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Pokorny T, Ruther J. Cuticular Hydrocarbon Polymorphism in a Parasitoid Wasp. J Chem Ecol 2023; 49:36-45. [PMID: 36705801 PMCID: PMC9941234 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-022-01401-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are major constituents of the cuticular lipid layer of insects. They serve not only as a barrier to desiccation, but often additionally mediate communication at close range. The compositions of the CHC profiles, i.e., the specific compounds and their relative amounts, usually differ between species. Additional intraspecific variability can be found between different populations, between colonies and castes of social insects, and between the sexes. Thus, such groups can often be distinguished based on distinctive compounds and/or specific compound ratios. The CHC profile may further be influenced by biotic and abiotic factors, which therefore can impact, e.g., nestmate recognition or mate choice. However, consistent intrasexual variation seems to be rare. Here, we investigated a case of intrasexual CHC variability within a single population of a parasitoid wasp. While wasps of both sexes produced the same set of compounds, the relative amounts of specific compound classes revealed the presence of intrasexual chemical phenotypes. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of three distinct female CHC profile patterns within a population of a solitary insect that uses CHCs for mate recognition. Additionally, male CHC profiles, while overall very similar, could be separated into two chemotypes by multivariate analysis. The study of species exhibiting such intraspecific and intrasexual CHC variation will advance our understanding of the effects of CHC variability on both, desiccation resistance and intraspecific communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Pokorny
- Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Joachim Ruther
- grid.7727.50000 0001 2190 5763Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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2
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Castillo R, Wurdack M, Pauli T, Keller A, Feldhaar H, Polidori C, Niehuis O, Schmitt T. Evidence for a chemical arms race between cuckoo wasps of the genus Hedychrum and their distantly related host apoid wasps. BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:138. [PMID: 36443667 PMCID: PMC9703671 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-02093-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Brood parasites can exert strong selection pressure on their hosts. Many brood parasites escape their detection by mimicking sensory cues of their hosts. However, there is little evidence whether or not the hosts are able to escape the parasites' mimicry by changing these cues. We addressed this question by analyzing cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles of Cerceris and Philanthus wasps and their brood parasites, cuckoo wasps mimicking the CHC profiles of their hosts. Some of these hosts use hydrocarbons to preserve their prey against fungal infestation and thus, they cannot significantly change their CHC composition in response to chemical mimicry by Hedychrum brood parasites. RESULTS We found that the CHC overlap between brood parasites and their hosts was lower in case of host wasps not preserving their prey than in case of prey-preserving host wasps, whose CHC evolution is constrained. Furthermore, the CHC profiles in non-preserving host wasps is more strongly diversified in females than in males, thus in the sex that is chemically mimicked by brood parasites. CONCLUSION Our results provide evidence for a chemical arms race between those hosts that are liberated from stabilizing selection on their chemical template and their parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Castillo
- grid.8379.50000 0001 1958 8658Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Mareike Wurdack
- grid.8379.50000 0001 1958 8658Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany ,grid.5963.9Department of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Pauli
- grid.5963.9Department of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany ,grid.7708.80000 0000 9428 7911Institute of Medical Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Breisacher Straße 153, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Keller
- grid.5252.00000 0004 1936 973XCellular and Organismic Networks, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University München, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Heike Feldhaar
- grid.7384.80000 0004 0467 6972Animal Population Ecology, Department of Animal Ecology I, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Carlo Polidori
- grid.4708.b0000 0004 1757 2822Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Oliver Niehuis
- grid.5963.9Department of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Schmitt
- grid.8379.50000 0001 1958 8658Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
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3
