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Owen RE. Half-chromatid mutation as a possible cause of mosaic males and females in Hymenoptera and rare fertile male tortoiseshell cats. Genome 2023; 66:295-304. [PMID: 37307601 DOI: 10.1139/gen-2023-0006] [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] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Half-chromatid mutations occur when a single base change in a gamete is transmitted to the zygote, which, after DNA replication and cleavage, will result in a mosaic individual. These mutations will be passed on through the germ plasm and also may be expressed somatically. Half-chromatid mutation has been suggested to account for the observed lower frequency of males than expected for lethal X-linked recessive disorders in humans, such as Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, incontinentia pigmenti, and Duchene muscular dystrophy. Although attention has been paid to half-chromatid mutation in humans, it otherwise has been ignored. Here I show that half-chromatid mutation in haplodiploid organisms, such as Hymenoptera, has some interesting and important consequences: (i) since all genes follow the X-linked pattern of inheritance, half-chromatid mutations should be relatively easier to detect; (ii) recessive mutations of all viabilities may be expected; (iii) mosaics of both sexes are expected in haplodiploids with half-chromatid mutation; (iv) gynandromorphs could result from half-chromatid mutation at the sex-determination locus, in species with single-locus complementary sex-determination. Finally, half-chromatid mutation can account for the rare fertile male tortoiseshell phenotype observed in the domestic cat, Felis catus, and which still has not been fully accounted for by other mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin E Owen
- Department of Biology, Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB T3E 6K6, Canada
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Lenancker P, Feldhaar H, Holzinger A, Greenfield M, Strain A, Yeeles P, Hoffmann BD, Tay WT, Lach L. Origin, behaviour, and genetics of reproductive workers in an invasive ant. Front Zool 2021; 18:13. [PMID: 33752683 PMCID: PMC7986258 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-021-00392-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Worker reproduction has an important influence on the social cohesion and efficiency of social insect colonies, but its role in the success of invasive ants has been neglected. We used observations of 233 captive colonies, laboratory experiments, and genetic analyses to investigate the conditions for worker reproduction in the invasive Anoplolepis gracilipes (yellow crazy ant) and its potential cost on interspecific defence. We determined the prevalence of worker production of males and whether it is triggered by queen absence; whether physogastric workers with enlarged abdomens are more likely to be reproductive, how normal workers and physogastric workers compare in their contributions to foraging and defence; and whether worker-produced males and males that could have been queen- or worker-produced differ in their size and heterozygosity. Results Sixty-six of our 233 captive colonies produced males, and in 25 of these, some males could only have been produced by workers. Colonies with more workers were more likely to produce males, especially for queenless colonies. The average number of days between the first appearance of eggs and adult males in our colonies was 54.1 ± 10.2 (mean ± SD, n = 20). In our laboratory experiment, queen removal triggered an increase in the proportion of physogastric workers. Physogastric workers were more likely to have yolky oocytes (37–54.9%) than normal workers (2–25.6%), which is an indicator of fertile or trophic egg production. Physogastric workers were less aggressive during interspecific aggression tests and foraged less than normal workers. The head width and wing length of worker-produced males were on average 4.0 and 4.3% greater respectively than those of males of undetermined source. Our microsatellite DNA analyses indicate that 5.5% of worker-produced males and 14.3% of males of undetermined source were heterozygous, which suggests the presence of diploid males and/or genetic mosaics in A. gracilipes. Conclusions Our experimental work provides crucial information on worker reproduction in A. gracilipes and its potential cost to colony defence. The ability of A. gracilipes workers to produce males in the absence of queens may also contribute to its success as an invasive species if intranidal mating can take place between virgin queens and worker-produced males. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12983-021-00392-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Lenancker
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia. .,CSIRO, Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre, Darwin, NT, 0822, Australia.
