1
|
Morammazi S, Shokrollahi B, Hassan FU. Genomic characterization, phylogenetic and expression analysis of foraging gene in Apis mellifera. Gene 2024; 910:148318. [PMID: 38408615 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148318] [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: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
The genomic characterization of the foraging gene and its expression analysis are required to better understand the behavior of honey bees (Apis mellifera). The present study performed a genome-wide characterization of the foraging gene, analyzing its physicochemical properties, phylogenetic features, and expression. An in silico analysis was carried out to characterize the foraging gene and the motifs and conserved domains of the encoded protein to predict its physicochemical properties. Moreover, a phylogenetic analysis of the foraging gene was performed in different species using MEGAX. The relative expression of the foraging gene was determined using qRT-PCR in two groups of forager bee samples (incoming and outgoing bees) during two seasons (five times per day). In addition, the queen effect was evaluated in another experiment. The results revealed that foraging gene expression and bee traffic were influenced by the interaction of season and daytime. The daily foraging traffic and transcription level of the foraging gene were the same in both seasons. The traffic of bees and the transcription abundance of the foraging gene were the highest in the middle and at the end of the day in the first and second seasons, respectively. Furthermore, the mRNA expression of the foraging gene was relatively higher in incoming bees than in outgoing bees. The queen also had a significant effect on the outgoing bees. We conclude that gene-environment interactions affect the foraging behavior of bees through the modulation of the foraging gene transcription.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Salim Morammazi
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Natural Resources, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr 75169, Iran.
| | - Borhan Shokrollahi
- Hanwoo Research Institute, National Institute of Animal Science, Pyeongchang-gun 25340, Republic of Korea; Department of Animal Science, Sanandaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran.
| | - Faiz-Ul Hassan
- Institute of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kaiser MI, Gadau J, Kaiser S, Müller C, Richter SH. Individualized social niches in animals: Theoretical clarifications and processes of niche change. Bioscience 2024; 74:146-158. [PMID: 38560618 PMCID: PMC10977865 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biad122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
What are social niches, and how do they arise and change? Our first goal in the present article is to clarify the concept of an individualized social niche and to distinguish it from related concepts, such as a social environment and a social role. We argue that focal individuals are integral parts of individualized social niches and that social interactions with conspecifics are further core elements of social niches. Our second goal in the present article is to characterize three types of processes-social niche construction, conformance, and choice (social NC3 processes)-that explain how individualized social niches originate and change. Our approach brings together studies of behavior, ecology, and evolution and integrates social niches into the broader concept of an individualized ecological niche. We show how clarifying the concept of a social niche and recognizing the differences between the three social NC3 processes enhance and stimulate empirical research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marie I Kaiser
- Department of Philosophy, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment, University of Münster and Bielefeld University, Münster and in Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Jürgen Gadau
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment, University of Münster and Bielefeld University, Münster and in Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sylvia Kaiser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment, University of Münster and Bielefeld University, Münster and in Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Caroline Müller
- Department of Chemical Ecology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment, University of Münster and Bielefeld University, Münster and in Bielefeld, Germany
| | - S Helene Richter
- Department of Behavioural Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment, University of Münster and Bielefeld University, Münster and in Bielefeld, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ren Q, Ma L, Zhang X, Chen L, Mao Z, Li D, Zhang L, Jiang X. Effect of Juvenile Hormone on Worker Behavioral Transition in the Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). INSECTS 2023; 14:934. [PMID: 38132607 PMCID: PMC10743645 DOI: 10.3390/insects14120934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
The division of labor among workers is a defining characteristic of social insects and plays a pivotal role in enhancing the competitive advantage of their colony. Juvenile hormone (JH) has long been hypothesized to be the essential driver in regulating the division of labor due to its ability to accelerate behavioral transitions in social insects, such as honeybees. The regulation of behavioral transitions by JH in the red imported fire ant (RIFA), Solenopsis invicta, a typical social pest, is unclear. Through video capture and analysis, we investigated the effects of the juvenile hormone analogue (JHA) methoprene on brood care, phototaxis behavior, and threat responsiveness of RIFA nurse workers. Our results showed that the JHA application significantly reduced the time and frequency of brood care behavior by nurse workers while increasing their walking distance and activity time in the light area. Additionally, the application of JHA made ants become excited, indicating a significant improvement in their activity level (movement distance, time, and speed). Furthermore, it was observed that the application of JHA did not affect the threat responsiveness of nurse workers towards stimuli (nestmates or non-nestmates). Our study demonstrates that the application of JHA reduced brood care behavior and enhanced phototaxis in nurse workers, which may reveal the role of JH in facilitating behavioral transitions in RIFA from intranidal tasks to extranidal activity. This study provides an experimental basis for further elucidating the mechanism underlying the division of labor in social insects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qilin Ren
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Beijing 100193, China; (Q.R.); (L.M.); (X.Z.)
