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Kervella M, Cansell C, Criscuolo F, Bouillaud F. Utilization of a Clark electrode device as a respirometer for small insects: A convincing test on ants allowing to detect discontinuous gas exchange. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 158:104698. [PMID: 39159873 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2024.104698] [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: 06/17/2024] [Revised: 08/14/2024] [Accepted: 08/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024]
Abstract
Respirometry provides a direct measure of an organism's O2 consumption rate (VO2), which is a significant component of its metabolic rate (energy expenditure). Amongst ants, variations in lifespan between different social castes (such as workers and queens) can be substantial, varying depending on the species. As metabolic rate is higher in short-living species, we aimed to determine how VO2 and longevity may have coevolved within ant casts. Measuring VO2 in such tiny animal models can be challenging, and as a first methodological step, we validate the use of a Clark electrode, initially designed for measuring mitochondrial respiration control pathways, for assessing VO2 in ants within a sealed chamber. This was done by comparing it with stop-flow VO2 and CO2 production, using a traditional indirect calorimetry device. The global aim is to provide a reliable protocol to conduct accurate comparisons of metabolic rates within and among ant species. As expected, using the Clark electrode entails high time resolution and revealed that queens and workers exhibited discontinuous gas exchange, with episodes of apnea lasting up to 20 min.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maïly Kervella
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 23 rue du Loess, 67037 Strasbourg Cedex 2, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; Inserm U1016, CNRS UMR 8104, Institut Cochin, Université Paris-Cité-Paris 5, Paris, France.
| | - Céline Cansell
- Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, CNRS UMR 0914, INRAE, PNCA, Paris, France
| | - François Criscuolo
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 23 rue du Loess, 67037 Strasbourg Cedex 2, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Frederic Bouillaud
- Inserm U1016, CNRS UMR 8104, Institut Cochin, Université Paris-Cité-Paris 5, Paris, France
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Beshers SN. Regulation of division of labor in insects: a colony-level perspective. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2024; 61:101155. [PMID: 38109969 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2023.101155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Studies of division of labor have focused mainly on individual workers performing tasks. Here I propose a shift in perspective: colonies perform tasks, and task performance should be evaluated at the colony level. I then review studies from the recent literature from this perspective, on topics including evaluating task performance; specialization and efficiency; flexibility and task performance; response threshold models; and variation in behavior arising from diverse sensory experiences and learning. The use of specialized workers is only one of a variety of strategies that colonies may follow in performing tasks. The ability of colonies to produce consistent responses and to compensate for changes in the labor pool supports the idea of a task allocation system that precedes specialization. The colony-level perspective raises new questions about how tasks are done and the strategies used to improve colony task performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel N Beshers
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 505 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
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3
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Both age and social environment shape the phenotype of ant workers. Sci Rep 2023; 13:186. [PMID: 36604491 PMCID: PMC9814961 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26515-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Position within the social group has consequences on individual lifespans in diverse taxa. This is especially obvious in eusocial insects, where workers differ in both the tasks they perform and their aging rates. However, in eusocial wasps, bees and ants, the performed task usually depends strongly on age. As such, untangling the effects of social role and age on worker physiology is a key step towards understanding the coevolution of sociality and aging. We performed an experimental protocol that allowed a separate analysis of these two factors using four groups of black garden ant (Lasius niger) workers: young foragers, old foragers, young nest workers, and old nest workers. We highlighted age-related differences in the proteome and metabolome of workers that were primarily related to worker subcaste and only secondarily to age. The relative abundance of proteins and metabolites suggests an improved xenobiotic detoxification, and a fuel metabolism based more on lipid use than carbohydrate use in young ants, regardless of their social role. Regardless of age, proteins related to the digestive function were more abundant in nest workers than in foragers. Old foragers were mostly characterized by weak abundances of molecules with an antibiotic activity or involved in chemical communication. Finally, our results suggest that even in tiny insects, extended lifespan may require to mitigate cancer risks. This is consistent with results found in eusocial rodents and thus opens up the discussion of shared mechanisms among distant taxa and the influence of sociality on life history traits such as longevity.
