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Renyard A, Gooding C, Chalissery JM, Petrov J, Gries G. Effects of macro- and micro-nutrients on momentary and season-long feeding responses by select species of ants. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5727. [PMID: 38459134 PMCID: PMC10923885 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56133-y] [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: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Few studies have investigated the relative contribution of specific nutrients to momentary and season-long foraging responses by ants. Using western carpenter ants, Camponotus modoc, and European fire ants, Myrmica rubra, as model species, we: (1) tested preferential consumption of various macro- and micro-nutrients; (2) compared consumption of preferred macro-nutrients; (3) investigated seasonal shifts (late May to mid-September) in nutrient preferences; and (4) tested whether nutrient preferences of C. modoc and M. rubra pertain to black garden ants, Lasius niger, and thatching ants, Formica aserva. In laboratory and field experiments, we measured nutrient consumption by weighing Eppendorf tubes containing aqueous nutrient solutions before and after feeding by ants. Laboratory colonies of C. modoc favored nitrogenous urea and essential amino acids (EAAs), whereas M. rubra colonies favored sucrose. Field colonies of C. modoc and M. rubra preferentially consumed EAAs and sucrose, respectively, with no sustained shift in preferred macro-nutrient over the course of the foraging season. The presence of a less preferred macro-nutrient in a nutrient blend did not diminish the blend's 'appeal' to foraging ants. Sucrose and EAAs singly and in combination were equally consumed by L. niger, whereas F. aserva preferred EAAs. Baits containing both sucrose and EAAs were consistently consumed by the ants studied in this project and should be considered for pest ant control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asim Renyard
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
| | - Claire Gooding
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Jaime M Chalissery
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Jonathan Petrov
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Gerhard Gries
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
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2
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Csata E, Pérez-Escudero A, Laury E, Leitner H, Latil G, Heinze J, Simpson SJ, Cremer S, Dussutour A. Fungal infection alters collective nutritional intake of ant colonies. Curr Biol 2024; 34:902-909.e6. [PMID: 38307022 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.017] [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] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
In animals, parasitic infections impose significant fitness costs.1,2,3,4,5,6 Infected animals can alter their feeding behavior to resist infection,7,8,9,10,11,12 but parasites can manipulate animal foraging behavior to their own benefits.13,14,15,16 How nutrition influences host-parasite interactions is not well understood, as studies have mainly focused on the host and less on the parasite.9,12,17,18,19,20,21,22,23 We used the nutritional geometry framework24 to investigate the role of amino acids (AA) and carbohydrates (C) in a host-parasite system: the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, and the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium brunneum. First, using 18 diets varying in AA:C composition, we established that the fungus performed best on the high-amino-acid diet 1:4. Second, we found that the fungus reached this optimal diet when given various diet pairings, revealing its ability to cope with nutritional challenges. Third, we showed that the optimal fungal diet reduced the lifespan of healthy ants when compared with a high-carbohydrate diet but had no effect on infected ants. Fourth, we revealed that infected ant colonies, given a choice between the optimal fungal diet and a high-carbohydrate diet, chose the optimal fungal diet, whereas healthy colonies avoided it. Lastly, by disentangling fungal infection from host immune response, we demonstrated that infected ants foraged on the optimal fungal diet in response to immune activation and not as a result of parasite manipulation. Therefore, we revealed that infected ant colonies chose a diet that is costly for survival in the long term but beneficial in the short term-a form of collective self-medication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enikő Csata
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France; Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warsaw, Poland; Institute for Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93040 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Alfonso Pérez-Escudero
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Emmanuel Laury
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Hanna Leitner
- ISTA (Institute of Science and Technology Austria), Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Gérard Latil
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Stephen J Simpson
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Sylvia Cremer
- ISTA (Institute of Science and Technology Austria), Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Audrey Dussutour
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France
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3
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Han S, Phillips BL, Elgar MA. Colony-level aggression escalates with the value of food resources. BMC Ecol Evol 2023; 23:18. [PMID: 37193951 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-023-02117-x] [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: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Theory predicts that the level of escalation in animal contests is associated with the value of the contested resource. This fundamental prediction has been empirically confirmed by studies of dyadic contests but has not been tested experimentally in the collective context of group-living animals. Here, we used the Australian meat ant Iridomyrmex purpureus as a model and employed a novel field experimental manipulation of the value of food that removes the potentially confounding effects of nutritional status of the competing individual workers. We draw on insights from the Geometric Framework for nutrition to investigate whether group contests between neighbouring colonies escalate according to the value to the colony of a contested food resource. RESULTS First, we show that colonies of I. purpureus value protein according to their past nutritional intake, deploying more foragers to collect protein if their previous diet had been supplemented with carbohydrate rather than with protein. Using this insight, we show that colonies contesting more highly valued food escalated the contest, by deploying more workers and engaging in lethal 'grappling' behaviour. CONCLUSION Our data confirm that a key prediction of contest theory, initially intended for dyadic contests, is similarly applicable to group contests. Specifically, we demonstrate, through a novel experimental procedure, that the contest behaviour of individual workers reflects the nutritional requirements of the colony, rather than that of individual workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaolin Han
- School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia.