| | - Lin Ma
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Beijing 100193, China; (Q.R.); (L.M.); (X.Z.)
| | - Xiaolong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Beijing 100193, China; (Q.R.); (L.M.); (X.Z.)
| | - Libiao Chen
- Guangxi Green City Pest Control Technology Co., Ltd., Nanning 530007, China;
| | - Zhigang Mao
- Guangxi Beitou Urban Environmental Governance Group Co., Ltd., Nanning 530000, China; (Z.M.); (D.L.)
| | - Dongdong Li
- Guangxi Beitou Urban Environmental Governance Group Co., Ltd., Nanning 530000, China; (Z.M.); (D.L.)
| | - Lei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Beijing 100193, China; (Q.R.); (L.M.); (X.Z.)
| | - Xingfu Jiang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Beijing 100193, China; (Q.R.); (L.M.); (X.Z.)
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Caminer MA, Libbrecht R, Majoe M, Ho DV, Baumann P, Foitzik S. Task-specific odorant receptor expression in worker antennae indicates that sensory filters regulate division of labor in ants. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1004. [PMID: 37783732 PMCID: PMC10545721 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05273-4] [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: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Division of labor (DOL) is a characteristic trait of insect societies, where tasks are generally performed by specialized individuals. Inside workers focus on brood or nest care, while others take risks by foraging outside. Theory proposes that workers have different thresholds to perform certain tasks when confronted with task-related stimuli, leading to specialization and consequently DOL. Workers are presumed to vary in their response to task-related cues rather than in how they perceive such information. Here, we test the hypothesis that DOL instead stems from workers varying in their efficiency to detect stimuli of specific tasks. We use transcriptomics to measure mRNA expression levels in the antennae and brain of nurses and foragers of the ant Temnothorax longispinosus. We find seven times as many genes to be differentially expressed between behavioral phenotypes in the antennae compared to the brain. Moreover, half of all odorant receptors are differentially expressed, with an overrepresentation of the 9-exon gene family upregulated in the antennae of nurses. Nurses and foragers thus apparently differ in the perception of their olfactory environment and task-related signals. Our study supports the hypothesis that antennal sensory filters predispose workers to specialize in specific tasks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcel A Caminer
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Romain Libbrecht
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR 7261, CNRS, University of Tours, Tours, France
| | - Megha Majoe
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - David V Ho
- Institute of Developmental and Neurobiology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Peter Baumann
- Institute of Developmental and Neurobiology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Barkdull M, Moreau CS. Worker Reproduction and Caste Polymorphism Impact Genome Evolution and Social Genes Across the Ants. Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:evad095. [PMID: 37243539 PMCID: PMC10287540 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad095] [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: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Eusocial insects are characterized by several traits, including reproductive division of labor and caste polymorphisms, which likely modulate genome evolution. Concomitantly, evolution may act on specific genes and pathways underlying these novel, sociality-associated phenotypes. Reproductive division of labor should increase the magnitude of genetic drift and reduce the efficacy of selection by reducing effective population size. Caste polymorphism has been associated with relaxed selection and may facilitate directional selection on caste-specific genes. Here, we use comparative analyses of 22 ant genomes to test how reproductive division of labor and worker polymorphism influence positive selection and selection intensity across the genome. Our results demonstrate that worker reproductive capacity is associated with a reduction in the degree of relaxed selection but is not associated with any significant change to positive selection. We find decreases in positive selection in species with polymorphic workers, but no increase in the degree of relaxed selection. Finally, we explore evolutionary patterns in specific candidate genes associated with our focal traits in eusocial insects. Two oocyte patterning genes previously implicated in worker sterility evolve under intensified selection in species with reproductive workers. Behavioral caste genes generally experience relaxed selection associated with worker polymorphism, whereas vestigial and spalt, both associated with soldier development in Pheidole ants, experience intensified selection in worker polymorphic species. These findings expand our understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying elaborations of sociality. The impacts of reproductive division of labor and caste polymorphisms on specific genes illuminate those genes' roles in generating complex eusocial phenotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Megan Barkdull
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University
| | - Corrie S Moreau
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Jacquier L, Molet M, Doums C. Urban colonies are less aggressive but forage more than their forest counterparts in the ant Temnothorax nylanderi. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2023]
|
7
|
Starkey J, Tamborindeguy C. Family before work: task reversion in workers of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta in the presence of brood. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2379. [PMID: 36765120 PMCID: PMC9918486 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29246-z] [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: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Among social insects, task allocation within its group members remains as one of the paramount pillars of social functionality. Division of labor in many eusocial insects is maintained by behavioral flexibility that can shift according to the needs of the colony they reside in. Workers typically, over time as they age, shift from intranidal nurses to extranidal foragers. If the needs of the colony change, either from the needs of the adults or the brood therein, workers shift their behavior in order to compensate for the need of a particular task to be done. This shift, either accelerating towards a behavior associated with an older worker, or regressing back into the nest, is not clearly understood in social insects outside of honeybees. In this study, evaluated how brood type affected the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, worker task reversion and acceleration. Through observation of worker behaviors performed over multiple time-points per day, we discovered that worker task reversion and acceleration does occur within this ant species. Furthermore, the type of brood influenced the rate at which this occurred, with larvae having the strongest effect of all types. Finally, there was a propensity for workers to maintain their new behavior throughout the experiment. This study shows that the needs of brood within a social insect colony can influence the behavior workers perform, reversing the age polyethism that is common among social insect species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jesse Starkey