| | - Heike Feldhaar
- Animal Ecology I, Bayreuth Centre of Ecology and Environmental Research, University of Bayreuth, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Anja Holzinger
- Animal Ecology I, Bayreuth Centre of Ecology and Environmental Research, University of Bayreuth, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Melinda Greenfield
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia
| | - Angela Strain
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia
| | - Peter Yeeles
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia
| | | | - Wee Tek Tay
- CSIRO, Black Mountain Laboratories, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Lori Lach
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia
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Oettler J, Platschek T, Schmidt C, Rajakumar R, Favé MJ, Khila A, Heinze J, Abouheif E. Interruption points in the wing gene regulatory network underlying wing polyphenism evolved independently in male and female morphs in Cardiocondyla ants. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2018; 332:7-16. [PMID: 30460750 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Wing polyphenism in ants, which produces a winged female queen caste and a wingless female worker caste, evolved approximately 150 million years ago and has been key to the remarkable success of ants. Approximately 20 million years ago, the myrmicine ant genus Cardiocondyla evolved an additional wing polyphenism among males producing two male morphs: wingless males that fight to enhance mating success and winged males that disperse. Here we show that interruption of rudimentary wing-disc development in larvae of the ant Cardiocondyla obscurior occurs further downstream in the network in wingless males as compared with wingless female workers. This pattern is corroborated in C. kagutsuchi, a species from a different clade within the genus, indicating that late interruption of wing development in males is conserved across Cardiocondyla. Therefore, our results show that the novel male wing polyphenism was not developmentally constrained by the pre-existing female wing polyphenism and evolved through independent alteration of interruption points in the wing gene network. Furthermore, a comparison of adult morphological characters in C. obscurior reveals that developmental trajectories lead to similar morphological trait integration between winged and wingless females, but dramatically different integration between winged and wingless males. This suggests that the alternative sex-specific developmental routes to achieve winglessness in the genus Cardiocondyla may have evolved through different selection regimes acting on wingless males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Oettler
- Zoologie-Evolutionsbiologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Platschek
- Zoologie-Evolutionsbiologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Christine Schmidt
- Zoologie-Evolutionsbiologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Marie-Julie Favé
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Jürgen Heinze
- Zoologie-Evolutionsbiologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Ehab Abouheif
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Heinze J. Life-history evolution in ants: the case of Cardiocondyla. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2016.1406. [PMID: 28298341 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Ants are important components of most terrestrial habitats, and a better knowledge of the diversity of their life histories is essential to understand many aspects of ecosystem functioning. The myrmicine genus Cardiocondyla shows a wide range of colony structures, reproductive behaviours, queen and male lifespans, and habitat use. Reconstructing the evolutionary pathways of individual and social phenotypic traits suggests that the ancestral life history of Cardiocondyla was characterized by the presence of multiple, short-lived queens in small-sized colonies and a male polyphenism with winged dispersers and wingless fighters, which engage in lethal combat over female sexuals within their natal nests. Single queening, queen polyphenism, the loss of winged males and tolerance among wingless males appear to be derived traits that evolved with changes in nesting habits, colony size and the spread from tropical to seasonal environments. The aim of this review is to bring together the information on life-history evolution in Cardiocondyla and to highlight the suitability of this genus for functional genomic studies of adaptation, phenotypic plasticity, senescence, invasiveness and other key life-history traits of ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Heinze
- Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie, Universität Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
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Schwander T, Oldroyd BP. Androgenesis: where males hijack eggs to clone themselves. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0534. [PMID: 27619698 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Androgenesis is a form of quasi-sexual reproduction in which a male is the sole source of the nuclear genetic material in the embryo. Two types of androgenesis occur in nature. Under the first type, females produce eggs without a nucleus and the embryo develops from the male gamete following fertilization. Evolution of this type of androgenesis is poorly understood as the parent responsible for androgenesis (the mother) gains no benefit from it. Ultimate factors driving the evolution of the second type of androgenesis are better understood. In this case, a zygote is formed between a male and a female gamete, but the female genome is eliminated. When rare, androgenesis with genome elimination is favoured because an androgenesis-determining allele has twice the reproductive success of an allele that determines sexual reproduction. Paradoxically, except in hermaphrodites, a successful androgenetic strain can drive such a male-biased sex ratio that the population goes extinct. This likely explains why androgenesis with genome elimination appears to be rarer than androgenesis via non-nucleate eggs, although both forms are either very rare or remain largely undetected in nature. Nonetheless, some highly invasive species including ants and freshwater clams are androgenetic, for reasons that are largely unexplained.This article is part of the themed issue 'Weird sex: the underappreciated diversity of sexual reproduction'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Schwander
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin P Oldroyd
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Lab, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Macleay Building A12, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
