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Birer C, Moreau CS, Tysklind N, Zinger L, Duplais C. Disentangling the assembly mechanisms of ant cuticular bacterial communities of two Amazonian ant species sharing a common arboreal nest. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:1372-1385. [PMID: 32133714 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Revised: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria living on the cuticle of ants are generally studied for their protective role against pathogens, especially in the clade of fungus-growing ants. However, little is known regarding the diversity of cuticular bacteria in other ant host species, as well as the mechanisms leading to the composition of these communities. Here, we used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to study the influence of host species, species interactions and the pool of bacteria from the environment on the assembly of cuticular bacterial communities on two phylogenetically distant Amazonian ant species that frequently nest together inside the roots system of epiphytic plants, Camponotus femoratus and Crematogaster levior. Our results show that (a) the vast majority of the bacterial community on the cuticle is shared with the nest, suggesting that most bacteria on the cuticle are acquired through environmental acquisition, (b) 5.2% and 2.0% of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) are respectively specific to Ca. femoratus and Cr. levior, probably representing their respective core cuticular bacterial community, and (c) 3.6% of OTUs are shared between the two ant species. Additionally, mass spectrometry metabolomics analysis of metabolites on the cuticle of ants, which excludes the detection of cuticular hydrocarbons produced by the host, were conducted to evaluate correlations among bacterial OTUs and m/z ion mass. Although some positive and negative correlations are found, the cuticular chemical composition was weakly species-specific, suggesting that cuticular bacterial communities are prominently environmentally acquired. Overall, our results suggest the environment is the dominant source of bacteria found on the cuticle of ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Birer
- CNRS, UMR8172 EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Cayenne, France.,Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Corrie S Moreau
- Departments of Entomology and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Niklas Tysklind
- INRAE, UMR8172 EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Kourou, France
| | - Lucie Zinger
- Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Université Paris, Paris, France
| | - Christophe Duplais
- CNRS, UMR8172 EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Cayenne, France
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Torres CW, Tonione MA, Ramírez SR, Sapp JR, Tsutsui ND. Genetic and chemical divergence among host races of a socially parasitic ant. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:11385-11398. [PMID: 30598743 PMCID: PMC6303767 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Revised: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Host-parasite associations facilitate the action of reciprocal selection and can drive rapid evolutionary change. When multiple host species are available to a single parasite, parallel specialization on different hosts may promote the action of diversifying natural selection and divergence via host race formation. Here, we examine a population of the kidnapper ant (Polyergus mexicanus) that is an obligate social parasite of three sympatric ant species: Formica accreta, F. argentea, and F. subaenescens (formerly F. fusca). Behavioral and ecological observations of P. mexicanus have shown that individual colonies parasitize only one species of host and that new Polyergus queens maintain host fidelity when establishing new colonies. To successfully adapt to a particular host, Polyergus ants may mimic or camouflage themselves with the species-specific chemical cues (cuticular hydrocarbons) that their hosts use to ascertain colony membership. To investigate the extent of host specialization, we collected both genetic and chemical data from P. mexicanus that parasitize each of the three different Formica species in sympatry. We show that host-associated genetic structure exists for both maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA data and biparentally inherited microsatellite markers. We also show that P. mexicanus can be distinguished by chemical profile according to host due to partial matching with their host. Our results support the hypothesis that host race formation is occurring among lineages of P. mexicanus that use different Formica hosts. Thus, this system may represent a promising model for illuminating the early steps of divergence, accumulation of reproductive isolation, and speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candice W. Torres
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and ManagementUniversity of California‐BerkeleyBerkeleyCalifornia
| | - Maria A. Tonione
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and ManagementUniversity of California‐BerkeleyBerkeleyCalifornia
| | - Santiago R. Ramírez
- Department of Evolution and EcologyUniversity of California‐DavisDavisCalifornia
| | - Joseph R. Sapp
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of California‐Santa CruzSanta CruzCalifornia
| | - Neil D. Tsutsui
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and ManagementUniversity of California‐BerkeleyBerkeleyCalifornia
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Menzel F, Schmitt T, Blaimer BB. The evolution of a complex trait: cuticular hydrocarbons in ants evolve independent from phylogenetic constraints. J Evol Biol 2017; 30:1372-1385. [PMID: 28485028 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2016] [Revised: 04/29/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are ubiquitous and highly diverse in insects, serving as communication signal and waterproofing agent. Despite their vital function, the causes, mechanisms and constraints on CHC diversification are still poorly understood. Here, we investigated phylogenetic constraints on the evolution of CHC profiles, using a global data set of the species-rich and chemically diverse ant genus Crematogaster. We decomposed CHC profiles into quantitative (relative abundances, chain length) and qualitative traits (presence/absence of CHC classes). A species-level phylogeny was estimated using newly generated and previously published sequences from five nuclear markers. Moreover, we reconstructed a phylogeny for the chemically diverse Crematogaster levior species group using cytochrome oxidase I. Phylogenetic signal was measured for these traits on genus and clade level and within the chemically diverse C. levior group. For most quantitative CHC traits, phylogenetic signal was low and did not differ from random expectation. This was true on the level of genus, clade and species group, indicating that CHC traits are evolutionary labile. In contrast, the presence or absence of alkenes and alkadienes was highly conserved within the C. levior group. Hence, the presence or absence of biosynthetic pathways may be phylogenetically constrained, especially at lower taxonomic levels. Our study shows that CHC composition can evolve rapidly, allowing insects to quickly adapt their chemical profiles to external selection pressures, whereas the presence of biosynthetic pathways appears more constrained. However, our results stress the importance to consider the taxonomic level when investigating phylogenetic constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Menzel
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Faculty of Biology, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - T Schmitt
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - B B Blaimer
- Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
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Lorenzi MC, Azzani L, Bagnères AG. Divergence in Cuticular Chemical Signatures between Isolated Populations of an Intraspecific Social Parasite. Front Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
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