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Sann M, Niehuis O, Peters RS, Mayer C, Kozlov A, Podsiadlowski L, Bank S, Meusemann K, Misof B, Bleidorn C, Ohl M. Phylogenomic analysis of Apoidea sheds new light on the sister group of bees. BMC Evol Biol 2018; 18:71. [PMID: 29776336 PMCID: PMC5960199 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-018-1155-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Apoid wasps and bees (Apoidea) are an ecologically and morphologically diverse group of Hymenoptera, with some species of bees having evolved eusocial societies. Major problems for our understanding of the evolutionary history of Apoidea have been the difficulty to trace the phylogenetic origin and to reliably estimate the geological age of bees. To address these issues, we compiled a comprehensive phylogenomic dataset by simultaneously analyzing target DNA enrichment and transcriptomic sequence data, comprising 195 single-copy protein-coding genes and covering all major lineages of apoid wasps and bee families. Results Our compiled data matrix comprised 284,607 nucleotide sites that we phylogenetically analyzed by applying a combination of domain- and codon-based partitioning schemes. The inferred results confirm the polyphyletic status of the former family “Crabronidae”, which comprises nine major monophyletic lineages. We found the former subfamily Pemphredoninae to be polyphyletic, comprising three distantly related clades. One of them, Ammoplanina, constituted the sister group of bees in all our analyses. We estimate the origin of bees to be in the Early Cretaceous (ca. 128 million years ago), a time period during which angiosperms rapidly radiated. Finally, our phylogenetic analyses revealed that within the Apoidea, (eu)social societies evolved exclusively in a single clade that comprises pemphredonine and philanthine wasps as well as bees. Conclusion By combining transcriptomic sequences with those obtained via target DNA enrichment, we were able to include an unprecedented large number of apoid wasps in a phylogenetic study for tracing the phylogenetic origin of bees. Our results confirm the polyphyletic nature of the former wasp family Crabonidae, which we here suggest splitting into eight families. Of these, the family Ammoplanidae possibly represents the extant sister lineage of bees. Species of Ammoplanidae are known to hunt thrips, of which some aggregate on flowers and feed on pollen. The specific biology of Ammoplanidae as predators indicates how the transition from a predatory to pollen-collecting life style could have taken place in the evolution of bees. This insight plus the finding that (eu)social societies evolved exclusively in a single subordinated lineage of apoid wasps provides new perspectives for future comparative studies. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-018-1155-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Sann
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany. .,Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113, Bonn, Germany. .,University of Freiburg, Institute of Biology I (Zoology), Evolutionary Biology and Animal Ecology, Hauptstr. 1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Oliver Niehuis
- Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113, Bonn, Germany.,University of Freiburg, Institute of Biology I (Zoology), Evolutionary Biology and Animal Ecology, Hauptstr. 1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ralph S Peters
- Center of Taxonomy and Evolutionary Research, Arthropoda Department, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113, Bonn, Germany
| | - Christoph Mayer
- Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113, Bonn, Germany
| | - Alexey Kozlov
- HITS gGmbH, Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, Schloss-Wolfsbrunnenweg 35, 69118, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lars Podsiadlowski
- Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sarah Bank
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Animal Evolution and Biodiversity, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Karen Meusemann
- Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113, Bonn, Germany.,University of Freiburg, Institute of Biology I (Zoology), Evolutionary Biology and Animal Ecology, Hauptstr. 1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Bernhard Misof
- Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113, Bonn, Germany
| | - Christoph Bleidorn
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Animal Evolution and Biodiversity, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael Ohl
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
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Wurdack M, Polidori C, Keller A, Feldhaar H, Schmitt T. Release from prey preservation behavior via prey switch allowed diversification of cuticular hydrocarbon profiles in digger wasps. Evolution 2017; 71:2562-2571. [PMID: 28791674 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2017] [Revised: 07/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The cuticle of insects is covered by a layer of hydrocarbons (CHC), whose original function is the protection from desiccation and pathogens. However, in most insects CHC profiles are species specific. While this variability among species was largely linked to communication and recognition functions, additional selective forces may shape insect CHC profiles. Here, we show that in Philanthinae digger wasps (Crabronidae) the CHC profile coevolved with a peculiar brood-care strategy. In particular, we found that the behavior to embalm prey stored in the nest with hydrocarbons is adaptive to protect larval food from fungi in those species hunting for Hymenoptera. The prey embalming secretion is identical in composition to the alkene-dominated CHC profile in these species, suggesting that their profile is adaptively conserved for this purpose. In contrast, prey embalming is not required in those species that switched to Coleoptera as prey. Released from this chemical brood-care strategy, Coleoptera-hunting species considerably diversified their CHC profiles. Differential needs to successfully protect prey types used as larval food have thus driven the diversification of CHCs profiles of female Philanthinae wasps. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first evidence of a direct link between selection pressure for food preservation and CHC diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mareike Wurdack
