1
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Di Pietro V, Menezes C, de Britto Frediani MG, Pereira DJ, Fajgenblat M, Ferreira HM, Wenseleers T, Oliveira RC. The inheritance of alternative nest architectural traditions in stingless bees. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1996-2001.e3. [PMID: 38508185 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
The transmission of complex behavior and culture in humans has long been attributed to advanced forms of social learning,1,2 which play a crucial role in our technological advancement.3 While similar phenomena of behavioral traditions and cultural inheritance have been observed in animals,1,2,4,5,6 including in primates,7 whales,8 birds,9 and even insects,10 the underlying mechanisms enabling the persistence of such animal traditions, particularly in insects, are less well understood. This study introduces pioneering evidence of enduring architectural traditions in the stingless bee Scaptotrigona depilis, which are maintained without any evidence for social learning. We demonstrate that S. depilis exhibits two distinct nest architectures, comprising either helicoidal or flat, stacked horizontal combs, which are transmitted across generations through stigmergy11,12,13,14,15,16,17-an environmental feedback mechanism whereby the presence of the existing comb structures guides subsequent construction behaviors-thereby leading to a form of environmental inheritance.18,19,20 Cross-fostering experiments further show that genetic factors or prior experience does not drive the observed variation in nest architecture. Moreover, the experimental introduction of corkscrew dislocations within the combs prompted helicoidal building, confirming the use of stigmergic building rules. At a theoretical level, we establish that the long-term equilibrium of building in the helicoidal pattern fits with the expectations of a two-state Markov chain model. Overall, our findings provide compelling evidence for the persistence of behavioral traditions in an insect, based on a simple mechanism of environmental inheritance and stigmergic interactions, without requiring any sophisticated learning mechanism, thereby expanding our understanding of how traditions can be maintained in non-human species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana Di Pietro
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Cristiano Menezes
- Embrapa Environment, Laboratory of Entomology and Phytopathology, SP-340 Road, 13918-110 Jaguariúna, Brazil
| | | | - David José Pereira
- Embrapa Environment, Laboratory of Entomology and Phytopathology, SP-340 Road, 13918-110 Jaguariúna, Brazil
| | - Maxime Fajgenblat
- Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Charles Deberiotstraat 32, Leuven 3000, Belgium; I-BioStat, Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Agoralaan 1, Diepenbeek 3590, Belgium
| | - Helena Mendes Ferreira
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tom Wenseleers
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Ricardo Caliari Oliveira
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia, Av. de l'Eix Central, edifici C, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain.
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2
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Scarparo G, Palanchon M, Brelsford A, Purcell J. Social antagonism facilitates supergene expansion in ants. Curr Biol 2023; 33:5085-5095.e4. [PMID: 37979579 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.10.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
Antagonistic selection has long been considered a major driver of the formation and expansion of sex chromosomes. For example, sexually antagonistic variation on an autosome can select for suppressed recombination between that autosome and the sex chromosome, leading to a neo-sex chromosome. Autosomal supergenes, chromosomal regions containing tightly linked variants affecting the same complex trait, share similarities with sex chromosomes, raising the possibility that sex chromosome evolution models can explain the evolution of genome structure and recombination in other contexts. We tested this premise in a Formica ant species, wherein we identified four supergene haplotypes on chromosome 3 underlying colony social organization and sex ratio. We discovered a novel rearranged supergene variant (9r) on chromosome 9 underlying queen miniaturization. The 9r is in strong linkage disequilibrium with one chromosome 3 haplotype (P2) found in multi-queen (polygyne) colonies. We suggest that queen miniaturization is strongly disfavored in the single-queen (monogyne) background and is thus socially antagonistic. As such, divergent selection experienced by ants living in alternative social "environments" (monogyne and polygyne) may have contributed to the emergence of a genetic polymorphism on chromosome 9 and associated queen-size dimorphism. Consequently, an ancestral polygyne-associated haplotype may have expanded to include the polymorphism on chromosome 9, resulting in a larger region of suppressed recombination spanning two chromosomes. This process is analogous to the formation of neo-sex chromosomes and consistent with models of expanding regions of suppressed recombination. We propose that miniaturized queens, 16%-20% smaller than queens without 9r, could be incipient intraspecific social parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Scarparo
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, 165 Entomology Bldg. Citrus Drive, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
| | - Marie Palanchon
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, 2710 Life Science Bldg., Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Alan Brelsford
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, 2710 Life Science Bldg., Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Jessica Purcell
