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Vidal M, Königseder F, Giehr J, Schrempf A, Lucas C, Heinze J. Worker ants promote outbreeding by transporting young queens to alien nests. Commun Biol 2021; 4:515. [PMID: 33941829 PMCID: PMC8093424 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02016-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Choosing the right mating partner is one of the most critical decisions in the life of a sexually reproducing organism and is the basis of sexual selection. This choice is usually assumed to be made by one or both of the sexual partners. Here, we describe a system in which a third party – the siblings – promote outbreeding by their sisters: workers of the tiny ant Cardiocondyla elegans carry female sexuals from their natal nest over several meters and drop them in the nest of another, unrelated colony to promote outbreeding with wingless, stationary males. Workers appear to choose particular recipient colonies into which they transfer numerous female sexuals. Assisted outbreeding and indirect female choice in the ant C. elegans are comparable to human matchmaking and suggest a hitherto unknown aspect of natural history – third party sexual selection. Our study highlights that research at the intersection between social evolution and reproductive biology might reveal surprising facets of animal behavior. Vidal et al. identify a breeding system in the ant Cardiocondyla elegans that avoids colonial inbreeding, managed by a third party of worker ants. This system bears similarities to human matchmaking, but with fundamental genetic drivers rather than social ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Vidal
- Chair of Zoology and Evolutionary Biology - University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Florian Königseder
- Chair of Zoology and Evolutionary Biology - University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Julia Giehr
- Chair of Zoology and Evolutionary Biology - University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Alexandra Schrempf
- Chair of Zoology and Evolutionary Biology - University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christophe Lucas
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte (UMR7261), CNRS - Université de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Chair of Zoology and Evolutionary Biology - University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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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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Chemical Characterization of Young Virgin Queens and Mated Egg-Laying Queens in the Ant Cataglyphis cursor: Random Forest Classification Analysis for Multivariate Datasets. J Chem Ecol 2018; 44:127-136. [PMID: 29350346 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-018-0923-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Revised: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Social insects are well known for their extremely rich chemical communication, yet their sex pheromones remain poorly studied. In the thermophilic and thelytokous ant, Cataglyphis cursor, we analyzed the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and Dufour's gland contents of queens of different age and reproductive status (sexually immature gynes, sexually mature gynes, mated and egg-laying queens) and of workers. Random forest classification analyses showed that the four groups of individuals were well separated for both chemical sources, except mature gynes that clustered with queens for cuticular hydrocarbons and with immature gynes for Dufour's gland secretions. Analyses carried out with two groups of females only allowed identification of candidate chemicals for queen signal and for sexual attractant. In particular, gynes produced more undecane in the Dufour's gland. This chemical is both the sex pheromone and the alarm pheromone of the ant Formica lugubris. It may therefore act as sex pheromone in C. cursor, and/or be involved in the restoration of monogyny that occurs rapidly following colony fission. Indeed, new colonies often start with several gynes and all but one are rapidly culled by workers, and this process likely involves chemical signals between gynes and workers. These findings open novel opportunities for experimental studies of inclusive mate choice and queen choice in C. cursor.
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Doums C, Fédérici P, Chifflet-Belle P, Monnin T. Worker thelytoky allows requeening of orphaned colonies but increases susceptibility to reproductive cheating in an ant. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Boulay R, Aron S, Cerdá X, Doums C, Graham P, Hefetz A, Monnin T. Social Life in Arid Environments: The Case Study of Cataglyphis Ants. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2017; 62:305-321. [PMID: 27860520 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-031616-034941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Unlike most desert-dwelling animals, Cataglyphis ants do not attempt to escape the heat; rather, they apply their impressive heat tolerance to avoid competitors and predators. This thermally defined niche has promoted a range of adaptations both at the individual and colony levels. We have also recently discovered that within the genus Cataglyphis there are incredibly diverse social systems, modes of reproduction, and dispersal, prompting the tantalizing question of whether social diversity may also be a consequence of the harsh environment within which we find these charismatic ants. Here we review recent advances regarding the physiological, behavioral, life-history, colony, and ecological characteristics of Cataglyphis and consider perspectives on future research that will build our understanding of organic adaptive responses to desertification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaël Boulay
- Le Studium Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, 45000 Orléans, France;
- Institute of Insect Biology, Tours University, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Serge Aron
- Le Studium Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, 45000 Orléans, France;
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050, Belgium
| | - Xim Cerdá
- Le Studium Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, 45000 Orléans, France;
- Doñana Biological Station, CSIC, 41092 Seville, Spain
| | - Claudie Doums
- Le Studium Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, 45000 Orléans, France;
- Institute of Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity, CNRS, UPMC, EPHE, MNHN, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Paul Graham
- Le Studium Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, 45000 Orléans, France;
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, United Kingdom
| | - Abraham Hefetz
- Le Studium Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, 45000 Orléans, France;
- Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Thibaud Monnin
- Le Studium Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, 45000 Orléans, France;
- UMR 7618, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, 75252 Paris, France
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6
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Helft F, Monnin T, Doums C. First Evidence of Inclusive Sexual Selection in the Ant Cataglyphis cursor: Worker Aggressions Differentially Affect Male Access to Virgin Queens. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Florence Helft
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7618 Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris; Paris France
- École Pratique des Hautes Études; Paris France
- Département Systématique et Évolution; ISYEB, UMR 7205 CNRS UPMC Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle; Paris France
| | - Thibaud Monnin
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7618 Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris; Paris France
| | - Claudie Doums
- École Pratique des Hautes Études; Paris France
- Département Systématique et Évolution; ISYEB, UMR 7205 CNRS UPMC Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle; Paris France
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7
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Insights into the biodiversity of the Succulent Karoo hotspot of South Africa: the population genetics of a rare and endemic halictid bee, Patellapis doleritica. CONSERV GENET 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-014-0633-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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8
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Oxley PR, Ji L, Fetter-Pruneda I, McKenzie SK, Li C, Hu H, Zhang G, Kronauer DJC. The genome of the clonal raider ant Cerapachys biroi. Curr Biol 2014; 24:451-8. [PMID: 24508170 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2013] [Revised: 11/26/2013] [Accepted: 01/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Social insects are important models for social evolution and behavior. However, in many species, experimental control over important factors that regulate division of labor, such as genotype and age, is limited. Furthermore, most species have fixed queen and worker castes, making it difficult to establish causality between the molecular mechanisms that underlie reproductive division of labor, the hallmark of insect societies. Here we present the genome of the queenless clonal raider ant Cerapachys biroi, a powerful new study system that does not suffer from these constraints. Using cytology and RAD-seq, we show that C. biroi reproduces via automixis with central fusion and that heterozygosity is lost extremely slowly. As a consequence, nestmates are almost clonally related (r = 0.996). Workers in C. biroi colonies synchronously alternate between reproduction and brood care, and young workers eclose in synchronized cohorts. We show that genes associated with division of labor in other social insects are conserved in C. biroi and dynamically regulated during the colony cycle. With unparalleled experimental control over an individual's genotype and age, and the ability to induce reproduction and brood care, C. biroi has great potential to illuminate the molecular regulation of division of labor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter R Oxley
- Laboratory of Insect Social Evolution, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Lu Ji
- China National Genebank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Ingrid Fetter-Pruneda
- Laboratory of Insect Social Evolution, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Sean K McKenzie
- Laboratory of Insect Social Evolution, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Cai Li
- China National Genebank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Haofu Hu
- China National Genebank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Guojie Zhang
- China National Genebank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Daniel J C Kronauer
- Laboratory of Insect Social Evolution, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
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