps reveal novel insights into the evolution of sociality and the origin of alternative phenotypes. Genome Biol 2013; 14:R20. [PMID: 23442883 PMCID: PMC4053794 DOI: 10.1186/gb-2013-14-2-r20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2012] [Accepted: 02/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding how alternative phenotypes arise from the same genome is a major challenge in modern biology. Eusociality in insects requires the evolution of two alternative phenotypes - workers, who sacrifice personal reproduction, and queens, who realize that reproduction. Extensive work on honeybees and ants has revealed the molecular basis of derived queen and worker phenotypes in highly eusocial lineages, but we lack equivalent deep-level analyses of wasps and of primitively eusocial species, the latter of which can reveal how phenotypic decoupling first occurs in the early stages of eusocial evolution. RESULTS We sequenced 20 Gbp of transcriptomes derived from brains of different behavioral castes of the primitively eusocial tropical paper wasp Polistes canadensis. Surprisingly, 75% of the 2,442 genes differentially expressed between phenotypes were novel, having no significant homology with described sequences. Moreover, 90% of these novel genes were significantly upregulated in workers relative to queens. Differential expression of novel genes in the early stages of sociality may be important in facilitating the evolution of worker behavioral complexity in eusocial evolution. We also found surprisingly low correlation in the identity and direction of expression of differentially expressed genes across similar phenotypes in different social lineages, supporting the idea that social evolution in different lineages requires substantial de novo rewiring of molecular pathways. CONCLUSIONS These genomic resources for aculeate wasps and first transcriptome-wide insights into the origin of castes bring us closer to a more general understanding of eusocial evolution and how phenotypic diversity arises from the same genome.
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Baracchi D, Fadda A, Turillazzi S. Evidence for antiseptic behaviour towards sick adult bees in honey bee colonies. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2012; 58:1589-1596. [PMID: 23068993 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2012.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2012] [Revised: 09/26/2012] [Accepted: 09/27/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Social life is generally associated with an increased risk of disease transmission, but at the same time it allows behavioural defence at both the individual and collective level. Bees infected with deformed-wing virus were introduced into observation hives; through behavioural observations and chemical analysis of cuticular hydrocarbons from healthy and infected bees, we offer the first evidence that honeybee colonies can detect and remove infected adult bees, probably by recognising the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of sick individuals. We also found that health-compromised colonies were less efficient at defending themselves against infected bees, thus facing an ever increasing risk of epidemics. This work reveals a new antiseptic behaviour that can only be interpreted as an adaptation at colony level and one which should be considered an element of the social immunity system of the beehive, re-enforcing the view of a colony as an integrated organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Università degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Biologia Evoluzionistica Leo Pardi, Via Romana 17, 50125 Firenze, Italy.
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78
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Holman L, Leroy C, Jørgensen C, Nielsen J, d’Ettorre P. Are queen ants inhibited by their own pheromone? Regulation of productivity via negative feedback. Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
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79
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Linksvayer TA, Fewell JH, Gadau J, Laubichler MD. Developmental evolution in social insects: regulatory networks from genes to societies. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2012; 318:159-69. [PMID: 22544713 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The evolution and development of complex phenotypes in social insect colonies, such as queen-worker dimorphism or division of labor, can, in our opinion, only be fully understood within an expanded mechanistic framework of Developmental Evolution. Conversely, social insects offer a fertile research area in which fundamental questions of Developmental Evolution can be addressed empirically. We review the concept of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that aims to fully describe the battery of interacting genomic modules that are differentially expressed during the development of individual organisms. We discuss how distinct types of network models have been used to study different levels of biological organization in social insects, from GRNs to social networks. We propose that these hierarchical networks spanning different organizational levels from genes to societies should be integrated and incorporated into full GRN models to elucidate the evolutionary and developmental mechanisms underlying social insect phenotypes. Finally, we discuss prospects and approaches to achieve such an integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy A Linksvayer
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
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80
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Molet M, Wheeler DE, Peeters C. Evolution of novel mosaic castes in ants: modularity, phenotypic plasticity, and colonial buffering. Am Nat 2012; 180:328-41. [PMID: 22854076 DOI: 10.1086/667368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Many ants have independently evolved castes with novel morphology as well as function, such as soldiers and permanently wingless (ergatoid) queens. We present a conceptual model, based on modularity in morphology and development, in which evolutionary innovation is facilitated by the ancestral ant polyphenism of winged queens and wingless workers. We suggest that novel castes evolved from rare intercastes, anomalous mosaics of winged queens and workers, erratically produced by colonies through environmental or genetic perturbations. The colonial environment is highly accommodating and buffers viable intercastes from individual selection. Their cost is limited because they are diluted by the large number of nestmates, yet some can bring disproportionate benefits to their colonies in the context of defense or reproduction (e.g., wingless intercastes able to mate). Useful intercastes will increase in frequency as their morphology is stabilized through genetic accommodation. We show that both soldiers and ergatoid queens are mosaics of winged queens and workers, and they are strikingly similar to some intercastes. Modularity and developmental plasticity together with winged/wingless polyphenism thus allow for the production of highly variable mosaic intercastes, and colonies incubate the advantageous mosaics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Molet
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Evolution, CNRS Unité Mixte de Recherche 7625, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris 75005, France.
