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Stoldt M, Macit MN, Collin E, Foitzik S. Molecular (co)evolution of hymenopteran social parasites and their hosts. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 50:100889. [PMID: 35181562 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2022.100889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Social parasitism describes a fascinating way of life in which species exploit the altruistic behaviour of closely related, social species. Social parasites have repeatedly evolved in the social Hymenoptera, including ants, bees, and wasps. The common ancestry and shared (social) environment with their hosts facilitates the study of molecular adaptations to the parasitic lifestyle. Moreover, when social parasites are widespread and virulent, they exert strong selection pressure on their hosts, leading to the evolution of defense mechanisms and triggering a coevolutionary arms race. Recent advances in sequencing technology now make it possible to study the molecular basis of this coevolutionary process. In addition to describing the latest developments, we highlight open research questions that could be tackled with genomic, transcriptomic, or epigenetic data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marah Stoldt
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Maide Nesibe Macit
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Erwann Collin
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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2
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Jongepier E, Séguret A, Labutin A, Feldmeyer B, Gstöttl C, Foitzik S, Heinze J, Bornberg-Bauer E. Convergent Loss of Chemoreceptors across Independent Origins of Slave-Making in Ants. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:msab305. [PMID: 34668533 PMCID: PMC8760941 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of an obligate parasitic lifestyle often leads to the reduction of morphological and physiological traits, which may be accompanied by loss of genes and functions. Slave-making ants are social parasites that exploit the work force of closely related ant species for social behaviors such as brood care and foraging. Recent divergence between these social parasites and their hosts enables comparative studies of gene family evolution. We sequenced the genomes of eight ant species, representing three independent origins of ant slavery. During the evolution of eusociality, chemoreceptor genes multiplied due to the importance of chemical communication in insect societies. We investigated the evolutionary fate of these chemoreceptors and found that slave-making ant genomes harbored only half as many gustatory receptors as their hosts', potentially mirroring the outsourcing of foraging tasks to host workers. In addition, parasites had fewer odorant receptors and their loss shows striking patterns of convergence across independent origins of parasitism, in particular in orthologs often implicated in sociality like the 9-exon odorant receptors. These convergent losses represent a rare case of convergent molecular evolution at the level of individual genes. Thus, evolution can operate in a way that is both repeatable and reversible when independent ant lineages lose important social traits during the transition to a parasitic lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelien Jongepier
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Alice Séguret
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Anton Labutin
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Molecular Ecology Group, Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Claudia Gstöttl
- Institute for Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Institute for Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Erich Bornberg-Bauer
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
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3
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Borowiec ML, Cover SP, Rabeling C. The evolution of social parasitism in Formica ants revealed by a global phylogeny. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2026029118. [PMID: 34535549 PMCID: PMC8463886 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2026029118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Studying the behavioral and life history transitions from a cooperative, eusocial life history to exploitative social parasitism allows for deciphering the conditions under which changes in behavior and social organization lead to diversification. The Holarctic ant genus Formica is ideally suited for studying the evolution of social parasitism because half of its 172 species are confirmed or suspected social parasites, which includes all three major classes of social parasitism known in ants. However, the life history transitions associated with the evolution of social parasitism in this genus are largely unexplored. To test competing hypotheses regarding the origins and evolution of social parasitism, we reconstructed a global phylogeny of Formica ants. The genus originated in the Old World ∼30 Ma ago and dispersed multiple times to the New World and back. Within Formica, obligate dependent colony-founding behavior arose once from a facultatively polygynous common ancestor practicing independent and facultative dependent colony foundation. Temporary social parasitism likely preceded or arose concurrently with obligate dependent colony founding, and dulotic social parasitism evolved once within the obligate dependent colony-founding clade. Permanent social parasitism evolved twice from temporary social parasitic ancestors that rarely practiced colony budding, demonstrating that obligate social parasitism can originate from a facultative parasitic background in socially polymorphic organisms. In contrast to permanently socially parasitic ants in other genera, the high parasite diversity in Formica likely originated via allopatric speciation, highlighting the diversity of convergent evolutionary trajectories resulting in nearly identical parasitic life history syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek L Borowiec
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287;
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology, and Nematology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844
| | - Stefan P Cover
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
