1
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Petelski I, Günzel Y, Sayin S, Kraus S, Couzin-Fuchs E. Synergistic olfactory processing for social plasticity in desert locusts. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5476. [PMID: 38942759 PMCID: PMC11213921 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49719-7] [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: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Desert locust plagues threaten the food security of millions. Central to their formation is crowding-induced plasticity, with social phenotypes changing from cryptic (solitarious) to swarming (gregarious). Here, we elucidate the implications of this transition on foraging decisions and corresponding neural circuits. We use behavioral experiments and Bayesian modeling to decompose the multi-modal facets of foraging, revealing olfactory social cues as critical. To this end, we investigate how corresponding odors are encoded in the locust olfactory system using in-vivo calcium imaging. We discover crowding-dependent synergistic interactions between food-related and social odors distributed across stable combinatorial response maps. The observed synergy was specific to the gregarious phase and manifested in distinct odor response motifs. Our results suggest a crowding-induced modulation of the locust olfactory system that enhances food detection in swarms. Overall, we demonstrate how linking sensory adaptations to behaviorally relevant tasks can improve our understanding of social modulation in non-model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inga Petelski
- International Max Planck Research School for Quantitative Behavior, Ecology and Evolution from lab to field, 78464, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78464, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Yannick Günzel
- International Max Planck Research School for Quantitative Behavior, Ecology and Evolution from lab to field, 78464, Konstanz, Germany.
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464, Konstanz, Germany.
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78464, Konstanz, Germany.
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78464, Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Sercan Sayin
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78464, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Susanne Kraus
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Einat Couzin-Fuchs
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464, Konstanz, Germany.
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78464, Konstanz, Germany.
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78464, Konstanz, Germany.
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2
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Gao Q, Long J, Liu C, Liu H, Ran H, Lacy KD, Kronauer DJC. Ooceraeahainingensis sp. nov.: A new Chinese Ooceraea (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Dorylinae) species with a dealate queen, closely allied to the queenless clonal raider ant O.biroi. Zookeys 2024; 1205:101-113. [PMID: 38947166 PMCID: PMC11211655 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1205.118358] [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: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The clonal raider ant, Ooceraeabiroi, is a queenless species that reproduces asexually, and these traits make it an attractive model system for laboratory research. However, it is unclear where on the ant phylogeny these traits evolved, partly because few closely related species have been described and studied. Here, we describe a new raider ant species, Ooceraeahainingensis sp. nov., from Zhejiang, China. This species is closely related to O.biroi but can be distinguished by the following features: 1) workers of O.hainingensis sp. nov. have an obvious promesonotal suture and a metanotal groove, whereas these characters are ambiguous in O.biroi; and 2) the subpetiolar process of O.hainingensis is prominent and anteroventrally directed like a thumb with sublinear posteroventral margin, while in O.biroi, it is anteroventrally directed but slightly backward-bent. Molecular phylogenetic analyses confirm that O.hainingensis is genetically distinct from O.biroi. Importantly, unlike O.biroi, O.hainingensis has a queen caste with wings and well-developed eyes. This suggests that the loss of the queen caste and transition to asexual reproduction by workers is specific to O.biroi and occurred after that species diverged from closely related congeneric species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qionghua Gao
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Agri-Environmental and Agri-Products Safety/National Demonstration Center for Experimental Plant Science Education, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Jiliang Long
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Agri-Environmental and Agri-Products Safety/National Demonstration Center for Experimental Plant Science Education, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Chengyuan Liu
- Center for Evolutionary and Organismal Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Haoyu Liu
- Haining Ziwei Senior High School, Haining, 314400, China
| | - Hao Ran
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, 650223, China
| | - Kip D. Lacy
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Daniel J. C. Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
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3
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Jiang X, Dimitriou E, Grabe V, Sun R, Chang H, Zhang Y, Gershenzon J, Rybak J, Hansson BS, Sachse S. Ring-shaped odor coding in the antennal lobe of migratory locusts. Cell 2024:S0092-8674(24)00580-4. [PMID: 38897195 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.05.036] [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: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
The representation of odors in the locust antennal lobe with its >2,000 glomeruli has long remained a perplexing puzzle. We employed the CRISPR-Cas9 system to generate transgenic locusts expressing the genetically encoded calcium indicator GCaMP in olfactory sensory neurons. Using two-photon functional imaging, we mapped the spatial activation patterns representing a wide range of ecologically relevant odors across all six developmental stages. Our findings reveal a functionally ring-shaped organization of the antennal lobe composed of specific glomerular clusters. This configuration establishes an odor-specific chemotopic representation by encoding different chemical classes and ecologically distinct odors in the form of glomerular rings. The ring-shaped glomerular arrangement, which we confirm by selective targeting of OR70a-expressing sensory neurons, occurs throughout development, and the odor-coding pattern within the glomerular population is consistent across developmental stages. Mechanistically, this unconventional spatial olfactory code reflects the locust-specific and multiplexed glomerular innervation pattern of the antennal lobe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingcong Jiang
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany; Research Group Olfactory Coding, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Eleftherios Dimitriou
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Veit Grabe
- Microscopic Service Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Ruo Sun
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Hetan Chang
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Yifu Zhang
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Jonathan Gershenzon
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Jürgen Rybak
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Bill S Hansson
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany.