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Bles O, Deneubourg JL, Sueur C, Nicolis SC. A Data-Driven Simulation of the Trophallactic Network and Intranidal Food Flow Dissemination in Ants. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:2963. [PMID: 36359087 PMCID: PMC9655576 DOI: 10.3390/ani12212963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Food sharing can occur in both social and non-social species, but it is crucial in eusocial species, in which only some group members collect food. This food collection and the intranidal (i.e., inside the nest) food distribution through trophallactic (i.e., mouth-to-mouth) exchanges are fundamental in eusocial insects. However, the behavioural rules underlying the regulation and the dynamics of food intake and the resulting networks of exchange are poorly understood. In this study, we provide new insights into the behavioural rules underlying the structure of trophallactic networks and food dissemination dynamics within the colony. We build a simple data-driven model that implements interindividual variability and the division of labour to investigate the processes of food accumulation/dissemination inside the nest, both at the individual and collective levels. We also test the alternative hypotheses (no variability and no division of labour). The division of labour, combined with inter-individual variability, leads to predictions of the food dynamics and exchange networks that run, contrary to the other models. Our results suggest a link between the interindividual heterogeneity of the trophallactic behaviours, the food flow dynamics and the network of trophallactic events. Our results show that a slight level of heterogeneity in the number of trophallactic events is enough to generate the properties of the experimental networks and seems to be crucial for the creation of efficient trophallactic networks. Despite the relative simplicity of the model rules, efficient trophallactic networks may emerge as the networks observed in ants, leading to a better understanding of the evolution of self-organisation in such societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Bles
- Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems (Cenoli)—CP 231, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Jean-Louis Deneubourg
- Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems (Cenoli)—CP 231, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Cédric Sueur
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), IPHC (Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien), UMR 7178, 67000 Strasbourg, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Stamatios C. Nicolis
- Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems (Cenoli)—CP 231, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
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Quque M, Villette C, Criscuolo F, Sueur C, Bertile F, Heintz D. Eusociality is linked to caste-specific differences in metabolism, immune system, and somatic maintenance-related processes in an ant species. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 79:29. [PMID: 34971425 PMCID: PMC11073003 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-04024-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The social organization of many primate, bird and rodent species and the role of individuals within that organization are associated with specific individual physiological traits. However, this association is perhaps most pronounced in eusocial insects (e.g., termites, ants). In such species, genetically close individuals show significant differences in behavior, physiology, and life expectancy. Studies addressing the metabolic changes according to the social role are still lacking. We aimed at understanding how sociality could influence essential molecular processes in a eusocial insect, the black garden ant (Lasius niger) where queens can live up to ten times longer than workers. Using mass spectrometry-based analysis, we explored the whole metabolome of queens, nest-workers and foraging workers. A former proteomics study done in the same species allowed us to compare the findings of both approaches. Confirming the former results at the proteome level, we showed that queens had fewer metabolites related to immunity. Contrary to our predictions, we did not find any metabolite linked to reproduction in queens. Among the workers, foragers had a metabolic signature reflecting a more stressful environment and a more highly stimulated immune system. We also found that nest-workers had more digestion-related metabolites. Hence, we showed that specific metabolic signatures match specific social roles. Besides, we identified metabolites differently expressed among behavioral castes and involved in nutrient sensing and longevity pathways (e.g., sirtuins, FOXO). The links between such molecular pathways and aging being found in an increasing number of taxa, our results confirm and strengthen their potential universality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Quque
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 23 rue du Loess, F-67000, Strasbourg, France.