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Animal Ecology, University of Freiburg, Hauptstrasse 1, D-79114 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Carlo Polidori
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (ICAM), University of Castilla-La Mancha, Avenida Carlos III, s/n; E-45071 Toledo, Spain
| | - Alexander Keller
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany.,Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology, Campus Nord, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Heike Feldhaar
- Department of Animal Ecology I, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Thomas Schmitt
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany
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5
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Weiss K, Herzner G, Strohm E. Sexual selection and the evolution of male pheromone glands in philanthine wasps (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae). BMC Evol Biol 2017; 17:128. [PMID: 28587589 PMCID: PMC5461632 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-017-0963-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Sexual selection is thought to promote evolutionary changes and diversification. However, the impact of sexual selection in relation to other selective forces is difficult to evaluate. Male digger wasps of the tribe Philanthini (Hymenoptera, Philanthinae) scent mark territories to attract receptive females. Consequently, the organs for production and storage of the marking secretion, the mandibular gland (MG) and the postpharyngeal gland (PPG), are subject to sexual selection. In female Philanthini, these glands are most likely solely subject to natural selection and show very little morphological diversity. According to the hypothesis that sexual selection drives interspecific diversity, we predicted that the MG and PPG show higher interspecific variation in males than in females. Using histological methods, 3D-reconstructions, and multivariate statistical analysis of morphological characters, we conducted a comparative analysis of the MG and the PPG in males of 30 species of Philanthini and three species of the Cercerini and Aphilanthopsini, two related tribes within the Philanthinae. Results We found substantial interspecific diversity in gland morphology with regard to gland incidence, size, shape and the type of associated secretory cells. Overall there was a phylogenetic trend: Ensuing from the large MGs and small PPGs of male Cercerini and Aphilanthopsini, the size and complexity of the MG was reduced in male Philanthini, while their PPG became considerably enlarged, substantially more complex, and associated with an apparently novel type of secretory cells. In some clades of the Philanthini the MG was even lost and entirely replaced by the PPG. However, several species showed reversals of and exceptions from this trend. Head gland morphology was significantly more diverse among male than among female Philanthinae. Conclusion Our results show considerable variation in male head glands including the loss of an entire gland system and the evolution of a novel kind of secretory cells, confirming the prediction that interspecific diversity in head gland morphology is higher in male than in female Philanthini. We discuss possible causes for the remarkable evolutionary changes in males and we conclude that this high diversity has been caused by sexual selection. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-017-0963-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Weiss
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Gudrun Herzner
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Erhard Strohm
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
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6
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Weiss K, Strohm E, Kaltenpoth M, Herzner G. Comparative morphology of the postpharyngeal gland in the Philanthinae (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae) and the evolution of an antimicrobial brood protection mechanism. BMC Evol Biol 2015; 15:291. [PMID: 26690740 PMCID: PMC4687156 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0565-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hymenoptera that mass-provision their offspring have evolved elaborate antimicrobial strategies to ward off fungal infestation of the highly nutritive larval food. Females of the Afro-European Philanthus triangulum and the South American Trachypus elongatus (Crabronidae, Philanthinae) embalm their prey, paralyzed bees, with a secretion from a complex postpharyngeal gland (PPG). This coating consists of mainly unsaturated hydrocarbons and reduces water accumulation on the prey's surface, thus rendering it unfavorable for fungal growth. Here we (1) investigated whether a North American Philanthus species also employs prey embalming and (2) assessed the occurrence and morphology of a PPG among females of the subfamily Philanthinae in order to elucidate the evolution of prey embalming as an antimicrobial strategy. RESULTS We provide clear evidence that females of the North American Philanthus gibbosus possess large PPGs and embalm their prey. The comparative analyses of 26 species from six genera of the Philanthinae, using histological methods and 3D-reconstructions, revealed pronounced differences in gland morphology within the subfamily. A formal statistical analysis based on defined characters of the glands confirmed that while all members of