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Klein A, Schultner E, Lowak H, Schrader L, Heinze J, Holman L, Oettler J. Evolution of Social Insect Polyphenism Facilitated by the Sex Differentiation Cascade. PLoS Genet 2016; 12:e1005952. [PMID: 27031240 PMCID: PMC4816456 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 03/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The major transition to eusociality required the evolution of a switch to canalize development into either a reproductive or a helper, the nature of which is currently unknown. Following predictions from the ‘theory of facilitated variation’, we identify sex differentiation pathways as promising candidates because of their pre-adaptation to regulating development of complex phenotypes. We show that conserved core genes, including the juvenile hormone-sensitive master sex differentiation gene doublesex (dsx) and a krüppel homolog 2 (kr-h2) with putative regulatory function, exhibit both sex and morph-specific expression across life stages in the ant Cardiocondyla obscurior. We hypothesize that genes in the sex differentiation cascade evolved perception of alternative input signals for caste differentiation (i.e. environmental or genetic cues), and that their inherent switch-like and epistatic behavior facilitated signal transfer to downstream targets, thus allowing them to control differential development into morphological castes. Division of labor into reproductive queens and helper workers in the societies of ants, bees and wasps is achieved by phenotypic plasticity, which allows individuals to embark on discrete developmental trajectories in response to variable signals. These signals can be genetic, epigenetic or environmental, thereby resembling the extreme variation in signals for sex determination across multicellular animals. We show that common developmental pathways downstream of these input signals, including the conserved sex differentiation gene doublesex, regulate sex and caste-specific phenotypic differentiation in the ant species Cardiocondyla obscurior. Many different mechanisms of gene regulation have been implicated in controlling caste-specific development in social insects but these all depend on a higher-level genetic switch. We propose that highly conserved hub genes such as dsx, which can translate variable input signals into large transcription differences using intermediate-level regulators, are tightly linked with the repeated evolutionary transition to eusociality and caste polyphenism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonia Klein
- Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Eva Schultner
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Helena Lowak
- Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Lukas Schrader
- Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Luke Holman
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Jan Oettler
- Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Expression profile of the sex determination gene doublesex in a gynandromorph of bumblebee, Bombus ignitus. Naturwissenschaften 2016; 103:17. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-016-1342-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2015] [Revised: 01/27/2016] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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Weeks SC. The role of androdioecy and gynodioecy in mediating evolutionary transitions between dioecy and hermaphroditism in the animalia. Evolution 2012. [PMID: 23206127 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2012.01714.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Dioecy (gonochorism) is dominant within the Animalia, although a recent review suggests hermaphroditism is also common. Evolutionary transitions from dioecy to hermaphroditism (or vice versa) have occurred frequently in animals, but few studies suggest the advantage of such transitions. In particular, few studies assess how hermaphroditism evolves from dioecy or whether androdioecy or gynodioecy should be an "intermediate" stage, as noted in plants. Herein, these transitions are assessed by documenting the numbers of androdioecious and gynodioecious animals and inferring their ancestral reproductive mode. Both systems are rare, but androdioecy was an order of magnitude more common than gynodioecy. Transitions from dioecious ancestors were commonly to androdioecy rather than gynodioecy. Hermaphrodites evolving from sexually dimorphic dioecious ancestors appear to be constrained to those with female-biased sex allocation; such hermaphrodites replace females to coexist with males. Hermaphrodites evolving from sexually monomorphic dioecious ancestors were not similarly constrained. Species transitioning from hermaphroditic ancestors were more commonly androdioecious than gynodioecious, contrasting with similar transitions in plants. In animals, such transitions were associated with size specialization between the sexes, whereas in plants these transitions were to avoid inbreeding depression. Further research should frame these reproductive transitions in a theoretical context, similar to botanical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen C Weeks
- Department of Biology, Program in Integrated Bioscience, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325-3908, USA.
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Tulgetske GM, Stouthamer R. Characterization of intersex production in Trichogramma kaykai infected with parthenogenesis-inducing Wolbachia. Naturwissenschaften 2012; 99:143-52. [PMID: 22218612 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-011-0880-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2011] [Revised: 12/14/2011] [Accepted: 12/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Sexually aberrant individuals, displaying both male and female characteristics, are rare in occurrence but are documented throughout the animal kingdom. In parasitoid wasps of the genus Trichogramma, such individuals typically appear as a result of rearing Wolbachia-infected thelytokous wasps at high temperatures. Sexually aberrant Trichogramma have been referred to interchangeably in the literature as gynandromorphs, sexual mosaics and intersexes. However, accurately used, the terms "gynandromorph" and "sexual mosaic" describe an individual composed of a mixture of genetically distinct tissues corresponding to the sexual phenotypes observed, while "intersex" refers to an individual having a uniform genetic constitution but with some tissues exhibiting sexual phenotypes conflicting with the associated genotype. Here, we investigate the heat-induced production of sexually aberrant offspring by thelytokous Trichogramma kaykai. Aberrant individuals were rare, but each was characterized as one of 11 morphotypes ranging from very feminine to very masculine. Overall, the production of aberrant individuals increased with time from the onset of maternal oviposition. However, while the production of males also increased with time, the degree of masculinity of aberrant individuals did not; the different morphotypes appeared to be produced haphazardly. We conclude that the aberrant individuals produced by T. kaykai are actually intersexes and not gynandromorphs. The wasp's close association with Wolbachia and the absence of intersexes in uninfected populations allow us to discuss a possible origin of the condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genet M Tulgetske
- Department of Entomology, University of California, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
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Yang AS, Abouheif E. Gynandromorphs as indicators of modularity and evolvability in ants. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2011; 316:313-8. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.21407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2010] [Revised: 10/27/2010] [Accepted: 02/07/2011] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Oettler J, Suefuji M, Heinze J. THE EVOLUTION OF ALTERNATIVE REPRODUCTIVE TACTICS IN MALE CARDIOCONDYLA ANTS. Evolution 2010; 64:3310-7. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.01090.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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