- Department of Entomology, 412 Heep Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Cecilia Tamborindeguy
- Department of Entomology, 412 Heep Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Gallot A, Desouhant E, Lhuillier V, Lepetit D, El Filali A, Mouton L, Vieira-Heddi C, Amat I. The for gene as one of the drivers of foraging variations in a parasitic wasp. Mol Ecol 2022; 32:1760-1776. [PMID: 36571434 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16834] [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: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Foraging behaviours encompass strategies to locate resources and to exploit them. In many taxa, these behaviours are driven by a major gene called for, but the mechanisms of gene regulation vary between species. In the parasitoid wasp Venturia canescens, sexual and asexual populations coexist in sympatry but differ in life-history traits, physiology and behaviours, which could impact their foraging strategies. Here, we explored the molecular bases underpinning divergence in behaviours by testing two mutually nonexclusive hypotheses: first, the divergence in the for gene correlates with differences in foraging strategies, and second, the latter rely on a divergence in whole-genome expression. Using comparative genomics, we showed that the for gene was conserved across insects considering both sequence and gene model complexity. Polymorphism analysis did not support the occurrence of two allelic variants diverging across the two populations, yet the asexual population exhibited less polymorphism than the sexual population. Sexual and asexual transcriptomes split sharply, with 10.9% differentially expressed genes, but these were not enriched in behaviour-related genes. We showed that the for gene was more highly expressed in asexual female heads than in sexual heads and that those differences correlate with divergence in foraging behaviours in our experiment given that asexuals explored the environment more and exploited more host patches. Overall, these results suggested that fine tuning of for gene expression between populations may have led to distinct foraging behaviours. We hypothesized that reproductive polymorphism and coexistence in sympatry of sexual and asexual populations specialized to different ecological niches via divergent optima on phenotypic traits could imply adaptation through different expression patterns of the for gene and at many other loci throughout the genome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aurore Gallot
- LBBE - Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Emmanuel Desouhant
- LBBE - Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Vincent Lhuillier
- LBBE - Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - David Lepetit
- LBBE - Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Adil El Filali
- LBBE - Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Laurence Mouton
- LBBE - Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Cristina Vieira-Heddi
- LBBE - Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Isabelle Amat
- LBBE - Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon1, Villeurbanne, France
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Chen J, Zhou Y, Lei Y, Shi Q, Qi G, He Y, Lyu L. Role of the foraging gene in worker behavioral transition in the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2022; 78:2964-2975. [PMID: 35419943 DOI: 10.1002/ps.6921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Worker division of labor is predominant in social insects. The foraging (for) gene, which encodes cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), has been implicated in the regulation of behavioral transitions in honeybees, but information regarding its function in other social insects is scarce. RESULTS We investigated the role of the for (Sifor) gene in the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, and found that Sifor and PKG exhibited different expression patterns in different castes, body sizes, ages and tissues of fire ants, especially in foragers and nurses. Foragers displayed greater locomotor activity but showed no preference for larval or adult odors, whereas nurses showed lesser locomotor activity but had a strong preference for larval odors. We found that the expression of Sifor was significantly higher in the heads of foragers (compared to nurses). RNA interference-mediated Sifor knockdown in foraging workers induced behavioral transition of foragers toward the nurse phenotype characterized by reduced locomotor activity and a stronger preference for larval odors. By contrast, treating nurses with 8-Br-cGMP, an activator of PKG, resulted in behavioral transition toward the forager phenotype characterized by higher locomotor activity but reduced preference for larval odors. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that Sifor plays a critical role in the behavioral transition between foragers and nurses of workers, which may be a promising target for RNAi-based management of worker caste organization in S. invicta. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jie Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of High Technology for Plant Protection, Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yangyang Zhou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of High Technology for Plant Protection, Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanyuan Lei
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of High Technology for Plant Protection, Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qingxing Shi
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of High Technology for Plant Protection, Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guojun Qi
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of High Technology for Plant Protection, Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yurong He
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lihua Lyu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of High Technology for Plant Protection, Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
The foraging Gene Is Involved in the Presence of Wings and Explorative Behaviours in Parthenogenetic Females of the Aphid Myzus persicae. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12030369. [PMID: 35330120 PMCID: PMC8951518 DOI: 10.3390/life12030369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The foraging gene (for) encodes for a cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase involved in behavioural plasticity in aphids and in other insects. In this paper, we analysed the complete for sequence in eight clones of the peach potato aphid Myzus persicae, reporting the presence of nonsense and frameshift mutations in three studied clones characterized by a reduced number of winged females and by the absence of exploratory behaviours. Quantitative PCR experiments evidenced similar results in clones possessing for genes with a conserved coding sequence, but low expression levels. The comparison of the for transcriptional level in Myzus persicae persicae and Myzus persicae nicotianae showed very different expression in the two studied M. p. nicotianae clones so that our data did not support a previous hypothesis suggesting that a differential for expression was related to ecological specialization of M. p. nicotianae. In view of its role in both the dispersal of winged females and exploratory behaviours, the screening of the for sequences could be useful for predicting invasions of cultivated areas by peach potato aphids.