| | - Silke Sachse
- Research Group Olfactory Coding, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany.
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4
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Hart T, Lopes LE, Frank DD, Kronauer DJC. Pheromone representation in the ant antennal lobe changes with age. Curr Biol 2024:S0960-9822(24)00674-2. [PMID: 38876103 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.031] [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: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
While the neural basis of age-related decline has been extensively studied,1,2,3 less is known about changes in neural function during the pre-senescent stages of adulthood. Adult neural plasticity is likely a key factor in social insect age polyethism, where individuals perform different tasks as they age and divide labor in an age-dependent manner.4,5,6,7,8,9 Primarily, workers transition from nursing to foraging tasks,5,10 become more aggressive, and more readily display alarm behavior11,12,13,14,15,16 as they get older. While it is unknown how these behavioral dynamics are neurally regulated, they could partially be generated by altered salience of behaviorally relevant stimuli.4,6,7 Here, we investigated how odor coding in the antennal lobe (AL) changes with age in the context of alarm pheromone communication in the clonal raider ant (Ooceraea biroi).17 Similar to other social insects,11,12,16 older ants responded more rapidly to alarm pheromones, the chemical signals for danger. Using whole-AL calcium imaging,18 we then mapped odor representations for five general odorants and two alarm pheromones in young and old ants. Alarm pheromones were represented sparsely at all ages. However, alarm pheromone responses within individual glomeruli changed with age, either increasing or decreasing. Only two glomeruli became sensitized to alarm pheromones with age, while at the same time becoming desensitized to general odorants. Our results suggest that the heightened response to alarm pheromones in older ants occurs via increased sensitivity in these two core glomeruli, illustrating the importance of sensory modulation in social insect division of labor and age-associated behavioral plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor Hart
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Lindsey E Lopes
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Dominic D Frank
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, 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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Zhao Y, Huang CX, Gu Y, Zhao Y, Ren W, Wang Y, Chen J, Guan NN, Song J. Serotonergic modulation of vigilance states in zebrafish and mice. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2596. [PMID: 38519480 PMCID: PMC10959952 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47021-0] [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: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Vigilance refers to being alertly watchful or paying sustained attention to avoid potential threats. Animals in vigilance states reduce locomotion and have an enhanced sensitivity to aversive stimuli so as to react quickly to dangers. Here we report that an unconventional 5-HT driven mechanism operating at neural circuit level which shapes the internal state underlying vigilance behavior in zebrafish and male mice. The neural signature of internal vigilance state was characterized by persistent low-frequency high-amplitude neuronal synchrony in zebrafish dorsal pallium and mice prefrontal cortex. The neuronal synchronization underlying vigilance was dependent on intense release of 5-HT induced by persistent activation of either DRN 5-HT neuron or local 5-HT axon terminals in related brain regions via activation of 5-HTR7. Thus, we identify a mechanism of vigilance behavior across species that illustrates the interplay between neuromodulators and neural circuits necessary to shape behavior states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional Modulation, Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200434, China
- Clinical Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Research, Tongji University, 200092, Shanghai, China
| | - Chun-Xiao Huang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional Modulation, Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200434, China
- Clinical Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Research, Tongji University, 200092, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiming Gu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional Modulation, Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200434, China
- Clinical Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Research, Tongji University, 200092, Shanghai, China
| | - Yacong Zhao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional Modulation, Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200434, China
- Clinical Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Research, Tongji University, 200092, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenjie Ren
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional Modulation, Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200434, China
- Clinical Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Research, Tongji University, 200092, Shanghai, China
| | - Yutong Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional Modulation, Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200434, China
- Clinical Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Research, Tongji University, 200092, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinjin Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional Modulation, Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200434, China
- Clinical Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Research, Tongji University, 200092, Shanghai, China
| | - Na N Guan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional Modulation, Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200434, China.
