51
|
Chandra V, Fetter-Pruneda I, Oxley PR, Ritger AL, McKenzie SK, Libbrecht R, Kronauer DJC. Social regulation of insulin signaling and the evolution of eusociality in ants. Science 2018; 361:398-402. [PMID: 30049879 PMCID: PMC6178808 DOI: 10.1126/science.aar5723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Revised: 04/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Queens and workers of eusocial Hymenoptera are considered homologous to the reproductive and brood care phases of an ancestral subsocial life cycle. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the evolution of reproductive division of labor remain obscure. Using a brain transcriptomics screen, we identified a single gene, insulin-like peptide 2 (ilp2), which is always up-regulated in ant reproductives, likely because they are better nourished than their nonreproductive nestmates. In clonal raider ants (Ooceraea biroi), larval signals inhibit adult reproduction by suppressing ilp2, thus producing a colony reproductive cycle reminiscent of ancestral subsociality. However, increasing ILP2 peptide levels overrides larval suppression, thereby breaking the colony cycle and inducing a stable division of labor. These findings suggest a simple model for the origin of ant eusociality via nutritionally determined reproductive asymmetries potentially amplified by larval signals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vikram Chandra
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Ingrid Fetter-Pruneda
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Peter R Oxley
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Samuel J. Wood Library, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Amelia L Ritger
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Sean K McKenzie
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore Building, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Romain Libbrecht
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Daniel J C Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
52
|
Ant nurse workers exhibit behavioural and transcriptomic signatures of specialization on larval stage. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
|
53
|
Pharaoh ant colonies dynamically regulate reproductive allocation based on colony demography. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2430-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
|
54
|
Kuhn A, Darras H, Aron S. Correction to ‘Phenotypic plasticity in an ant with strong caste–genotype association’. Biol Lett 2018; 14:rsbl.2018.0058. [DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
|
55
|
Wills BD, Powell S, Rivera MD, Suarez AV. Correlates and Consequences of Worker Polymorphism in Ants. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 63:575-598. [PMID: 29068707 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-020117-043357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Body size is a key life-history trait influencing all aspects of an organism's biology. Ants provide an interesting model for examining body-size variation because of the high degree of worker polymorphism seen in many taxa. We review worker-size variation in ants from the perspective of factors internal and external to the colony that may influence body-size distributions. We also discuss proximate and ultimate causes of size variation and how variation in worker size can promote worker efficiency and colony fitness. Our review focuses on two questions: What is our current understanding of factors influencing worker-size variation? And how does variation in body size benefit the colony? We conclude with recommendations for future work aimed at addressing current limitations and ask, How can we better understand the contribution of worker body-size variation to colony success? And, what research is needed to address gaps in our knowledge?
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bill D Wills
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA;
| | - Scott Powell
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA;
| | - Michael D Rivera
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA;
| | - Andrew V Suarez
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA;
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA;
- Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| |
Collapse
|
56
|
Kamhi JF, Arganda S, Moreau CS, Traniello JFA. Origins of Aminergic Regulation of Behavior in Complex Insect Social Systems. Front Syst Neurosci 2017; 11:74. [PMID: 29066958 PMCID: PMC5641352 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2017.00074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuromodulators are conserved across insect taxa, but how biogenic amines and their receptors in ancestral solitary forms have been co-opted to control behaviors in derived socially complex species is largely unknown. Here we explore patterns associated with the functions of octopamine (OA), serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) in solitary ancestral insects and their derived functions in eusocial ants, bees, wasps and termites. Synthesizing current findings that reveal potential ancestral roles of monoamines in insects, we identify physiological processes and conserved behaviors under aminergic control, consider how biogenic amines may have evolved to modulate complex social behavior, and present focal research areas that warrant further study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J. Frances Kamhi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sara Arganda
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Corrie S. Moreau
- Department of Science and Education, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - James F. A. Traniello
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
57
|
Lawson SP, Helmreich SL, Rehan SM. Effects of nutritional deprivation on development and behavior in the subsocial bee Ceratina calcarata (Hymenoptera: Xylocopinae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:4456-4462. [PMID: 28970348 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.160531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
By manipulating resources or dispersal opportunities, mothers can force offspring to remain at the nest to help raise siblings, creating a division of labor. In the subsocial bee Ceratina calcarata, mothers manipulate the quantity and quality of pollen provided to the first female offspring, producing a dwarf eldest daughter that is physically smaller and behaviorally subordinate. This daughter forages for her siblings and forgoes her own reproduction. To understand how the mother's manipulation of pollen affects the physiology and behavior of her offspring, we manipulated the amount of pollen provided to offspring and measured the effects of pollen quantity on offspring development, adult body size and behavior. We found that by experimentally manipulating pollen quantities we could recreate the dwarf eldest daughter phenotype, demonstrating how nutrient deficiency alone can lead to the development of a worker-like daughter. Specifically, by reducing the pollen and nutrition to offspring, we significantly reduced adult body size and lipid stores, creating significantly less aggressive, subordinate individuals. Worker behavior in an otherwise solitary bee begins to explain how maternal manipulation of resources could lead to the development of social organization and reproductive hierarchies, a major step in the transition to highly social behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah P Lawson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | | | - Sandra M Rehan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| |
Collapse
|
58
|
Kuhn A, Bauman D, Darras H, Aron S. Sex-biased dispersal creates spatial genetic structure in a parthenogenetic ant with a dependent-lineage reproductive system. Heredity (Edinb) 2017. [PMID: 28635968 DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2017.34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproduction and dispersal are key aspects of species life history that influence spatial genetic structure in populations. Several ant species in the genus Cataglyphis have evolved a unique breeding system in which new reproductives (that is, queens and males) are produced asexually by parthenogenesis; in contrast, non-reproductives (that is, workers) are produced via sexual reproduction by mates from distinct genetic lineages. We investigated how these two coexisting reproductive methods affect population-level spatial genetic structure using the ant Cataglyphis mauritanica as a model. We obtained genotypes for queens and their male mates from 338 colonies, and we found that the two lineages present in the study population occurred with equal frequency. Furthermore, analysis of spatial genetic structure revealed strong sex-biased dispersal. Because queens were produced by parthenogenesis and because they dispersed over short distances, there was an extreme level of spatial structuring: a mosaic of patches composed of clonal queens was formed. Males, on the other hand, dispersed over several hundred metres and, thus, across patches, ensuring successful interlineage mating.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Kuhn
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - D Bauman
- Laboratoire d'Écologie Végétale et Biogéochimie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - H Darras
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - S Aron
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
59
|
Penick CA, Liebig J. A larval ‘princess pheromone’ identifies future ant queens based on their juvenile hormone content. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.03.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
|