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, 165 Entomology Bldg. Citrus Drive, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
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3
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Hill J, Enbody ED, Bi H, Lamichhaney S, Lei W, Chen J, Wei C, Liu Y, Schwochow D, Younis S, Widemo F, Andersson L. Low Mutation Load in a Supergene Underpinning Alternative Male Mating Strategies in Ruff (Calidris pugnax). Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad224. [PMID: 37804117 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
A paradox in evolutionary biology is how supergenes can maintain high fitness despite reduced effective population size, the suppression of recombination, and the expected accumulation of mutational load. The ruff supergene involves 2 rare inversion haplotypes (satellite and faeder). These are recessive lethals but with dominant effects on male mating strategies, plumage, and body size. Sequence divergence to the wild-type (independent) haplotype indicates that the inversion could be as old as 4 million years. Here, we have constructed a highly contiguous genome assembly of the inversion region for both the independent and satellite haplotypes. Based on the new data, we estimate that the recombination event(s) creating the satellite haplotype occurred only about 70,000 yr ago. Contrary to expectations for supergenes, we find no substantial expansion of repeats and only a modest mutation load on the satellite and faeder haplotypes despite high sequence divergence to the non-inverted haplotype (1.46%). The essential centromere protein N (CENPN) gene is disrupted by the inversion and is as well conserved on the inversion haplotypes as on the noninversion haplotype. These results suggest that the inversion may be much younger than previously thought. The low mutation load, despite recessive lethality, may be explained by the introgression of the inversion from a now extinct lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Hill
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Erik D Enbody
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - Huijuan Bi
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sangeet Lamichhaney
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44241, USA
| | - Weipan Lei
- Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Life Sciences and Biotechnology Education, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, 100875 Beijing, China
| | - Juexin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, China
| | - Chentao Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, China
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, China
| | - Doreen Schwochow
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Shady Younis
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden
- Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Fredrik Widemo
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Leif Andersson
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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4
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Trible W, Chandra V, Lacy KD, Limón G, McKenzie SK, Olivos-Cisneros L, Arsenault SV, Kronauer DJC. A caste differentiation mutant elucidates the evolution of socially parasitic ants. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1047-1058.e4. [PMID: 36858043 PMCID: PMC10050096 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.01.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Most ant species have two distinct female castes-queens and workers-yet the developmental and genetic mechanisms that produce these alternative phenotypes remain poorly understood. Working with a clonal ant, we discovered a variant strain that expresses queen-like traits in individuals that would normally become workers. The variants show changes in morphology, behavior, and fitness that cause them to rely on workers in wild-type (WT) colonies for survival. Overall, they resemble the queens of many obligately parasitic ants that have evolutionarily lost the worker caste and live inside colonies of closely related hosts. The prevailing theory for the evolution of these workerless social parasites is that they evolve from reproductively isolated populations of facultative intermediates that acquire parasitic phenotypes in a stepwise fashion. However, empirical evidence for such facultative ancestors remains weak, and it is unclear how reproductive isolation could gradually arise in sympatry. In contrast, we isolated these variants just a few generations after they arose within their WT parent colony, implying that the complex phenotype reported here was induced in a single genetic step. This suggests that a single genetic module can decouple the coordinated mechanisms of caste development, allowing an obligately parasitic variant to arise directly from a free-living ancestor. Consistent with this hypothesis, the variants have lost one of the two alleles of a putative supergene that is heterozygous in WTs. These findings provide a plausible explanation for the evolution of ant social parasites and implicate new candidate molecular mechanisms for ant caste differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Waring Trible
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA; John Harvard Distinguished Science Fellowship Program, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| | - Vikram Chandra
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Kip D Lacy
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Gina Limón
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA; Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, 430 E. 29th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Sean K McKenzie