Collapse
|
11
|
Awde DN, Skandalis A, Richards MH. Foraging gene expression patterns in queens, workers, and males in a eusocial insect. CAN J ZOOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2021-0124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Reproductive division of labour is based on biased expression of complementary parental behaviours, brood production (egg-laying) by queens and brood care (in particular, brood-provisioning) by workers. In many social insect species, queens provision brood when establishing colonies at the beginning of a breeding season and reproductive division of labour begins with the emergence of workers. In many social insect species, the expression of foraging (for) mRNA is associated with the intensity of foraging behaviour and therefore brood-provisioning. However, only two studies have compared queen and worker for expression levels and neither accounted for transcript splice variation. In this study, we compare the expression level of the for-α transcript variant across four life stages of the queen caste, two behavioural groups of workers, and males of a eusocial sweat bee Lasioglossum laevissimum (Smith, 1853). Foundresses collected prior to the onset of the foraging season and males had the highest for-α expression levels. All active (post-hibernatory) queens and workers had similar for-α expression levels independent of behaviour. These results suggest that the for gene in L. laevissimum acts as a primer before foraging activity and that caste-specific expression patterns correlate with the timing of foraging activity in queens and workers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David N. Awde
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, USA
| | - Adonis Skandalis
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Miriam H. Richards
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Dason JS, Anreiter I, Wu CF. Transcending boundaries: from quantitative genetics to single genes. J Neurogenet 2021; 35:95-98. [PMID: 34544325 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2021.1960519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey S Dason
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
| | - Ina Anreiter
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Chun-Fang Wu
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Ganjei Z, Reisi‐Vanani V, Razavi SZ, Alizadeh M. Ant-induced alopecia: A new differential diagnosis for nonscarring alopecia. Clin Case Rep 2021; 9:e04648. [PMID: 34430012 PMCID: PMC8365544 DOI: 10.1002/ccr3.4648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Ant-induced alopecia is a rare condition caused by Pheidole pallidula species. This particular cause of nonscaring alopecia should be considered a new differential diagnosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zakiye Ganjei
- Department of DermatologyFaculty of MedicineShahrekord University of Medical SciencesShahrekordIran
| | - Vahid Reisi‐Vanani
- Student Research CommitteeShahrekord University of Medical SciencesShahrekordIran
| | - Seyede Zahra Razavi
- Student Research CommitteeShahrekord University of Medical SciencesShahrekordIran
| | - Maryam Alizadeh
- Resident of DermatologySkin Diseases and Leishmaniasis Research CenterDepartment of DermatologyIsfahan University of Medical SciencesIsfahanIran
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Fetter-Pruneda I, Hart T, Ulrich Y, Gal A, Oxley PR, Olivos-Cisneros L, Ebert MS, Kazmi MA, Garrison JL, Bargmann CI, Kronauer DJC. An oxytocin/vasopressin-related neuropeptide modulates social foraging behavior in the clonal raider ant. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001305. [PMID: 34191794 PMCID: PMC8244912 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin/vasopressin-related neuropeptides are highly conserved and play major roles in regulating social behavior across vertebrates. However, whether their insect orthologue, inotocin, regulates the behavior of social groups remains unknown. Here, we show that in the clonal raider ant Ooceraea biroi, individuals that perform tasks outside the nest have higher levels of inotocin in their brains than individuals of the same age that remain inside the nest. We also show that older ants, which spend more time outside the nest, have higher inotocin levels than younger ants. Inotocin thus correlates with the propensity to perform tasks outside the nest. Additionally, increasing inotocin pharmacologically increases the tendency of ants to leave the nest. However, this effect is contingent on age and social context. Pharmacologically treated older ants have a higher propensity to leave the nest only in the presence of larvae, whereas younger ants seem to do so only in the presence of pupae. Our results suggest that inotocin signaling plays an important role in modulating behaviors that correlate with age, such as social foraging, possibly by modulating behavioral response thresholds to specific social cues. Inotocin signaling thereby likely contributes to behavioral individuality and division of labor in ant societies. The neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin modulate social behavior in vertebrates, but their function in invertebrates is not well understood. Using brain staining and pharmacological manipulations, this study shows that a related neuropeptide, inotocin, affects how ants respond to larvae.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Fetter-Pruneda
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
- * E-mail: (IFP); (DJCK)
| | - Taylor Hart
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Yuko Ulrich
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Institute for Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Asaf Gal
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Peter R. Oxley
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Samuel J. Wood Library, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Leonora Olivos-Cisneros
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Margaret S. Ebert
- Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Manija A. Kazmi
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Signal Transduction, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Jennifer L. Garrison
- Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, California, United States of America
| | - Cornelia I. Bargmann
- Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Redwood City, California, United States of America
| | - Daniel J. C. Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail: (IFP); (DJCK)
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Lucas C, Ben-Shahar Y. The foraging gene as a modulator of division of labour in social insects. J Neurogenet 2021; 35:168-178. [PMID: 34151702 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2021.1940173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The social ants, bees, wasps, and termites include some of the most ecologically-successful groups of animal species. Their dominance in most terrestrial environments is attributed to their social lifestyle, which enable their colonies to exploit environmental resources with remarkable efficiency. One key attribute of social insect colonies is the division of labour that emerges among the sterile workers, which represent the majority of colony members. Studies of the mechanisms that drive division of labour systems across diverse social species have provided fundamental insights into the developmental, physiological, molecular, and genomic processes that regulate sociality, and the possible genetic routes that may have led to its evolution from a solitary ancestor. Here we specifically discuss the conserved role of the foraging gene, which encodes a cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG). Originally identified as a behaviourally polymorphic gene that drives alternative foraging strategies in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, changes in foraging expression and kinase activity were later shown to play a key role in the division of labour in diverse social insect species as well. In particular, foraging appears to regulate worker transitions between behavioural tasks and specific behavioural traits associated with morphological castes. Although the specific neuroethological role of foraging in the insect brain remains mostly unknown, studies in genetically tractable insect species indicate that PKG signalling plays a conserved role in the neuronal plasticity of sensory, cognitive and motor functions, which underlie behaviours relevant to division of labour, including appetitive learning, aggression, stress response, phototaxis, and the response to pheromones.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Lucas
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte (UMR7261), CNRS - University of Tours, Tours, France
| | - Yehuda Ben-Shahar
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Greenspan RJ. Learning about quantitative genetics from Marla Sokolowski. J Neurogenet 2021; 35:110-111. [PMID: 34128769 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2021.1940167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Marla Sokolowski is a true pioneer in behavioral genetics, having made the first molecular delineation of a naturally occurring behavioral polymorphism in her work on the foraging locus in Drosophila melanogaster. The gene was subsequently found to be responsible for behavioral variants and types in many other species, both invertebrate and mammal (human). The path to get there is a paradigmatic example of how to use the power of genetic analysis, including some rather esoteric techniques, to zero in on a gene and delineate its molecular identity and its pleiotropic roles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ralph J Greenspan
- Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Alwash N, Allen AM, B Sokolowski M, Levine JD. The Drosophila melanogaster foraging gene affects social networks. J Neurogenet 2021; 35:249-261. [PMID: 34121597 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2021.1936517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Drosophila melanogaster displays social behaviors including courtship, mating, aggression, and group foraging. Recent studies employed social network analyses (SNAs) to show that D. melanogaster strains differ in their group behavior, suggesting that genes influence social network phenotypes. Aside from genes associated with sensory function, few studies address the genetic underpinnings of these networks. The foraging gene (for) is a well-established example of a pleiotropic gene that regulates multiple behavioral phenotypes and their plasticity. In D. melanogaster, there are two naturally occurring alleles of for called rover and sitter that differ in their larval and adult food-search behavior as well as other behavioral phenotypes. Here, we hypothesize that for affects behavioral elements required to form social networks and the social networks themselves. These effects are evident when we manipulate gene dosage. We found that flies of the rover and sitter strains exhibit differences in duration, frequency, and reciprocity of pairwise interactions, and they form social networks with differences in assortativity and global efficiency. Consistent with other adult phenotypes influenced by for, rover-sitter heterozygotes show intermediate patterns of dominance in many of these characteristics. Multiple generations of backcrossing a rover allele into a sitter strain showed that many but not all of these rover-sitter differences may be attributed to allelic variation at for. Our findings reveal the significant role that for plays in affecting social network properties and their behavioral elements in Drosophila melanogaster.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nawar Alwash
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Aaron M Allen
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Centre for Neural Circuits and Behavior, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Marla B Sokolowski
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), MaRS Centre, Toronto, Canada
| | - Joel D Levine
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), MaRS Centre, Toronto, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Sokolowski DJ. Women in science: a son's perspective. J Neurogenet 2021; 35:104-106. [PMID: 34121599 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2021.1940171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