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81
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Hall DW, Goodisman MAD. The effects of kin selection on rates of molecular evolution in social insects. Evolution 2012; 66:2080-93. [PMID: 22759286 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2012.01602.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of sociality represented a major transition point in biological history. The most advanced societies, such as those displayed by social insects, consist of reproductive and nonreproductive castes. The caste system fundamentally affects the way natural selection operates. Specifically, selection acts directly on reproductive castes, such as queens, but only indirectly through the process of kin selection on nonreproductive castes, such as workers. In this study, we present theoretical analyses to determine the rate of substitution at loci expressed exclusively in the queen or worker castes. We show that the rate of substitution is the same for queen- and worker-selected loci when the queen is singly mated. In contrast, when a queen is multiply mated, queen-selected loci show higher rates of substitution for adaptive alleles and lower rates of substitution for deleterious alleles than worker-selected loci. We compare our theoretical expectations to previously obtained genomic data from the honeybee, Apis mellifera, where queens mate multiply and the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, where queens mate singly and find that rates of evolution of queen- and worker-selected loci are consistent with our predictions. Overall, our research tests theoretical expectations using empirically obtained genomic data to better understand the evolution of advanced societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W Hall
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA.
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82
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Kapheim KM, Smith AR, Ihle KE, Amdam GV, Nonacs P, Wcislo WT. Physiological variation as a mechanism for developmental caste-biasing in a facultatively eusocial sweat bee. Proc Biol Sci 2012; 279:1437-46. [PMID: 22048951 PMCID: PMC3282364 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.1652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2011] [Accepted: 10/13/2011] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Social castes of eusocial insects may have arisen through an evolutionary modification of an ancestral reproductive ground plan, such that some adults emerge from development physiologically primed to specialize on reproduction (queens) and others on maternal care expressed as allo-maternal behaviour (workers). This hypothesis predicts that variation in reproductive physiology should emerge from ontogeny and underlie division of labour. To test these predictions, we identified physiological links to division of labour in a facultatively eusocial sweat bee, Megalopta genalis. Queens are larger, have larger ovaries and have higher vitellogenin titres than workers. We then compared queens and workers with their solitary counterparts-solitary reproductive females and dispersing nest foundresses-to investigate physiological variation as a factor in caste evolution. Within dyads, body size and ovary development were the best predictors of behavioural class. Queens and dispersers are larger, with larger ovaries than their solitary counterparts. Finally, we raised bees in social isolation to investigate the influence of ontogeny on physiological variation. Body size and ovary development among isolated females were highly variable, and linked to differences in vitellogenin titres. As these are key physiological predictors of social caste, our results provide evidence for developmental caste-biasing in a facultatively eusocial bee.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen M Kapheim
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Charles E. Young Dr. South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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83
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Johnson BR, Frost E. Individual-level patterns of division of labor in honeybees highlight flexibility in colony-level developmental mechanisms. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-012-1341-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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84
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Abstract
In a model based on the wasp family Vespidae, the origin of worker behaviour, which constitutes the eusociality threshold, is not based on relatedness, therefore the origin of eusociality does not depend on inclusive fitness, and workers at the eusociality threshold are not altruistic. Instead, incipient workers and queens behave selfishly and are subject to direct natural selection. Beyond the eusociality threshold, relatedness enables 'soft inheritance' as the framework for initial adaptations of eusociality. At the threshold of irreversibility, queen and worker castes become fixed in advanced eusociality. Transitions from solitary to facultative, facultative to primitive, and primitive to advanced eusociality occur via exaptation, phenotypic accommodation and genetic assimilation. Multilevel selection characterizes the solitary to highly eusocial transition, but components of multilevel selection vary across levels of eusociality. Roles of behavioural flexibility and developmental plasticity in the evolutionary process equal or exceed those of genotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- James H Hunt
- Departments of Biology and Entomology, W M Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
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85
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86