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- Centre for Immunology & Infection, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Ben L Phillips
- School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Mark A Elgar
- School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
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4
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Tierney AJ, Velazquez E, Johnson L, Hiranandani S, Pauly M, Souvignier M. Nutritional and reproductive status affect amino acid appetite in house crickets (Acheta domesticus). FRONTIERS IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 3:1120413. [PMID: 38469515 PMCID: PMC10926381 DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2023.1120413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
We examined amino acid appetite in the omnivorous house cricket (Acheta domesticus), a common model organism for both research and teaching. Our first experiment addressed the hypothesis that house crickets can discriminate between sucrose and essential amino acids (EAA), and that preference for the latter would be affected by prior feeding experience. To test this hypothesis, we compared feeding responses of juvenile and adult crickets following pre-feeding with sucrose or an essential amino acid mixture, predicting that sucrose-only pre-feeding would enhance subsequent intake of amino acids in a two-choice preference test. Based on previous studies, we also predicted that amino acid consumption would be enhanced in females compared to males, and in mated compared to virgin females. Hence we compared responses in male and female last instar nymphs, adult males, virgin females, mated females, and mated females allowed to lay eggs. The second experiment examined how extended periods of essential amino acid deprivation (48 h to 6 days) affected appetite for these nutrients in adult male and female insects. Finally, we examined growth and survival of juvenile and adult crickets fed a holidic diet lacking all amino acids and protein. Our results demonstrated that house crickets can distinguish EAA from sucrose and that consumption of the former is enhanced following sucrose-only pre-feeding. We also found sex and developmental differences, with juvenile and virgin females showing a greater preference for EAA than juvenile or adult males. Contrary to expectation, mated females preferred sucrose over EAA both prior to and after egg laying. We also found that the crickets of both sexes increased their intake of EAA when exposed to longer periods of deprivation, indicating that they engage in compensatory feeding on these nutrients. Finally, as expected we found that growth was severely limited in juveniles fed a diet lacking all amino acids, but adults and many juveniles survived for 30 days on this diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Jane Tierney
- Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, United States
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Tissier ML, Kraus S, Gómez-Moracho T, Lihoreau M. Supplementation in vitamin B3 counteracts the negative effects of tryptophan deficiencies in bumble bees. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coac084. [PMID: 36726865 PMCID: PMC9871438 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coac084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Increasing evidence highlights the importance of diet content in nine essential amino acids for bee physiological and behavioural performance. However, the 10th essential amino acid, tryptophan, has been overlooked as its experimental measurement requires a specific hydrolysis. Tryptophan is the precursor of serotonin and vitamin B3, which together modulate cognitive and metabolic functions in most animals. Here, we investigated how tryptophan deficiencies influence the behaviour and survival of bumble bees (Bombus terrestris). Tryptophan-deficient diets led to a moderate increase in food intake, aggressiveness and mortality compared with the control diet. Vitamin B3 supplementation in tryptophan-deficient diets tended to buffer these effects by significantly improving survival and reducing aggressiveness. Considering that the pollens of major crops and common plants, such as corn and dandelion, are deficient in tryptophan, these effects could have a strong impact on bumble bee populations and their pollination service. Our results suggest planting tryptophan and B3 rich species next to tryptophan-deficient crops could support wild bee populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- M L Tissier
- Corresponding author: Biological Sciences, Bishop’s University, 2600 Rue College, Québec J1M 1Z7, Canada.