I am often asked how our mother inspired my sister Moriah and me to want to become scientists. She never directly suggested we should go down that path. Instead, she shared the aspects of the natural world, that she loved, with us while keeping the non-science aspects of her job separate from our lives at home. Now, I have learned that her perspective provides insights that spark innovative discoveries, some of which challenged the status quo. Her passion for research has allowed her to pursue what she believes to be worth studying. Her personality and collaborative nature allow her to be teased at home, facilitate a room of diverse opinions, and command a hall of hundreds of people. Her respect for those around her is inspiring. My mom's trust in her trainees and collaborators allows her to answer questions that could fundamentally not be answered had she pigeonholed herself to a single field. She managed to accomplish everything while being nothing other than my mom to me, and I am so glad that I am growing into a person who can truly appreciate the woman she is to everyone else.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dustin J Sokolowski
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Genetics and Genome Biology, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Oepen AS, Catalano JL, Azanchi R, Kaun KR. The foraging gene affects alcohol sensitivity, metabolism and memory in Drosophila. J Neurogenet 2021; 35:236-248. [PMID: 34092172 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2021.1931178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The genetic basis of alcohol use disorder (AUD) is complex. Understanding how natural genetic variation contributes to alcohol phenotypes can help us identify and understand the genetic basis of AUD. Recently, a single nucleotide polymorphism in the human foraging (for) gene ortholog, Protein Kinase cGMP-Dependent 1 (PRKG1), was found to be associated with stress-induced risk for alcohol abuse. However, the mechanistic role that PRKG1 plays in AUD is not well understood. We use natural variation in the Drosophila for gene to describe how variation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) activity modifies ethanol-induced phenotypes. We found that variation in for affects ethanol-induced increases in locomotion and memory of the appetitive properties of ethanol intoxication. Further, these differences may stem from the ability to metabolize ethanol. Together, this data suggests that natural variation in PKG modulates cue reactivity for alcohol, and thus could influence alcohol cravings by differentially modulating metabolic and behavioral sensitivities to alcohol.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anne S Oepen
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.,Masters Program in Developmental, Neuronal and Behavioral Biology, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jamie L Catalano
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.,Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology Graduate Program, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Reza Azanchi
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Karla R Kaun
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Walsh JT, Garnier S, Linksvayer TA. Ant Collective Behavior Is Heritable and Shaped by Selection. Am Nat 2020; 196:541-554. [PMID: 33064586 DOI: 10.1086/710709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractCollective behaviors are widespread in nature and usually assumed to be strongly shaped by natural selection. However, the degree to which variation in collective behavior is heritable and has fitness consequences-the two prerequisites for evolution by natural selection-is largely unknown. We used a new pharaoh ant (Monomorium pharaonis) mapping population to estimate the heritability, genetic correlations, and fitness consequences of three collective behaviors (foraging, aggression, and exploration), as well as of body size, sex ratio, and caste ratio. Heritability estimates for the collective behaviors were moderate, ranging from 0.17 to 0.32, but lower than our estimates for the heritability of caste ratio, sex ratio, and body size of new workers, queens, and males. Moreover, variation in collective behaviors among colonies was phenotypically correlated, suggesting that selection may shape multiple colony collective behaviors simultaneously. Finally, we found evidence for directional selection that was similar in strength to estimates of selection in natural populations. Altogether, our study begins to elucidate the genetic architecture of collective behavior and is one of the first studies to demonstrate that it is shaped by selection.
Collapse
|
21
|
C. elegans episodic swimming is driven by multifractal kinetics. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14775. [PMID: 32901071 PMCID: PMC7478975 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70319-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Fractal scaling is a common property of temporal change in various modes of animal behavior. The molecular mechanisms of fractal scaling in animal behaviors remain largely unexplored. The nematode C. elegans alternates between swimming and resting states in a liquid solution. Here, we report that C. elegans episodic swimming is characterized by scale-free kinetics with long-range temporal correlation and local temporal clusterization, namely consistent with multifractal kinetics. Residence times in actively-moving and inactive states were distributed in a power law-based scale-free manner. Multifractal analysis showed that temporal correlation and temporal clusterization were distinct between the actively-moving state and the inactive state. These results indicate that C. elegans episodic swimming is driven by transition between two behavioral states, in which each of two transition kinetics follows distinct multifractal kinetics. We found that a conserved behavioral modulator, cyclic GMP dependent kinase (PKG) may regulate the multifractal kinetics underlying an animal behavior. Our combinatorial analysis approach involving molecular genetics and kinetics provides a platform for the molecular dissection of the fractal nature of physiological and behavioral phenomena.