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA; Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Oxford OX4 4DQ, UK
| | - Leonora Olivos-Cisneros
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Samuel V Arsenault
- John Harvard Distinguished Science Fellowship Program, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Daniel J C Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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5
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Kay T, Helleu Q, Keller L. Iterative evolution of supergene-based social polymorphism in ants. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210196. [PMID: 35694755 PMCID: PMC9189498 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Species commonly exhibit alternative morphs, with individual fate being determined during development by either genetic factors, environmental cues or a combination thereof. Ants offer an interesting case study because many species are polymorphic in their social structure. Some colonies contain one queen while others contain many queens. This variation in queen number is generally associated with a suite of phenotypic and life-history traits, including mode of colony founding, queen lifespan, queen-worker dimorphism and colony size. The basis of this social polymorphism has been studied in five ant lineages, and remarkably social morph seems to be determined by a supergene in all cases. These 'social supergenes' tend to be large, having formed through serial inversions, and to comprise hundreds of linked genes. They have persisted over long evolutionary timescales, in multiple lineages following speciation events, and have spread between closely related species via introgression. Their evolutionary dynamics are unusually complex, combining recessive lethality, spatially variable selection, selfish genetic elements and non-random mating. Here, we synthesize the five cases of supergene-based social polymorphism in ants, highlighting interesting commonalities, idiosyncrasies and implications for the evolution of polymorphisms in general. This article is part of the theme issue 'Genomic architecture of supergenes: causes and evolutionary consequences'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Kay
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Quentin Helleu
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Keller
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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6
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Stoldt M, Macit MN, Collin E, Foitzik S. Molecular (co)evolution of hymenopteran social parasites and their hosts. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 50:100889. [PMID: 35181562 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2022.100889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Social parasitism describes a fascinating way of life in which species exploit the altruistic behaviour of closely related, social species. Social parasites have repeatedly evolved in the social Hymenoptera, including ants, bees, and wasps. The common ancestry and shared (social) environment with their hosts facilitates the study of molecular adaptations to the parasitic lifestyle. Moreover, when social parasites are widespread and virulent, they exert strong selection pressure on their hosts, leading to the evolution of defense mechanisms and triggering a coevolutionary arms race. Recent advances in sequencing technology now make it possible to study the molecular basis of this coevolutionary process. In addition to describing the latest developments, we highlight open research questions that could be tackled with genomic, transcriptomic, or epigenetic data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marah Stoldt
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Maide Nesibe Macit
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Erwann Collin
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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7
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Wei Z, Ortiz-Urquiza A, Keyhani NO. Altered Expression of Chemosensory and Odorant Binding Proteins in Response to Fungal Infection in the Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta. Front Physiol 2021; 12:596571. [PMID: 33746766 PMCID: PMC7970113 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.596571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Social insects have evolved acute mechanisms for sensing and mitigating the spread of microbial pathogens within their communities that include complex behaviors such as grooming and sanitation. Chemical sensing involves detection and transport of olfactory and other chemicals that are mediated by at least two distinct classes of small molecular weight soluble proteins known as chemosensory- and odorant binding proteins (CSPs and OBPs, respectively) that exist as protein families in all insects. However, to date, a systematic examination of the expression of these genes involved in olfactory and other pathways to microbial infection has yet to be reported. The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is one of the most successful invasive organisms on our planet. Here, we examined the temporal gene expression profiles of a suite of S. invicta CSPs (SiCSPs1-22) and OBPs (SiOBPs1-16) in response to infection by the broad host range fungal insect pathogen, Beauveria bassiana. Our data show that within 24 h post-infection, i.e., before the fungus has penetrated the host cuticle, the expression of SiCSPs and SiOBPs is altered (mainly increased compared to uninfected controls), followed by suppression of SiCSP and select SiOBP expression 48 h post-infection and mixed responses at 72 h post-infection. A smaller group of SiBOPs, however, appeared to respond to fungal infection, with expression of SiOBP15 consistently higher during fungal infection over the time course examined. These data indicate dynamic gene expression responses of CSPs and OBPs to fungal infection that provide clues to mechanisms that might mediate detection of microbial pathogens, triggering grooming, and nest sanitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhang Wei