the derived tribe Philanthini have large and complex PPGs, species of the two more basal tribes, Cercerini and Aphilanthopsini, possess simple and comparatively small glands. According to an ancestral state reconstruction, the complex PPG most likely evolved in the last common ancestor of the Philanthini, thus representing an autapomorphy of this tribe. CONCLUSION Prey embalming, as described for P. triangulum and T. elongatus, and now also for P. gibbosus, most probably requires a complex PPG. Hence, the morphology and size of the PPG may allow for inferences about the origin and distribution of the prey embalming behavior within the Philanthinae. Based on our results, we suggest that prey embalming has evolved as an antimicrobial strategy in and is restricted to the tribe Philanthini, which seems to face exceptional threats with regard to fungal infestations of their larval provisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Weiss
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Erhard Strohm
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Insect Symbiosis Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Str. 8, 07745, Jena, Germany. .,Department for Evolutionary Ecology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Institute for Zoology, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 13, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Gudrun Herzner
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
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Mitra A, Gadagkar R. The Dufour's gland and the cuticle in the social wasp Ropalidia marginata contain the same hydrocarbons in similar proportions. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2014; 14:9. [PMID: 25373156 PMCID: PMC4199378 DOI: 10.1093/jis/14.1.9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2012] [Accepted: 05/13/2013] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Queens in many social insects are known to maintain their status through chemicals (pheromones) and cuticular hydrocarbons and have been the focus of many investigations that have looked at the chemicals involved in queen signaling. In the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), the Dufour's gland has been shown to be involved in queen signaling, and Dufour's gland hydrocarbons have been found to be correlated with fertility. Hence, this study analyzed the cuticle of R. marginata along with the Dufour's gland in order to compare their hydrocarbon profiles. The results show that the Dufour's gland and cuticle contained the same set of hydrocarbons in similar proportions (for the majority of compounds). Patterns pertaining to fertility signaling present in cuticular hydrocarbons were also similar to those present in the Dufour's gland hydrocarbons. Furthermore, the haemolymph contained the same hydrocarbons as found in the Dufour's gland and cuticle in similar proportions, thereby providing an explanation as to why the hydrocarbon profiles of the Dufour's gland and cuticle are correlated.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Mitra
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore -560012, India
| | - R Gadagkar
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore -560012, India Evolutionary and Organismal Biology Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur, Bangalore -560064, India
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8
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Herzner G, Kaltenpoth M, Poettinger T, Weiss K, Koedam D, Kroiss J, Strohm E. Morphology, chemistry and function of the postpharyngeal gland in the South American digger wasps Trachypus boharti and Trachypus elongatus. PLoS One 2013; 8:e82780. [PMID: 24324830 PMCID: PMC3855771 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2013] [Accepted: 10/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbes pose severe threats to animals as competitors or pathogens and strongly affect the evolution of life history traits like parental care. Females of the European beewolf Philanthus triangulum, a solitary digger wasp, provision their offspring with paralyzed honeybees and embalm them with the secretion from large postpharyngeal glands (PPG) that contain mainly unsaturated hydrocarbons. This coating changes the physico-chemical properties of the prey surface, causes a reduction of water condensation and retards growth of mold fungi. Here we examined the closely related South American genus Trachypus, which shows a life-history similar to Philanthus. We investigated whether Trachypus spp. also possess PPGs and embalm larval provisions. Using histological methods and 3D reconstructions we show that Trachypus boharti and T. elongatus possess PPGs that are similar to P. triangulum but somewhat smaller. The ultrastructure of the gland epithelium suggests that the gland content is at least partly sequestered from the hemolymph. Chemical analyses using gas chromatography / mass spectrometry revealed that both the cuticle and PPGs of Trachypus contain mainly unsaturated long-chain hydrocarbons. The gland of T. boharti additionally contains long-chain ketones. The hydrocarbons from the PPG of T. elongatus occurred on prey bees excavated from nests in the field but not on conspecific control bees. While the embalming only slightly elevated the amount of hydrocarbons on prey bees, the proportion of unsaturated hydrocarbons, which is crucial for the antifungal effect, was significantly increased. The Trachypus species under study possess PPGs that are very similar to the PPG of P. triangulum with regard to morphology, ultrastructure and chemistry. Moreover, we provide clear evidence that T. elongatus females embalm their prey, presumably as a means of prey preservation. The observed differences among Trachypus and Philanthus in gland size and prey embalming may have evolved in response to divergent ecological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gudrun Herzner