Collapse
|
22
|
Genetic Underpinnings of Host Manipulation by Ophiocordyceps as Revealed by Comparative Transcriptomics. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2020; 10:2275-2296. [PMID: 32354705 PMCID: PMC7341126 DOI: 10.1534/g3.120.401290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Ant-infecting Ophiocordyceps fungi are globally distributed, host manipulating, specialist parasites that drive aberrant behaviors in infected ants, at a lethal cost to the host. An apparent increase in activity and wandering behaviors precedes a final summiting and biting behavior onto vegetation, which positions the manipulated ant in a site beneficial for fungal growth and transmission. We investigated the genetic underpinnings of host manipulation by: (i) producing a high-quality hybrid assembly and annotation of the Ophiocordyceps camponoti-floridani genome, (ii) conducting laboratory infections coupled with RNAseq of O. camponoti-floridani and its host, Camponotus floridanus, and (iii) comparing these data to RNAseq data of Ophiocordyceps kimflemingiae and Camponotus castaneus as a powerful method to identify gene expression patterns that suggest shared behavioral manipulation mechanisms across Ophiocordyceps-ant species interactions. We propose differentially expressed genes tied to ant neurobiology, odor response, circadian rhythms, and foraging behavior may result by activity of putative fungal effectors such as enterotoxins, aflatrem, and mechanisms disrupting feeding behaviors in the ant.
Collapse
|
23
|
Friedman DA, Johnson BR, Linksvayer TA. Distributed physiology and the molecular basis of social life in eusocial insects. Horm Behav 2020; 122:104757. [PMID: 32305342 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The traditional focus of physiological and functional genomic research is on molecular processes that play out within a single multicellular organism. In the colonial (eusocial) insects such as ants, bees, and termites, molecular and behavioral responses of interacting nestmates are tightly linked, and key physiological processes are regulated at the scale of the colony. Such colony-level physiological processes regulate nestmate physiology in a distributed fashion, through various social communication mechanisms. As a result of physiological decentralization over evolutionary time, organismal mechanisms, for example related to pheromone detection, hormone signaling, and neural signaling pathways, are deployed in novel contexts to influence nestmate and colony traits. Here we explore how functional genomic, physiological, and behavioral studies can benefit from considering the traits of eusocial insects in this light. We highlight functional genomic work exploring how nestmate-level and colony-level traits arise and are influenced by interactions among physiologically-specialized nestmates of various developmental stages. We also consider similarities and differences between nestmate-level (organismal) and colony-level (superorganismal) physiological processes, and make specific hypotheses regarding the physiology of eusocial taxa. Integrating theoretical models of distributed systems with empirical functional genomics approaches will be useful in addressing fundamental questions related to the evolution of eusociality and collective behavior in natural systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D A Friedman
- University of California, Davis, Department of Entomology, Davis, CA 95616, United States of America.
| | - B R Johnson
- University of California, Davis, Department of Entomology, Davis, CA 95616, United States of America
| | - T A Linksvayer
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology, Pennsylvania, PA 19104, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Merchant A, Song D, Yang X, Li X, Zhou X“J. Candidate
foraging
gene orthologs in a lower termite,
Reticulitermes flavipes. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2020; 334:168-177. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2019] [Revised: 08/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Austin Merchant
- Department of EntomologyUniversity of KentuckyLexington Kentucky
| | - Dongyan Song
- Department of EntomologyUniversity of KentuckyLexington Kentucky
| | - Xiaowei Yang
- Department of EntomologyUniversity of KentuckyLexington Kentucky
| | - Xiangrui Li
- Department of EntomologyUniversity of KentuckyLexington Kentucky
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant ProtectionChinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesBeijing China
| | - Xuguo “Joe” Zhou
- Department of EntomologyUniversity of KentuckyLexington Kentucky
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Roeder KA, Prather RM, Paraskevopoulos AW, Roeder DV. The Economics of Optimal Foraging by the Red Imported Fire Ant. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 49:304-311. [PMID: 32144932 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvaa016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
For social organisms, foraging is often a complicated behavior where tasks are divided among numerous individuals. Here, we ask how one species, the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), collectively manages this behavior. We tested the Diminishing Returns Hypothesis, which posits that for social insects 1) foraging investment levels increase until diminishing gains result in a decelerating slope of return and 2) the level of investment is a function of the size of the collective group. We compared how different metrics of foraging (e.g., number of foragers, mass of foragers, and body size of foragers) are correlated and how these metrics change over time. We then tested the prediction that as fire ant colonies increase in size, both discovery time and the inflection point (i.e., the time point where colonial investment toward resources slows) should decrease while a colony's maximum foraging mass should increase. In congruence with our predictions, we found that fire ants recruited en masse toward baits, allocating 486 workers and 148 mg of biomass, on average, after 60 min: amounts that were not different 30 min prior. There was incredible variation across colonies with discovery time, the inflection point, and the maximum biomass of foragers all being significantly correlated with colony size. We suggest that biomass is a solid indicator of how social taxa invest their workforce toward resources and hypothesize ways that invasive fire ants are able to leverage their enormous workforce to dominate novel ecosystems by comparing their foraging and colony mass with co-occurring native species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karl A Roeder
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
| | | | | | - Diane V Roeder
- Department of Agriculture, Biology and Health Sciences, Cameron University, Lawton, OK