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China.,Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Almudena Ortiz-Urquiza
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom
| | - Nemat O Keyhani
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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8
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Gutiérrez-Valencia J, Hughes PW, Berdan EL, Slotte T. The Genomic Architecture and Evolutionary Fates of Supergenes. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:6178796. [PMID: 33739390 PMCID: PMC8160319 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Supergenes are genomic regions containing sets of tightly linked loci that control multi-trait phenotypic polymorphisms under balancing selection. Recent advances in genomics have uncovered significant variation in both the genomic architecture as well as the mode of origin of supergenes across diverse organismal systems. Although the role of genomic architecture for the origin of supergenes has been much discussed, differences in the genomic architecture also subsequently affect the evolutionary trajectory of supergenes and the rate of degeneration of supergene haplotypes. In this review, we synthesize recent genomic work and historical models of supergene evolution, highlighting how the genomic architecture of supergenes affects their evolutionary fate. We discuss how recent findings on classic supergenes involved in governing ant colony social form, mimicry in butterflies, and heterostyly in flowering plants relate to theoretical expectations. Furthermore, we use forward simulations to demonstrate that differences in genomic architecture affect the degeneration of supergenes. Finally, we discuss implications of the evolution of supergene haplotypes for the long-term fate of balanced polymorphisms governed by supergenes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juanita Gutiérrez-Valencia
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, Sweden
| | - P William Hughes
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, Sweden
| | - Emma L Berdan
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, Sweden
| | - Tanja Slotte
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, Sweden
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9
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Greenbeard Genes: Theory and Reality. Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 34:1092-1103. [PMID: 31488327 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Greenbeard genes were proposed as a cartoonish thought experiment to explain why altruism can be a selfish strategy from the perspective of genes. The likelihood of finding a real greenbeard gene in nature was thought to be remote because they were believed to require a set of improbable properties. Yet, despite this expectation, there is an ongoing explosion in claimed discoveries of greenbeard genes. Bringing together the latest theory and experimental findings, we argue that there is a need to dispose of the cartoon presentation of a greenbeard to refocus their burgeoning empirical study on the more fundamental concept that the thought experiment was designed to illustrate.
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10
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Darras H, Kuhn A, Aron S. Evolution of hybridogenetic lineages in
Cataglyphis
ants. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:3073-3088. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.15116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Revised: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Darras
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology Université Libre de Bruxelles Brussels Belgium
- Department of Ecology and Evolution Université de Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Kuhn
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology Université Libre de Bruxelles Brussels Belgium
| | - Serge Aron
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology Université Libre de Bruxelles Brussels Belgium
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11
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Eco-Evolutionary Genomics of Chromosomal Inversions. Trends Ecol Evol 2018; 33:427-440. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 274] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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12
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Rueppell O, Kuster R, Miller K, Fouks B, Rubio Correa S, Collazo J, Phaincharoen M, Tingek S, Koeniger N. A New Metazoan Recombination Rate Record and Consistently High Recombination Rates in the Honey Bee Genus Apis Accompanied by Frequent Inversions but Not Translocations. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 8:3653-3660. [PMID: 28173114 PMCID: PMC5521732 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evw269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) far exceed the commonly observed 1–2 meiotic recombination events per chromosome and exhibit the highest Metazoan recombination rate (20 cM/Mb) described thus far. However, the reasons for this exceptional rate of recombination are not sufficiently understood. In a comparative study, we report on the newly constructed genomic linkage maps of Apis florea and Apis dorsata that represent the two honey bee lineages without recombination rate estimates so far. Each linkage map was generated de novo, based on SNP genotypes of haploid male offspring of a single female. The A. florea map spans 4,782 cM with 1,279 markers in 16 linkage groups. The A. dorsata map is 5,762 cM long and contains 1,189 markers in 16 linkage groups. Respectively, these map sizes result in average recombination rate estimates of 20.8 and 25.1 cM/Mb. Synteny analyses indicate that frequent intra-chromosomal rearrangements but no translocations among chromosomes accompany the high rates of recombination during the independent evolution of the three major honey bee lineages. Our results imply a common cause for the evolution of very high recombination rates in Apis. Our findings also suggest that frequent homologous recombination during meiosis might increase ectopic recombination and rearrangements within but not between chromosomes. It remains to be investigated whether the resulting inversions may have been important in the evolutionary differentiation between honey bee species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olav Rueppell
- Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Ryan Kuster
- Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Katelyn Miller
- Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Bertrand Fouks
- Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Sara Rubio Correa
- Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Juan Collazo
- Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Mananya Phaincharoen
- Ratchaburi Campus, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Salim Tingek
- Agricultural Research Station, Tenom, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Nikolaus Koeniger
- Molecular Ecology, Institute of Biology/Zoology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle an der Saale, Germany
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13
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Pracana R, Levantis I, Martínez‐Ruiz C, Stolle E, Priyam A, Wurm Y. Fire ant social chromosomes: Differences in number, sequence and expression of odorant binding proteins. Evol Lett 2017; 1:199-210. [PMID: 30283649 PMCID: PMC6121795 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Revised: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in social behavior is common yet our knowledge of the mechanisms underpinning its evolution is limited. The fire ant Solenopsis invicta provides a textbook example of a Mendelian element controlling social organization: alternate alleles of a genetic element first identified as encoding an odorant binding protein (OBP) named Gp-9 determine whether a colony accepts one or multiple queens. The potential roles of such a protein in perceiving olfactory cues and evidence of positive selection on its amino acid sequence made it an appealing candidate gene. However, we recently showed that recombination is suppressed between Gp-9 and hundreds of other genes as part of a >19 Mb supergene-like region carried by a pair of social chromosomes. This finding raises the need to reassess the potential role of Gp-9. We identify 23 OBPs in the fire ant genome assembly, including nine located in the region of suppressed recombination with Gp-9. For six of these, the alleles carried by the two variants of the supergene-like region differ in protein-coding sequence and thus likely in function, with Gp-9 showing the strongest evidence of positive selection. We identify an additional OBP specific to the Sb variant of the region. Finally, we find that 14 OBPs are differentially expressed between single- and multiple-queen colonies. These results are consistent with multiple OBPs playing a role in determining social structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Pracana
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonE1 4NSLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Ilya Levantis
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonE1 4NSLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Carlos Martínez‐Ruiz
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonE1 4NSLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Eckart Stolle
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonE1 4NSLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Anurag Priyam
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonE1 4NSLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Yannick Wurm
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonE1 4NSLondonUnited Kingdom
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14
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Trible W, Kronauer DJC. Caste development and evolution in ants: it's all about size. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:53-62. [PMID: 28057828 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.145292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Female ants display a wide variety of morphological castes, including workers, soldiers, ergatoid (worker-like) queens and queens. Alternative caste development within a species arises from a variable array of genetic and environmental factors. Castes themselves are also variable across species and have been repeatedly gained and lost throughout the evolutionary history of ants. Here, we propose a simple theory of caste development and evolution. We propose that female morphology varies as a function of size, such that larger individuals possess more queen-like traits. Thus, the diverse mechanisms that influence caste development are simply mechanisms that affect size in ants. Each caste-associated trait has a unique relationship with size, producing a phenotypic space that permits some combinations of worker- and queen-like traits, but not others. We propose that castes are gained and lost by modifying the regions of this phenotypic space that are realized within a species. These modifications can result from changing the size-frequency distribution of individuals within a species, or by changing the association of tissue growth and size. We hope this synthesis will help unify the literature on caste in ants, and facilitate the discovery of molecular mechanisms underlying caste development and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Waring Trible