| | - S Kraus
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology; CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - T Gómez-Moracho
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology; CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - M Lihoreau
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology; CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France
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6
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Hatle JD, Maslikova V, Short CA, Bracey D, Darmanjian M, Morningstar S, Reams B, Mashanov VS, Jahan-Mihan A, Hahn DA. Protein storage and reproduction increase in grasshoppers on a diet matched to the amino acids of egg yolk protein. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:jeb244450. [PMID: 35916173 PMCID: PMC9482367 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The diets of animals are essential to support development, and protein is key. Accumulation of stored nutrients can support developmental events such as molting and initiation of reproduction. Agricultural studies have addressed how dietary protein quality affects growth, but few studies have addressed the effects of dietary protein quality on developmental transitions. Studies on how dietary quality may affect protein storage and development are possible in arthropods, which store proteins in the hemolymph. We hypothesized that diets with a composition of amino acids that matches the precursor of egg yolk protein (vitellogenin, Vg) will be high quality and support both egg production and accumulation of storage proteins. Grasshoppers were fed one of two isonitrogenous solutions of amino acids daily: Vg-balanced (matched to Vg) or Unbalanced (same total moles of amino acids, but not matched to egg yolk). We measured reproduction and storage protein levels in serial hemolymph samples from individuals. The Vg-balanced group had greater reproduction and greater cumulative levels of storage proteins than did the Unbalanced group. This occurred even though amino acids fed to the Vg-balanced group were not a better match to storage protein than were the amino acids fed to the Unbalanced group. Further, oviposition timing was best explained by a combination of diet, age at the maximum level of storage protein hexamerin-270 and accumulation of hexamerin-90. Our study tightens the link between storage proteins and commitment to reproduction, and shows that dietary protein quality is vital for protein storage and reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D. Hatle
- Department of Biology, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | | | - Clancy A. Short
- Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 1881 Natural Area Drive, Steinmetz Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Donald Bracey
- Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 1881 Natural Area Drive, Steinmetz Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | | | | | - Brooke Reams
- Department of Biology, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | | | | | - Daniel A. Hahn
- Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 1881 Natural Area Drive, Steinmetz Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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7
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Hojo MK. Evolution of chemical interactions between ants and their mutualist partners. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 52:100943. [PMID: 35691585 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2022.100943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Mutualism is the reciprocal exploitation of interacting participants and is vulnerable to nonrewarding cheating. Ants are dominant insects in most terrestrial ecosystems, and some aphids and lycaenid butterfly species provide them with nutritional nectar rewards and employ ants as bodyguards. In this review, I discuss how chemical communication based on condition-dependent signaling and recognition plasticity regulate the payoff of interacting participants. I argue that the selfishness of both participants explains the signaling and communication among participants and contributes to the stability of these mutualisms. Uncovering the origin and maintenance of mutualistic association of ants will come from future research on ant collective behavior, the genetic and neural basis of cooperation, and a deeper understanding of the costs and benefits of these interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaru K Hojo
- Department of Biosciences, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Kwansei Gakuin University, 1 Gakuen-Uegahara, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1330, Japan.