- Clinical Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Research, Tongji University, 200092, Shanghai, China.
- Frontiers Science Center for Intelligent Autonomous Systems, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Jianren Song
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional Modulation, Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200434, China.
- Clinical Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Research, Tongji University, 200092, Shanghai, China.
- Frontiers Science Center for Intelligent Autonomous Systems, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.
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6
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Hart T, Lopes LE, Frank DD, Kronauer DJ. Pheromone representation in the ant antennal lobe changes with age. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.13.580193. [PMID: 38405746 PMCID: PMC10888935 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.13.580193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
While the neural basis of age-related decline has been extensively studied (1-3), less is known about changes in neural function during the pre-senescent stages of adulthood. Adult neural plasticity is likely a key factor in social insect age polyethism, where individuals perform different tasks as they age and divide labor in an age-dependent manner (4-9). Primarily, workers transition from nursing to foraging tasks (5, 10), become more aggressive, and more readily display alarm behavior (11-16) as they get older. While it is unknown how these behavioral dynamics are neurally regulated, they could partially be generated by altered salience of behaviorally relevant stimuli (4, 6, 7). Here, we investigated how odor coding in the antennal lobe (AL) changes with age in the context of alarm pheromone communication in the clonal raider ant (Ooceraea biroi) (17). Similar to other social insects (11, 12, 16), older ants responded more rapidly to alarm pheromones, the chemical signals for danger. Using whole-AL calcium imaging (18), we then mapped odor representations for five general odorants and two alarm pheromones in young and old ants. Alarm pheromones were represented sparsely at all ages. However, alarm pheromone responses within individual glomeruli changed with age, either increasing or decreasing. Only two glomeruli became sensitized to alarm pheromones with age, while at the same time becoming desensitized to general odorants. Our results suggest that the heightened response to alarm pheromones in older ants occurs via increased sensitivity in these two core glomeruli, illustrating the importance of sensory modulation in social insect division of labor and age-associated behavioral plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor Hart
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Lindsey E. Lopes
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Dominic D. Frank
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, 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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7
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Lacy KD, Hart T, Kronauer DJ. Unselfish meiotic drive maintains heterozygosity in a parthenogenetic ant. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.09.579553. [PMID: 38405725 PMCID: PMC10888755 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.09.579553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
According to Mendel's second law, chromosomes segregate randomly in meiosis. Nonrandom segregation is primarily known for cases of selfish meiotic drive in females, in which particular alleles bias their own transmission into the oocyte1,2. Here, we report a rare example of unselfish meiotic drive for crossover inheritance in the clonal raider ant, Ooceraea biroi. This species produces diploid offspring parthenogenetically via fusion of two haploid nuclei from the same meiosis3. This process should cause rapid genotypic degeneration due to loss of heterozygosity, which results if crossover recombination is followed by random (Mendelian) segregation of chromosomes4,5. However, by comparing whole genomes of mothers and daughters, we show that loss of heterozygosity is exceedingly rare, raising the possibility that crossovers are infrequent or absent in O. biroi meiosis. Using a combination of cytology and whole genome sequencing, we show that crossover recombination is, in fact, common, but that loss of heterozygosity is avoided because crossover products are faithfully co-inherited. This results from a programmed violation of Mendel's law of segregation, such that crossover products segregate together rather than randomly. This discovery highlights an extreme example of cellular "memory" of crossovers, which could be a common yet cryptic feature of chromosomal segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kip D. Lacy
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Taylor Hart
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daniel J.C. Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY, USA
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8
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Brahma A, Frank DD, Pastor PDH, Piekarski PK, Wang W, Luo JD, Carroll TS, Kronauer DJC. Transcriptional and post-transcriptional control of odorant receptor choice in ants. Curr Biol 2023; 33:5456-5466.e5. [PMID: 38070504 PMCID: PMC11025690 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.025] [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: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Insects and mammals have independently evolved odorant receptor genes that are arranged in large genomic tandem arrays. In mammals, each olfactory sensory neuron chooses to express a single receptor in a stochastic process that includes substantial chromatin rearrangements. Here, we show that ants, which have the largest odorant receptor repertoires among insects, employ a different mechanism to regulate gene expression from tandem arrays. Using single-nucleus RNA sequencing, we found that ant olfactory sensory neurons choose different transcription start sites along an array but then produce mRNA from many downstream genes. This can result in transcripts from dozens of receptors being present in a single nucleus. Such rampant receptor co-expression at first seems difficult to reconcile with the narrow tuning of the ant olfactory system. However, RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization showed that only mRNA from the most upstream transcribed odorant receptor seems to reach the cytoplasm where it can be translated into protein, whereas mRNA from downstream receptors gets sequestered in the nucleus. This implies that, despite the extensive co-expression of odorant receptor genes, each olfactory sensory neuron ultimately only produces one or very few functional receptors. Evolution has thus found different molecular solutions in insects and mammals to the convergent challenge of selecting small subsets of receptors from large odorant receptor repertoires.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anindita Brahma