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Daniel J C Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
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15
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Pracana R, Priyam A, Levantis I, Nichols RA, Wurm Y. The fire ant social chromosome supergene variant Sb shows low diversity but high divergence from SB. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:2864-2879. [PMID: 28220980 PMCID: PMC5485014 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Revised: 01/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Variation in social behaviour is common, yet little is known about the genetic architectures underpinning its evolution. A rare exception is in the fire ant Solenopsis invicta: Alternative variants of a supergene region determine whether a colony will have exactly one or up to dozens of queens. The two variants of this region are carried by a pair of 'social chromosomes', SB and Sb, which resemble a pair of sex chromosomes. Recombination is suppressed between the two chromosomes in the supergene region. While the X-like SB can recombine with itself in SB/SB queens, recombination is effectively absent in the Y-like Sb because Sb/Sb queens die before reproducing. Here, we analyse whole-genome sequences of eight haploid SB males and eight haploid Sb males. We find extensive SB-Sb differentiation throughout the >19-Mb-long supergene region. We find no evidence of 'evolutionary strata' with different levels of divergence comparable to those reported in several sex chromosomes. A high proportion of substitutions between the SB and Sb haplotypes are nonsynonymous, suggesting inefficacy of purifying selection in Sb sequences, similar to that for Y-linked sequences in XY systems. Finally, we show that the Sb haplotype of the supergene region has 635-fold less nucleotide diversity than the rest of the genome. We discuss how this reduction could be due to a recent selective sweep affecting Sb specifically or associated with a population bottleneck during the invasion of North America by the sampled population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Pracana
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonMile End RoadLondonE1 4NSUK
| | - Anurag Priyam
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonMile End RoadLondonE1 4NSUK
| | - Ilya Levantis
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonMile End RoadLondonE1 4NSUK
| | - Richard A. Nichols
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonMile End RoadLondonE1 4NSUK
| | - Yannick Wurm
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonMile End RoadLondonE1 4NSUK
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16
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17
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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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18
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Smith CR, Helms Cahan S, Kemena C, Brady SG, Yang W, Bornberg-Bauer E, Eriksson T, Gadau J, Helmkampf M, Gotzek D, Okamoto Miyakawa M, Suarez AV, Mikheyev A. How Do Genomes Create Novel Phenotypes? Insights from the Loss of the Worker Caste in Ant Social Parasites. Mol Biol Evol 2015; 32:2919-31. [PMID: 26226984 PMCID: PMC4651238 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msv165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
A central goal of biology is to uncover the genetic basis for the origin of new
phenotypes. A particularly effective approach is to examine the genomic
architecture of species that have secondarily lost a phenotype with respect to
their close relatives. In the eusocial Hymenoptera, queens and workers have
divergent phenotypes that may be produced via either expression of alternative
sets of caste-specific genes and pathways or differences in expression patterns
of a shared set of multifunctional genes. To distinguish between these two
hypotheses, we investigated how secondary loss of the worker phenotype in
workerless ant social parasites impacted genome evolution across two independent
origins of social parasitism in the ant genera Pogonomyrmex and
Vollenhovia. We sequenced the genomes of three social
parasites and their most-closely related eusocial host species and compared gene
losses in social parasites with gene expression differences between host queens
and workers. Virtually all annotated genes were expressed to some degree in both
castes of the host, with most shifting in queen-worker bias across developmental
stages. As a result, despite >1 My of divergence from the last common
ancestor that had workers, the social parasites showed strikingly little
evidence of gene loss, damaging mutations, or shifts in selection regime
resulting from loss of the worker caste. This suggests that regulatory changes
within a multifunctional genome, rather than sequence differences, have played a
predominant role in the evolution of social parasitism, and perhaps also in the
many gains and losses of phenotypes in the social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Carsten Kemena
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhems-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Seán G Brady
- Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC
| | - Wei Yang
- Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
| | - Erich Bornberg-Bauer
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhems-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Ti Eriksson
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
| | | | | | - Dietrich Gotzek
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