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8
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Lesne P, Dussutour A, Behmer ST. Effect of queen number on colony-level nutrient regulation, food collection and performance in two polygynous ant species. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 138:104365. [PMID: 35121008 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2022.104365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
There is growing appreciation for how social interactions influence animal foraging behavior, especially with respect to key nutrients. Ants, given their eusocial nature and ability to be reared and manipulated in the laboratory, offer unique opportunities to explore how social interactions influence nutrient regulation and related processes. At the colony-level, ants simultaneously regulate their protein and carbohydrate intake; a regulation tied to the presence of larvae. However, even though 45% of the approximately 10,000 ant species are polygynous, we know little about the influence of queen number on colony-level foraging behavior and performance. Here we explored the direct effects of queen number on colony-level protein-carbohydrate regulation, food collection, survival, and brood production in two polygynous ant species (Nylanderia fulva and Solenopsis invicta). For both species we conducted choice and no-choice experiments using small experimental colonoids (20 workers) with 0, 1, or 2 queens. Both species regulated their relative intake of protein and carbohydrate around a P1:C2 mark. However, only N. fulva responded to the addition of queens, increasing overall food collection, biasing intake towards carbohydrates, and over-collecting imbalanced foods. N. fulva also exhibited reduced survival and reproduction on protein-biased foods. In contrast, S. invicta showed no response to queen number and reduced food collection on the protein-biased diet while maintaining high survival and reproduction. Our results demonstrate the potential for queens of some ant species to impact colony-level foraging and performance, with interspecific variation likely being shaped by differences in life history traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Lesne
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
| | - Audrey Dussutour
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Spencer T Behmer
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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9
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Ugine TA, Krasnoff SB, Behmer ST. Omnivory in predatory lady beetles is widespread and driven by an appetite for sterols. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Todd A. Ugine
- Department of Entomology Cornell University Ithaca NY USA
| | - Stuart B. Krasnoff
- Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research Unit USDA‐ARSRobert W. Holley Center Ithaca NY USA
| | - Spencer T. Behmer
- Department of Entomology Texas A&M University College Station TX USA
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10
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Treidel LA, Clark RM, Lopez MT, Williams CM. Physiological demands and nutrient intake modulate a trade-off between dispersal and reproduction based on age and sex of field crickets. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:239063. [PMID: 33912953 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.237834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Animals adjust resource acquisition throughout life to meet changing physiological demands of growth, reproduction, activity and somatic maintenance. Wing-polymorphic crickets invest in either dispersal or reproduction during early adulthood, providing a system in which to determine how variation in physiological demands, determined by sex and life history strategy, impact nutritional targets, plus the consequences of nutritionally imbalanced diets across life stages. We hypothesized that high demands of biosynthesis (especially oogenesis in females) drive elevated resource acquisition requirements and confer vulnerability to imbalanced diets. Nutrient targets and allocation into key tissues associated with life history investments were determined for juvenile and adult male and female field crickets (Gryllus lineaticeps) when given a choice between two calorically equivalent but nutritionally imbalanced (protein- or carbohydrate-biased) artificial diets, or when restricted to one imbalanced diet. Flight muscle synthesis drove elevated general caloric requirements for juveniles investing in dispersal, but flight muscle quality was robust to imbalanced diets. Testes synthesis was not costly, and life history investments by males were insensitive to diet composition. In contrast, costs of ovarian synthesis drove elevated caloric and protein requirements for adult females. When constrained to a carbohydrate-biased diet, ovary synthesis was reduced in reproductive morph females, eliminating their advantage in early life fecundity over the dispersal morph. Our findings demonstrate that nutrient acquisition modulates dispersal-reproduction trade-offs in an age- and sex-specific manner. Declines in food quality will thus disproportionately affect specific cohorts, potentially driving demographic shifts and altering patterns of life history evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa A Treidel
- University of California, Berkeley, Department of Integrative Biology, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Rebecca M Clark
- University of California, Berkeley, Department of Integrative Biology, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Sienna College, Department of Biology, Loudonville, NY 12211, USA
| | - Melissa T Lopez
- University of California, Berkeley, Department of Integrative Biology, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Caroline M Williams
- University of California, Berkeley, Department of Integrative Biology, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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11