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Fischman BJ, Woodard SH, Robinson GE. Molecular evolutionary analyses of insect societies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108 Suppl 2:10847-54. [PMID: 21690385 PMCID: PMC3131825 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1100301108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The social insects live in extraordinarily complex and cohesive societies, where many individuals sacrifice their personal reproduction to become helpers in the colony. Identifying adaptive molecular changes involved in eusocial evolution in insects is important for understanding the mechanisms underlying transitions from solitary to social living, as well as the maintenance and elaboration of social life. Here, we review recent advances made in this area of research in several insect groups: the ants, bees, wasps, and termites. Drawing from whole-genome comparisons, candidate gene approaches, and a genome-scale comparative analysis of protein-coding sequence, we highlight novel insights gained for five major biological processes: chemical signaling, brain development and function, immunity, reproduction, and metabolism and nutrition. Lastly, we make comparisons across these diverse approaches and social insect lineages and discuss potential common themes of eusocial evolution, as well as challenges and prospects for future research in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Gene E. Robinson
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology
- Department of Entomology
- Institute for Genomic Biology, and
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801
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87
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Grunewald TGP, Herbst SM, Heinze J, Burdach S. Understanding tumor heterogeneity as functional compartments--superorganisms revisited. J Transl Med 2011; 9:79. [PMID: 21619636 PMCID: PMC3118334 DOI: 10.1186/1479-5876-9-79] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2011] [Accepted: 05/27/2011] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Compelling evidence broadens our understanding of tumors as highly heterogeneous populations derived from one common progenitor. In this review we portray various stages of tumorigenesis, tumor progression, self-seeding and metastasis in analogy to the superorganisms of insect societies to exemplify the highly complex architecture of a neoplasm as a system of functional "castes." Accordingly, we propose a model in which clonal expansion and cumulative acquisition of genetic alterations produce tumor compartments each equipped with distinct traits and thus distinct functions that cooperate to establish clinically apparent tumors. This functional compartment model also suggests mechanisms for the self-construction of tumor stem cell niches. Thus, thinking of a tumor as a superorganism will provide systemic insight into its functional compartmentalization and may even have clinical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G P Grunewald
- Department of Pediatrics, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Kölner Platz 1, Munich, Germany.
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88
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Johnson BR, Tsutsui ND. Taxonomically restricted genes are associated with the evolution of sociality in the honey bee. BMC Genomics 2011; 12:164. [PMID: 21447185 PMCID: PMC3072959 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-12-164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2010] [Accepted: 03/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Studies have shown that taxonomically restricted genes are significant in number and important for the evolution of lineage specific traits. Social insects have gained many novel morphological and behavioral traits relative to their solitary ancestors. The task repertoire of an advanced social insect, for example, can be 40-50 tasks, about twice that of a solitary wasp or bee. The genetic basis of this expansion in behavioral repertoire is still poorly understood, and a role for taxonomically restricted genes has not been explored at the whole genome level. Results Here we present comparative genomics results suggesting that taxonomically restricted genes may have played an important role in generating the expansion of behavioral repertoire associated with the evolution of eusociality. First, we show that the current honey bee official gene set contains about 700 taxonomically restricted genes. These are split between orphans, genes found only in the Hymenoptera, and genes found only in insects. Few of the orphans or genes restricted to the Hymenoptera have been the focus of experimental work, but several of those that have are associated with novel eusocial traits or traits thought to have changed radically as a consequence of eusociality. Second, we predicted that if taxonomically restricted genes are important for generating novel eusocial traits, then they should be expressed with greater frequency in workers relative to the queen, as the workers exhibit most of the novel behavior of the honey bee relative to their solitary ancestors. We found support for this prediction. Twice as many taxonomically restricted genes were found amongst the genes with higher expression in workers compared to those with higher expression in queens. Finally, we compiled an extensive list of candidate taxonomically restricted genes involved in eusocial evolution by analyzing several caste specific gene expression data sets. Conclusions This work identifies a large number of candidate taxonomically restricted genes that may have played a role in eusocial evolution. This work thus lays the foundation for future functional genomics work on the evolution of novelty in the context of social behavior. We also present preliminary evidence, based on biased patterns of gene expression, that taxonomically restricted genes may have played a role in the evolution of caste systems, a characteristic lineage specific social trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian R Johnson
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management University of California, Berkeley 137 Mulford Hall, MC3114 Berkeley, CA 94720-3114 USA.