| | - Misato Okamoto Miyakawa
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Andrew V Suarez
- Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Entomology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
| | - Alexander Mikheyev
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
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19
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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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20
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Abstract
Researchers studying the adaptive significance of behaviour typically assume that genetic mechanisms will not inhibit evolutionary trajectories, an assumption commonly known as the 'phenotypic gambit'. Although the phenotypic gambit continues to be a useful heuristic for behavioural ecology, here we discuss how genomic methods provide new tools and conceptual approaches that are relevant to behavioural ecology. We first describe how the concept of a genetic toolkit for behaviour can allow behavioural ecologists to synthesize both genomic and ecological information when assessing behavioural adaptation. Then we show how gene expression profiles can be viewed as complex phenotypic measurements, used to (1) predict behaviour, (2) evaluate phenotypic plasticity and (3) devise methods to manipulate behaviour in order to test adaptive hypotheses. We propose that advances in genomics and bioinformatics may allow researchers to overcome some of the logistical obstacles that motivated the inception of the phenotypic gambit. Behavioural ecology and genomics are mutually informative, providing potential synergy that could lead to powerful advances in the field of animal behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare C Rittschof
- Department of Entomology and Institute for Genomic Biology, Urbana, IL, U.S.A
| | - Gene E Robinson
- Department of Entomology and Institute for Genomic Biology, Urbana, IL, U.S.A
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21
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Abstract
The genetic basis for animal social organization is poorly understood. Fire ants provide one of the rare cases where variation in social organization has been demonstrated to be under genetic control, which amazingly, segregates as a single Mendelian locus. A recent genetic, genomic, and cytological analysis revealed that this locus actually consists of over 600 genes locked together in a supergene that possesses many characteristics of sex chromosomes. The fire ant social supergene also behaves selfishly, and an interesting evolutionary question is whether the genes incorporated first into the social supergene were those for social adaptation, selfish genetic drive, or something else. In depth, functional molecular genetic analysis in fire ants and comparative genomics in other closely related socially polymorphic species will be required to resolve this question.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ching Huang
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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22
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Darras H, Leniaud L, Aron S. Large-scale distribution of hybridogenetic lineages in a Spanish desert ant. Proc Biol Sci 2013; 281:20132396. [PMID: 24225458 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, a unique case of hybridogenesis at a social level was reported in local populations of the desert ants Cataglyphis. Queens mate with males originating from a different genetic lineage than their own to produce hybrid workers, but they use parthenogenesis for the production of reproductive offspring (males and females). As a result, non-reproductive workers are all inter-lineage hybrids, whereas the sexual line is purely maternal. Here, we show that this unorthodox reproductive system occurs in all populations of the ant Cataglyphis hispanica. Remarkably, workers are hybrids of the same two genetic lineages along a 400 km transect crossing the whole distribution range of the species. These results indicate that social hybridogenesis in C. hispanica allows their maintenance over time and across a large geographical scale of two highly divergent genetic lineages, despite their constant hybridization. The widespread distribution of social hybridogenesis in C. hispanica supports that this reproductive strategy has been evolutionarily conserved over a long period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Darras
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, , Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt, 50, CP 160/12, Brussels 1050, Belgium, I.R.B.I. UMR CNRS 7261, Faculté des Sciences, Université François Rabelais Tours, 37200 Tours, France
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23
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Abstract
William D. Hamilton postulated the existence of 'genes underlying altruism', under the rubric of inclusive fitness theory, a half-century ago. Such genes are now poised for discovery. In this article, we develop a set of intuitive criteria for the recognition and analysis of genes for altruism and describe the first candidate genes affecting altruism from social insects and humans. We also provide evidence from a human population for genetically based trade-offs, underlain by oxytocin-system polymorphisms, between alleles for altruism and alleles for non-social cognition. Such trade-offs between self-oriented and altruistic behaviour may influence the evolution of phenotypic diversity across all social animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham J Thompson
- Department of Biology, Western University, , 1151 Richmond St. North, London, Ontario, Canada , N6A 5B7
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