| | - Claire Villette
- Plant Imaging and Mass Spectrometry (PIMS), Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 12 rue du Général Zimmer, F-67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - François Criscuolo
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 23 rue du Loess, F-67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Cédric Sueur
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 23 rue du Loess, F-67000, Strasbourg, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Fabrice Bertile
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 23 rue du Loess, F-67000, Strasbourg, France
- Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI, FR2048, Strasbourg, France
| | - Dimitri Heintz
- Plant Imaging and Mass Spectrometry (PIMS), Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 12 rue du Général Zimmer, F-67000, Strasbourg, France
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6
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Gutiérrez Y, Fresch M, Hellmann SL, Hankeln T, Scherber C, Brockmeyer J. A multifactorial proteomics approach to sex‐specific effects of diet composition and social environment in an omnivorous insect. Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yeisson Gutiérrez
- Centro de Bioinformática y Biología Computacional de Colombia – BIOS Manizales Colombia
| | - Marion Fresch
- Department Food Chemistry Institute for Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry University of Stuttgart Stuttgart Germany
| | - Sören L. Hellmann
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolutionary Biology University of Mainz Mainz Germany
| | - Thomas Hankeln
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolutionary Biology University of Mainz Mainz Germany
| | - Christoph Scherber
- Institute of Landscape Ecology University of Münster Münster Germany
- Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig Bonn Germany
| | - Jens Brockmeyer
- Department Food Chemistry Institute for Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry University of Stuttgart Stuttgart Germany
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Quque M, Bles O, Bénard A, Héraud A, Meunier B, Criscuolo F, Deneubourg JL, Sueur C. Hierarchical networks of food exchange in the black garden ant Lasius niger. INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 28:825-838. [PMID: 32306510 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2019] [Revised: 04/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In most eusocial insects, the division of labor results in relatively few individuals foraging for the entire colony. Thus, the survival of the colony depends on its efficiency in meeting the nutritional needs of all its members. Here, we characterize the network topology of a eusocial insect to understand the role and centrality of each caste in this network during the process of food dissemination. We constructed trophallaxis networks from 34 food-exchange experiments in black garden ants (Lasius niger). We tested the influence of brood and colony size on (i) global indices at the network level (i.e., efficiency, resilience, centralization, and modularity) and (ii) individual values (i.e., degree, strength, betweenness, and the clustering coefficient). Network resilience, the ratio between global efficiency and centralization, was stable with colony size but increased in the presence of broods, presumably in response to the nutritional needs of larvae. Individual metrics highlighted the major role of foragers in food dissemination. In addition, a hierarchical clustering analysis suggested that some domestics acted as intermediaries between foragers and other domestics. Networks appeared to be hierarchical rather than random or centralized exclusively around foragers. Finally, our results suggested that networks emerging from social insect interactions can improve group performance and thus colony fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Quque
- CNRS, IPHC, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, UMR718, France
| | - Olivier Bles
- Centre for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems (Cenoli)-CP 231, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Bruxelles, Belgium
| | | | - Amélie Héraud
- CNRS, IPHC, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, UMR718, France
| | | | | | - Jean-Louis Deneubourg
- Centre for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems (Cenoli)-CP 231, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Cédric Sueur
- CNRS, IPHC, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, UMR718, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
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8
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He S, Sieksmeyer T, Che Y, Mora MAE, Stiblik P, Banasiak R, Harrison MC, Šobotník J, Wang Z, Johnston PR, McMahon DP. Evidence for reduced immune gene diversity and activity during the evolution of termites. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20203168. [PMID: 33593190 PMCID: PMC7934958 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.3168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of biological complexity is associated with the emergence of bespoke immune systems that maintain and protect organism integrity. Unlike the well-studied immune systems of cells and individuals, little is known about the origins of immunity during the transition to eusociality, a major evolutionary transition comparable to the evolution of multicellular organisms from single-celled ancestors. We aimed to tackle this by characterizing the immune gene repertoire of 18 cockroach and termite species, spanning the spectrum of solitary, subsocial and eusocial lifestyles. We find that key transitions in termite sociality are correlated with immune gene family contractions. In cross-species comparisons of immune gene expression, we find evidence for a caste-specific social defence system in termites, which appears to operate at the expense of individual immune protection. Our study indicates that a major transition in organismal complexity may have entailed a fundamental reshaping of the immune system optimized for group over individual defence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shulin He
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Schwendenerstr. 1, 14195 Berlin, Germany.,Department for Materials and Environment, BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin, Germany.,Faculty of Forestry and Wood Science, Czech University of Life Science Prague, Kamýcká 129, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Thorben Sieksmeyer
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Schwendenerstr. 1, 14195 Berlin, Germany.,Department for Materials and Environment, BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin, Germany
| | - Yanli Che
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Tiansheng 2, 400715 Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - M Alejandra Esparza Mora
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Schwendenerstr. 1, 14195 Berlin, Germany.,Department for Materials and Environment, BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin, Germany
| | - Petr Stiblik
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Science, Czech University of Life Science Prague, Kamýcká 129, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ronald Banasiak
- Department for Materials and Environment, BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin, Germany
| | - Mark C Harrison
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Jan Šobotník
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Science Prague, Kamýcká 129, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Zongqing Wang
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Tiansheng 2, 400715 Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Paul R Johnston
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Schwendenerstr. 1, 14195 Berlin, Germany.,Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587 Berlin, Germany.,Berlin Center for Genomics in Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 6-8, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dino P McMahon
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Schwendenerstr. 1, 14195 Berlin, Germany.,Department for Materials and Environment, BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin, Germany
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