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Gstöttl C, Stoldt M, Jongepier E, Bornberg‐Bauer E, Feldmeyer B, Heinze J, Foitzik S. Comparative analyses of caste, sex, and developmental stage-specific transcriptomes in two Temnothorax ants. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:4193-4203. [PMID: 32489589 PMCID: PMC7246193 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Social insects dominate arthropod communities worldwide due to cooperation and division of labor in their societies. This, however, makes them vulnerable to exploitation by social parasites, such as slave-making ants. Slave-making ant workers pillage brood from neighboring nests of related host ant species. After emergence, host workers take over all nonreproductive colony tasks, whereas slavemakers have lost the ability to care for themselves and their offspring. Here, we compared transcriptomes of different developmental stages (larvae, pupae, and adults), castes (queens and workers), and sexes of two related ant species, the slavemaker Temnothorax americanus and its host Temnothorax longispinosus. Our aim was to investigate commonalities and differences in group-specific transcriptomes, whereupon across-species differences possibly can be explained by their divergent lifestyles. Larvae and pupae showed the highest similarity between the two species and upregulated genes with enriched functions of translation and chitin metabolism, respectively. Workers commonly upregulated oxidation-reduction genes, possibly indicative of their active lifestyle. Host workers, but not workers of the slavemaker, upregulated a "social behavior" gene. In slavemaker queens and workers, genes associated with the regulation of transposable elements were upregulated. Queens of both species showed transcriptomic signals of anti-aging mechanisms, with hosts upregulating various DNA repair pathways and slavemaker queens investing in trehalose metabolism. The transcriptomes of males showed enriched functions for quite general terms realized in different genes and pathways in each species. In summary, the strong interspecific commonalities in larvae, pupae, and workers were reflected in the same enriched Gene Ontology (GO) terms. Less commonalities occurred in the transcriptomes of queens and males, which apparently utilize different pathways to achieve a long life and sperm production, respectively. We found that all analyzed groups in this study show characteristic GO terms, with similar patterns in both species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Gstöttl
- Zoology/Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of RegensburgRegensburgGermany
| | - Marah Stoldt
- Institute of Molecular and Organismic EvolutionJohannes Gutenberg UniversityMainzGermany
| | - Evelien Jongepier
- Evolutionary BioinformaticsInstitute for Evolution and BiodiversityWestfälische Wilhelms UniversityMünsterGermany
| | - Erich Bornberg‐Bauer
- Evolutionary BioinformaticsInstitute for Evolution and BiodiversityWestfälische Wilhelms UniversityMünsterGermany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreFrankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Zoology/Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of RegensburgRegensburgGermany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Molecular and Organismic EvolutionJohannes Gutenberg UniversityMainzGermany
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5
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Hartke J, Schell T, Jongepier E, Schmidt H, Sprenger PP, Paule J, Bornberg-Bauer E, Schmitt T, Menzel F, Pfenninger M, Feldmeyer B. Hybrid Genome Assembly of a Neotropical Mutualistic Ant. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 11:2306-2311. [PMID: 31329228 PMCID: PMC6735702 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evz159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The success of social insects is largely intertwined with their highly advanced chemical communication system that facilitates recognition and discrimination of species and nest-mates, recruitment, and division of labor. Hydrocarbons, which cover the cuticle of insects, not only serve as waterproofing agents but also constitute a major component of this communication system. Two cryptic Crematogaster species, which share their nest with Camponotus ants, show striking diversity in their cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile. This mutualistic system therefore offers a great opportunity to study the genetic basis of CHC divergence between sister species. As a basis for further genome-wide studies high-quality genomes are needed. Here, we present the annotated draft genome for Crematogaster levior A. By combining the three most commonly used sequencing techniques—Illumina, PacBio, and Oxford Nanopore—we constructed a high-quality de novo ant genome. We show that even low coverage of long reads can add significantly to overall genome contiguity. Annotation of desaturase and elongase genes, which play a role in CHC biosynthesis revealed one of the largest repertoires in ants and a higher number of desaturases in general than in other Hymenoptera. This may provide a mechanistic explanation for the high diversity observed in C. levior CHC profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Hartke
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iOME), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Tilman Schell
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Evelien Jongepier
- Molecular Evolution and Bioinformatics Group, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Germany
| | - Hanno Schmidt
- Vector Genetics Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
| | - Philipp P Sprenger
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iOME), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.,Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Biocentre - Am Hubland, Germany
| | - Juraj Paule
- Department of Botany and Molecular Evolution, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Erich Bornberg-Bauer
- Molecular Evolution and Bioinformatics Group, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Germany
| | - Thomas Schmitt
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Biocentre - Am Hubland, Germany
| | - Florian Menzel
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iOME), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Markus Pfenninger