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Lyu Y, Weaver KJ, Shaukat HA, Plumoff ML, Tjilos M, Promislow DE, Pletcher SD. Drosophila serotonin 2A receptor signaling coordinates central metabolic processes to modulate aging in response to nutrient choice. eLife 2021; 10:59399. [PMID: 33463526 PMCID: PMC7909950 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been recognized for nearly a century that diet modulates aging. Despite early experiments suggesting that reduced caloric intake augmented lifespan, accumulating evidence indicates that other characteristics of the diet may be equally or more influential in modulating aging. We demonstrate that behavior, metabolism, and lifespan in Drosophila are affected by whether flies are provided a choice of different nutrients or a single, complete medium, largely independent of the amount of nutrients that are consumed. Meal choice elicits a rapid metabolic reprogramming that indicates a potentiation of TCA cycle and amino acid metabolism, which requires serotonin 2A receptor. Knockdown of glutamate dehydrogenase, a key TCA pathway component, abrogates the effect of dietary choice on lifespan. Our results reveal a mechanism of aging that applies in natural conditions, including our own, in which organisms continuously perceive and evaluate nutrient availability to promote fitness and well-being. The foods we eat can affect our lifespan, but it is also possible that thinking about food may have effects on our health. Choosing what to eat is one of the main ways we think about food, and most animals, including the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, choose their foods. The effects of these choices can affect health via a chemical in the brain called serotonin. This chemical interacts with proteins called serotonin 2A receptors in the brain, which then likely primes the body to process nutrients. To understand how serotonin affected the lifespan and health of fruit flies, Lyu et al. compared flies that were offered a single food to those that could choose between several foods. The flies that had a choice of foods lived shorter lives and produced more serotonin, but these effects were reversed when Lyu et al. limited the amount of a protein called glutamate dehydrogenase, which helps cells process nutrients. These results suggest that choosing what we eat can impact lifespan, ageing and health. Human and fly brains share many similarities, but human brain chemistry is more complex, as is our experience of food. This work demonstrates that food choices can affect lifespan. More research into this phenomenon may shed further light onto how our thoughts and decision-making impact our health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Lyu
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and Geriatrics Center, Biomedical Sciences and Research Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Kristina J Weaver
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and Geriatrics Center, Biomedical Sciences and Research Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Humza A Shaukat
- College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Marta L Plumoff
- College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Maria Tjilos
- College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Daniel El Promislow
- Department of Lab Medicine & Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, United States.,Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
| | - Scott D Pletcher
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and Geriatrics Center, Biomedical Sciences and Research Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States
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12
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13
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Gutiérrez Y, Phung T, Mumma H, Ambrose‐Winters A, Scherber C, Smith CR. Growth and survival of the superorganism: Ant colony macronutrient intake and investment. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:7901-7915. [PMID: 32760573 PMCID: PMC7391535 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 05/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we used two common ant species (Lasius niger and Lasius neoniger) to assay how they translate variation in the diet (both in composition and frequency) into growth. We measured colony development for over 8 months and measured several phenotypic traits of the worker caste, and examined whether forager preference corresponded with diet quality. Optimal colony growth was a balance between survival and growth, and each of these was maximized with different nutrient regimes. Interestingly, forager preference was not totally aligned with the diet that maximized colony growth. Our results highlight that: (a) organism and superorganism size are controlled by the same nutrients, and this may reflect a common molecular basis for size across life's organizational levels, (b) there are nutrient trade-offs that are associated with life-history trade-offs, likely leading to selection for a balanced diet, and (c) the connection between the preference of foragers for different nutrients and how nutrient combinations affect colony success and demographics are complex and only beginning to be understood.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tung Phung
- Department of BiologyEarlham CollegeRichmondINUSA
| | - Harald Mumma
- Department of BiologyEarlham CollegeRichmondINUSA
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14
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Shik JZ, Dussutour A. Nutritional Dimensions of Invasive Success. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 35:691-703. [PMID: 32668214 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Despite mounting calls for predictive ecological approaches rooted in physiological performance currencies, the field of invasive species biology has lagged behind. For instance, successful invaders are often predicted to consume diverse foods, but the nutritional complexity of foods often leaves food-level analyses short of physiological mechanisms. The emerging field of nutritional geometry (NG) provides new theory and empirical tools to predict invasive potential based on fundamental and realized nutritional niches. We review recent advances and synthesize NG predictions about behavioral traits that favor invasive establishment, and evolutionary dynamics that promote invasive spread. We also provide practical advice for applying NG approaches, and discuss the power of nutrition to achieve a more predictive invasion biology that explicitly integrates physiological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Z Shik
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama.
| | - Audrey Dussutour
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Unité Propre de Service (UPS), 31062, Toulouse, France.
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