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89
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Draft genome of the globally widespread and invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:5673-8. [PMID: 21282631 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1008617108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 224] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ants are some of the most abundant and familiar animals on Earth, and they play vital roles in most terrestrial ecosystems. Although all ants are eusocial, and display a variety of complex and fascinating behaviors, few genomic resources exist for them. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of a particularly widespread and well-studied species, the invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile), which was accomplished using a combination of 454 (Roche) and Illumina sequencing and community-based funding rather than federal grant support. Manual annotation of >1,000 genes from a variety of different gene families and functional classes reveals unique features of the Argentine ant's biology, as well as similarities to Apis mellifera and Nasonia vitripennis. Distinctive features of the Argentine ant genome include remarkable expansions of gustatory (116 genes) and odorant receptors (367 genes), an abundance of cytochrome P450 genes (>110), lineage-specific expansions of yellow/major royal jelly proteins and desaturases, and complete CpG DNA methylation and RNAi toolkits. The Argentine ant genome contains fewer immune genes than Drosophila and Tribolium, which may reflect the prominent role played by behavioral and chemical suppression of pathogens. Analysis of the ratio of observed to expected CpG nucleotides for genes in the reproductive development and apoptosis pathways suggests higher levels of methylation than in the genome overall. The resources provided by this genome sequence will offer an abundance of tools for researchers seeking to illuminate the fascinating biology of this emerging model organism.
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90
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Folse H, Roughgarden J. What is an Individual Organism? A Multilevel Selection Perspective. QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY 2010; 85:447-72. [DOI: 10.1086/656905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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91
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Johnson BR. Task partitioning in honey bees: the roles of signals and cues in group-level coordination of action. Behav Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arq138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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92
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Holman L, Jørgensen CG, Nielsen J, d'Ettorre P. Identification of an ant queen pheromone regulating worker sterility. Proc Biol Sci 2010; 277:3793-800. [PMID: 20591861 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.0984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The selective forces that shape and maintain eusocial societies are an enduring puzzle in evolutionary biology. Ordinarily sterile workers can usually reproduce given the right conditions, so the factors regulating reproductive division of labour may provide insight into why eusociality has persisted over evolutionary time. Queen-produced pheromones that affect worker reproduction have been implicated in diverse taxa, including ants, termites, wasps and possibly mole rats, but to date have only been definitively identified in the honeybee. Using the black garden ant Lasius niger, we isolate the first sterility-regulating ant queen pheromone. The pheromone is a cuticular hydrocarbon that comprises the majority of the chemical profile of queens and their eggs, and also affects worker behaviour, by reducing aggression towards objects bearing the pheromone. We further show that the pheromone elicits a strong response in worker antennae and that its production by queens is selectively reduced following an immune challenge. These results suggest that the pheromone has a central role in colony organization and support the hypothesis that worker sterility represents altruistic self-restraint in response to an honest quality signal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Holman
- Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
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93
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Gavrilets S. Rapid transition towards the Division of Labor via evolution of developmental plasticity. PLoS Comput Biol 2010; 6:e1000805. [PMID: 20548941 PMCID: PMC2883585 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2010] [Accepted: 05/05/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A crucial step in several major evolutionary transitions is the division of labor between components of the emerging higher-level evolutionary unit. Examples include the separation of germ and soma in simple multicellular organisms, appearance of multiple cell types and organs in more complex organisms, and emergence of casts in eusocial insects. How the division of labor was achieved in the face of selfishness of lower-level units is controversial. I present a simple mathematical model describing the evolutionary emergence of the division of labor via developmental plasticity starting with a colony of undifferentiated cells and ending with completely differentiated multicellular organisms. I explore how the plausibility and the dynamics of the division of labor depend on its fitness advantage, mutation rate, costs of developmental plasticity, and the colony size. The model shows that the transition to differentiated multicellularity, which has happened many times in the history of life, can be achieved relatively easily. My approach is expandable in a number of directions including the emergence of multiple cell types, complex organs, or casts of eusocial insects. Biological organisms are highly complex and are comprised of many different parts that function to ensure the survival and reproduction of the whole. How and why the complexity has increased in the course of evolution is a question of great scientific and philosophical significance. Biologists have identified a number of major transitions in the evolution of complexity including the origin of chromosomes, eukaryotes, sex, multicellular organisms, and social groups in insects. A crucial step in many of these transitions is the division of labor between components of the emerging higher-level evolutionary unit. How the division of labor was achieved in the face of selfishness of lower-level units is controversial. Here I study the emergence of differentiated cell colonies in which one part of the colony's cells (germ) specializes in reproduction and the other part of the colony's cells (soma) specializes in survival. Using a mathematical model I show that complete germ-soma differentiation can be achieved relatively easily and fast (with a million generations) via the evolution of developmental plasticity. My approach is expandable in a number of directions including the emergence of multiple cell types, complex organs, or casts of eusocial insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey Gavrilets
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America.
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