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iOME), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.,LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Kaur R, Stoldt M, Jongepier E, Feldmeyer B, Menzel F, Bornberg-Bauer E, Foitzik S. Ant behaviour and brain gene expression of defending hosts depend on the ecological success of the intruding social parasite. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 374:20180192. [PMID: 30967075 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The geographical mosaic theory of coevolution predicts that species interactions vary between locales. Depending on who leads the coevolutionary arms race, the effectivity of parasite attack or host defence strategies will explain parasite prevalence. Here, we compare behaviour and brain transcriptomes of Temnothorax longispinosus ant workers when defending their nest against an invading social parasite, the slavemaking ant Temnothorax americanus. A full-factorial design allowed us to test whether behaviour and gene expression are linked to parasite pressure on host populations or to the ecological success of parasite populations. Albeit host defences had been shown before to covary with local parasite pressure, we found parasite success to be much more important. Our chemical and behavioural analyses revealed that parasites from high prevalence sites carry lower concentrations of recognition cues and are less often attacked by hosts. This link was further supported by gene expression analysis. Our study reveals that host-parasite interactions are strongly influenced by social parasite strategies, so that variation in parasite prevalence is determined by parasite traits rather than the efficacy of host defence. Gene functions associated with parasite success indicated strong neuronal responses in hosts, including long-term changes in gene regulation, indicating an enduring impact of parasites on host behaviour. This article is part of the theme issue 'The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajbir Kaur
- 1 Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University , Mainz , Germany
| | - Marah Stoldt
- 1 Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University , Mainz , Germany
| | - Evelien Jongepier
- 2 Molecular Evolution and Bioinformatics Group, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität , Münster , Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- 3 Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung , Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main , Germany
| | - Florian Menzel
- 1 Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University , Mainz , Germany
| | - Erich Bornberg-Bauer
- 2 Molecular Evolution and Bioinformatics Group, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität , Münster , Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- 1 Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University , Mainz , Germany
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DeLory T, Funderburk K, Miller K, Smith WZ, McPherson S, Pirk CW, Costa C, Teixeira ÉW, Dahle B, Rueppell O. Local Variation in Recombination Rates of the Honey Bee ( Apis mellifera) Genome among Samples from Six Disparate Populations. INSECTES SOCIAUX 2020; 67:127-138. [PMID: 33311731 PMCID: PMC7732154 DOI: 10.1007/s00040-019-00736-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Meiotic recombination is an essential component of eukaryotic sexual reproduction but its frequency varies within and between genomes. Although it is well-established that honey bees have a high recombination rate with about 20 cM/Mbp, the proximate and ultimate causes of this exceptional rate are poorly understood. Here, we describe six linkage maps of the Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera that were produced with consistent methodology from samples from distinct parts of the species' near global distribution. We compared the genome-wide rates and distribution of meiotic crossovers among the six maps and found considerable differences. Overall similarity of local recombination rates among our samples was unrelated to geographic or phylogenetic distance of the populations that our samples were derived from. However, the limited sampling constrains the interpretation of our results because it is unclear how representative these samples are. In contrast to previous studies, we found only in two datasets a significant relation between local recombination rate and GC content. Focusing on regions of particularly increased or decreased recombination in specific maps, we identified several enriched gene ontologies in these regions and speculate about their local adaptive relevance. These data are contributing to an increasing comparative effort to gain an understanding of the intra-specific variability of recombination rates and their evolutionary role in honey bees and other social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy DeLory
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA
- Current address: Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Karen Funderburk
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA
- Current address: Applied Mathematics for the Life & Social Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Katelyn Miller
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA
| | | | - Samantha McPherson
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA
- Current address: Current address: NCSU Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, Campus Box 7613, 100 Derieux Place, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Christian W. Pirk
- Social Insects Research Group, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Cecilia Costa
- Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricolturae l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Via Po, 14 - 00198 Rome, Italy
| | - Érica Weinstein Teixeira
- Honey Bee Health Specialized Laboratory, Biological Institute, São Paulo State Agribusiness Technology Agency, Av. Prof. Manoel César Ribeiro, 1920, Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo 12411-010, Brazil
| | - Bjørn Dahle
- Norwegian Beekeepers Association, Kløfta, Norway
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Olav Rueppell
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA
- Corresponding author: 312 Eberhart Bldg, 321 McIver Street, Greensboro NC 27403, USA. Phone: (+1) 336-2562591,
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Alleman A, Stoldt M, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S. Tandem-running and scouting behaviour are characterized by up-regulation of learning and memory formation genes within the ant brain. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:2342-2359. [PMID: 30903719 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Revised: 03/09/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Tandem-running is a recruitment behaviour in ants that has been described as a form of teaching, where spatial information possessed by a leader is conveyed to following nestmates. Within Temnothorax ants, tandem-running is used within a variety of contexts, from foraging and nest relocation to-in the case of slavemaking species-slave raiding. Here, we elucidate the transcriptomic basis of scouting, tandem-leading and tandem-following behaviours across two species with divergent lifestyles: the slavemaking Temnothorax americanus and its primary, nonparasitic host T. longispinosus. Analysis of gene expression data from brains revealed that only a small number of unique differentially expressed genes are responsible for scouting and tandem-running. Comparison of orthologous genes between T. americanus and T. longispinosus suggests that tandem-running is characterized by species-specific patterns of gene usage. However, within both species, tandem-leaders showed gene expression patterns median to those of scouts and tandem-followers, which was expected, as leaders can be recruited from either of the other two behavioural states. Most importantly, a number of differentially expressed behavioural genes were found, with functions relating to learning and memory formation in other social and nonsocial insects. This includes a number of up-regulated receptor genes such as a glutamate and dopamine receptor, as well as serine/threonine-protein phosphatases and kinases. Learning and memory genes were specifically up-regulated within scouts and tandem-followers, not only reinforcing previous behavioural studies into how Temnothorax navigate novel environments and share information, but also providing insight into the molecular underpinnings of teaching and learning within social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Alleman
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Marah Stoldt
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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9
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Cini A, Sumner S, Cervo R. Inquiline social parasites as tools to unlock the secrets of insect sociality. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20180193. [PMID: 30967091 PMCID: PMC6388031 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Insect societies play a crucial role in the functioning of most ecosystems and have fascinated both scientists and the lay public for centuries. Despite the long history of study, we are still far from understanding how insect societies have evolved and how social cohesion in their colonies is maintained. Here we suggest inquiline social parasites of insect societies as an under-exploited experimental tool for understanding sociality. We draw on examples from obligate inquiline (permanent) social parasites in wasps, ants and bees to illustrate how these parasites may allow us to better understand societies and learn more about the evolution and functioning of insect societies. We highlight three main features of these social parasite-host systems-namely, close phylogenetic relationships, strong selective pressures arising from coevolution and multiple independent origins-that make inquiline social parasites particularly suited for this aim; we propose a conceptual comparative framework that considers trait losses, gains and modifications in social parasite-host systems. We give examples of how this framework can reveal the more elusive secrets of sociality by focusing on two cornerstones of sociality: communication and reproductive division of labour. Together with social parasites in other taxonomic groups, such as cuckoos in birds, social parasitism has a great potential to reveal the mechanisms and evolution of complex social groups. This article is part of the theme issue 'The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Cini
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Seirian Sumner
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Rita Cervo
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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10
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Feldmeyer B, Elsner D, Alleman A, Foitzik S. Species-specific genes under selection characterize the co-evolution of slavemaker and host lifestyles. BMC Evol Biol 2017; 17:237. [PMID: 29202686 PMCID: PMC5715652 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-017-1078-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The transition to a parasitic lifestyle entails comprehensive changes to the selective regime. In parasites, genes encoding for traits that facilitate host detection, exploitation and transmission should be under selection. Slavemaking ants are social parasites that exploit the altruistic behaviour of their hosts by stealing heterospecific host brood during raids, which afterwards serve as slaves in slavemaker nests. Here we search for evidence of selection in the transcriptomes of three slavemaker species and three closely related hosts. We expected selection on genes underlying recognition and raiding or defense behaviour. Analyses of selective forces in species with a slavemaker or host lifestyle allowed investigation into whether or not repeated instances of slavemaker evolution share the same genetic basis. To investigate the genetic basis of host-slavemaker co-evolution, we created orthologous clusters from transcriptome sequences of six Temnothorax ant species - three slavemakers and three hosts - to identify genes with signatures of selection. We further tested for functional enrichment in selected genes from slavemakers and hosts respectively and investigated which pathways the according genes belong to. RESULTS Our phylogenetic analysis, based on more than 5000 ortholog sequences, revealed sister species status for two slavemakers as well as two hosts, contradicting a previous phylogeny based on mtDNA. We identified 309 genes with signs of positive selection on branches leading to slavemakers and 161 leading to hosts. Among these were genes potentially involved in cuticular hydrocarbon synthesis, thus species recognition, and circadian clock functionality possibly explaining the different activity patterns of slavemakers and hosts. There was little overlap of genes with signatures of positive selection among species, which are involved in numerous different functions and different pathways. CONCLUSIONS We identified different genes, functions and pathways under positive selection in each species. These results point to species-specific adaptations rather than convergent trajectories during the evolution of the slavemaker and host lifestyles suggesting that the evolution of parasitism, even in closely related species, may be achieved in diverse ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Molecular Ecology, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - D Elsner
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Freiburg, Hauptstrasse 1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - A Alleman
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes von Müller Weg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - S Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes von Müller Weg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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