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Institute for Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Research Group Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Theodor Poettinger
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Institute for Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Weiss
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Institute for Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Dirk Koedam
- Department of Animal Sciences, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid Region, Mossoro, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Johannes Kroiss
- Research Group Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Erhard Strohm
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Institute for Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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9
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Maternal and environmental effects on symbiont-mediated antimicrobial defense. J Chem Ecol 2013; 39:978-88. [PMID: 23779268 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-013-0304-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2013] [Revised: 05/21/2013] [Accepted: 05/23/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria produce a remarkable diversity of bioactive molecules with antimicrobial properties. Despite the importance of such compounds for human medicine, little is known about the factors influencing antibiotic production in natural environments. Recently, several insects have been found to benefit from symbiont-produced antimicrobial compounds for defense against pathogenic microbes. In the European beewolf, Philanthus triangulum (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae), bacteria of the genus Streptomyces provide protection against pathogens by producing antimicrobials on the larval cocoon during hibernation, thereby significantly enhancing the survival probability of the beewolf larva. To investigate the effects of abiotic and biotic factors on antibiotic production, we exposed beewolf cocoons to different environmental conditions and quantified the amount of Streptomyces-produced antibiotics by using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The results revealed no significant influence of temperature, humidity, or pathogen load on the antibiotic amount, indicating that antibiotic production is not affected by current environmental conditions but rather may be optimized to serve as a reliable long-term protection during the unpredictable phase of beewolf hibernation. However, the amount of antibiotics was positively correlated with the symbiont population size on the cocoon, which in turn is affected by the number of Streptomyces cells provided by the mother into the brood cell. Additionally, we found a positive correlation between the amount of hydrocarbons and the number and length of bacterial cells in the antennal gland secretion, suggesting that maternal investment affects symbiont growth and, thus, antibiotic production on the larval cocoon.
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Herzner G, Engl T, Strohm E. Cryptic combat against competing microbes is a costly component of parental care in a digger wasp. Anim Behav 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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11
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Herzner G, Ruther J, Goller S, Schulz S, Goettler W, Strohm E. Structure, chemical composition and putative function of the postpharyngeal gland of the emerald cockroach wasp, Ampulex compressa (Hymenoptera, Ampulicidae). ZOOLOGY 2011; 114:36-45. [PMID: 21256725 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2010.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2010] [Revised: 10/05/2010] [Accepted: 10/12/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The postpharyngeal gland (PPG) plays a major role in the social integration of ant colonies. It had been thought to be restricted to ants but was recently also described for a solitary wasp, the European beewolf (Philanthus triangulum). This finding posed the question whether the gland has evolved independently in the two taxa or has been inherited from a common ancestor and is hence homologous. The latter alternative would be supported if a PPG was found in more basal taxa. Therefore, we examined a species at the base of the Apoidea, the solitary ampulicid wasp Ampulex compressa, for the existence of a PPG. Both sexes of this species possess a cephalic gland that branches off the posterior part of the pharynx, is lined by a cuticular intima and surrounded by a monolayered epithelium with the epithelial cells bearing long hairs. Most of these morphological characteristics conform to those of the PPG of ants and beewolves. Chemical analysis of the gland content revealed that it contains mainly hydrocarbons and that there is a congruence of the pattern of hydrocarbons in the gland, on the cuticle, and in the hemolymph, as has also been reported for both ants and beewolves. Based on these morphological and chemical results we propose that the newly described cephalic gland is a PPG and discuss its possible function in A. compressa. The present study supports the view of a homologous origin of the PPG in the aculeate Hymenoptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gudrun Herzner
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany.
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