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Dominic D Frank
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - P Daniel H Pastor
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Patrick K Piekarski
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Wei Wang
- Bioinformatics Resource Center, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Ji-Dung Luo
- Bioinformatics Resource Center, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Thomas S Carroll
- Bioinformatics Resource Center, 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; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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9
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Goolsby BC, Smith EJ, Muratore IB, Coto ZN, Muscedere ML, Traniello JFA. Differential Neuroanatomical, Neurochemical, and Behavioral Impacts of Early-Age Isolation in a Eusocial Insect. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.29.546928. [PMID: 37425857 PMCID: PMC10326991 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.29.546928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Social experience early in life appears to be necessary for the development of species-typical behavior. Although isolation during critical periods of maturation has been shown to impact behavior by altering gene expression and brain development in invertebrates and vertebrates, workers of some ant species appear resilient to social deprivation and other neurobiological challenges that occur during senescence or due to loss of sensory input. It is unclear if and to what degree neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, and behavior will show deficiencies if social experience in the early adult life of worker ants is compromised. We reared newly-eclosed adult workers of Camponotus floridanus under conditions of social isolation for 2 to 53 days, quantified brain compartment volumes, recorded biogenic amine levels in individual brains, and evaluated movement and behavioral performance to compare the neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, brood-care behavior, and foraging (predatory behavior) of isolated workers with that of workers experiencing natural social contact after adult eclosion. We found that the volume of the antennal lobe, which processes olfactory inputs, was significantly reduced in workers isolated for an average of 40 days, whereas the size of the mushroom bodies, centers of higher-order sensory processing, increased after eclosion and was not significantly different from controls. Titers of the neuromodulators serotonin, dopamine, and octopamine remained stable and were not significantly different in isolation treatments and controls. Brood care, predation, and overall movement were reduced in workers lacking social contact early in life. These results suggest that the behavioral development of isolated workers of C. floridanus is specifically impacted by a reduction in the size of the antennal lobe. Task performance and locomotor ability therefore appear to be sensitive to a loss of social contact through a reduction of olfactory processing ability rather than change in the size of the mushroom bodies, which serve important functions in learning and memory, or the central complex, which controls movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Billie C. Goolsby
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - E. Jordan Smith
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Isabella B. Muratore
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, NJ, 07102, USA
| | - Zach N. Coto
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
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10
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Jin P, Zhu B, Jia Y, Zhang Y, Wang W, Shen Y, Zhong Y, Zheng Y, Wang Y, Tong Y, Zhang W, Li S. Single-cell transcriptomics reveals the brain evolution of web-building spiders. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:2125-2142. [PMID: 37919396 PMCID: PMC10697844 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02238-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Spiders are renowned for their efficient capture of flying insects using intricate aerial webs. How the spider nervous systems evolved to cope with this specialized hunting strategy and various environmental clues in an aerial space remains unknown. Here we report a brain-cell atlas of >30,000 single-cell transcriptomes from a web-building spider (Hylyphantes graminicola). Our analysis revealed the preservation of ancestral neuron types in spiders, including the potential coexistence of noradrenergic and octopaminergic neurons, and many peptidergic neuronal types that are lost in insects. By comparing the genome of two newly sequenced plesiomorphic burrowing spiders with three aerial web-building spiders, we found that the positively selected genes in the ancestral branch of web-building spiders were preferentially expressed (42%) in the brain, especially in the three mushroom body-like neuronal types. By gene enrichment analysis and RNAi experiments, these genes were suggested to be involved in the learning and memory pathway and may influence the spiders' web-building and hunting behaviour. Our results provide key sources for understanding the evolution of behaviour in spiders and reveal how molecular evolution drives neuron innovation and the diversification of associated complex behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengyu Jin
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bingyue Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yinjun Jia
- School of Life Sciences, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yiming Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China
| | - Yunxiao Shen
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yami Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Tong
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shuqiang Li
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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