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Cc S, Anusri A, Levna C, Pm A, Lekha D. MoS 2 nanoparticles induce behavioral alteration and oxidative stress mediated cellular toxicity in the social insect Oecophylla smaragdina (Asian weaver ant). JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2020; 385:121624. [PMID: 31806446 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.121624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 10/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The study evaluates molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoparticles (NPs) induced oxidative stress during cellular toxicity in an invertebrate in vivo system, the weaver ant. The lethal concentration was checked and LC50 was obtained as 50 µg/mL. Feeding assay and the photoluminescence activity confirmed the ingestion of MoS2 NPs by the organism. Behavioral assays showed altered grooming behavior in the MoS2 NP fed ants. A drastic decrease in the hemocyte count in the MoS2 NP fed ants revealed the anti-proliferative role of MoS2. This was further confirmed by 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling assay. MoS2 NPs induced apoptotic activity was also observed in the hemocytes by acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining. The level of oxidative stress during cellular toxicity was observed. An increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was observed in the MoS2 NP fed ants when compared to the control group. The increased activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the lipid peroxidation (LPO) product were observed. While, the activities of catalase (CAT) and glutathione-s-transferase (GST) and the glutathione content (GSH) were decreased by MoS2 NPs. The transcript levels of SODs, CAT and GST were up regulated in the treated group. Our results suggest that MoS2 NPs induced oxidative stress mediates the cellular toxicity in the foragers of the weaver ant.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sheeja Cc
- Department of Zoology, Central University of Kerala, India
| | - Ambali Anusri
- Department of Zoology, Central University of Kerala, India
| | - Chacko Levna
- Department of Physics, Central University of Kerala, India
| | - Aneesh Pm
- Department of Physics, Central University of Kerala, India.
| | - Divya Lekha
- Department of Zoology, Central University of Kerala, India.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Goossens S, Wybouw N, Van Leeuwen T, Bonte D. The physiology of movement. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2020; 8:5. [PMID: 32042434 PMCID: PMC7001223 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-020-0192-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Movement, from foraging to migration, is known to be under the influence of the environment. The translation of environmental cues to individual movement decision making is determined by an individual's internal state and anticipated to balance costs and benefits. General body condition, metabolic and hormonal physiology mechanistically underpin this internal state. These physiological determinants are tightly, and often genetically linked with each other and hence central to a mechanistic understanding of movement. We here synthesise the available evidence of the physiological drivers and signatures of movement and review (1) how physiological state as measured in its most coarse way by body condition correlates with movement decisions during foraging, migration and dispersal, (2) how hormonal changes underlie changes in these movement strategies and (3) how these can be linked to molecular pathways. We reveale that a high body condition facilitates the efficiency of routine foraging, dispersal and migration. Dispersal decision making is, however, in some cases stimulated by a decreased individual condition. Many of the biotic and abiotic stressors that induce movement initiate a physiological cascade in vertebrates through the production of stress hormones. Movement is therefore associated with hormone levels in vertebrates but also insects, often in interaction with factors related to body or social condition. The underlying molecular and physiological mechanisms are currently studied in few model species, and show -in congruence with our insights on the role of body condition- a central role of energy metabolism during glycolysis, and the coupling with timing processes during migration. Molecular insights into the physiological basis of movement remain, however, highly refractory. We finalise this review with a critical reflection on the importance of these physiological feedbacks for a better mechanistic understanding of movement and its effects on ecological dynamics at all levels of biological organization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Steven Goossens
- Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nicky Wybouw
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Thomas Van Leeuwen
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dries Bonte
- Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Lei Y, Zhou Y, Lü L, He Y. Rhythms in Foraging Behavior and Expression Patterns of the Foraging Gene in Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in relation to Photoperiod. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2019; 112:2923-2930. [PMID: 31237954 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toz175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The foraging gene (for) is associated with foraging and other associated behaviors in social insect species. Photoperiod is known to entrain the rhythmic biological functions of ants; however, how photoperiod might influence the intensity and duration of foraging, and the expression of for, remains unexplored. This study determined the correlation between rhythm in foraging behavior and expression of the foraging gene (Sifor) mRNA in red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren. Foragers were exposed to three photoperiod conditions (12:12 [L:D], 24:0 [L:D], and 0:24 [L:D]) in the laboratory and foraging activities were recorded using a video-computer recording system. Sifor expression in the foragers was tested using real-time reverse-transcription quantitative PCR. Results revealed that foraging activity rhythm and Sifor expression profile were unimodal under all three photoperiod conditions. Levels of foraging activity were associated with photoperiodic modification, a stable phase difference between the onset of activity and the onset of gene expression was discovered. Light-dark transients stimulated foraging activity in 12:12 (L:D). There were significant daily oscillations (amplitude of 0.21 ± 0.08 for 12:12 [L:D], 0.12 ± 0.02 for 24:0 [L:D], and 0.09 ± 0.01 for 0:24 [L:D]) in the expression of Sifor. A positive relationship (r = 0.5903, P < 0.01) was found between the expression level of Sifor and foraging activity, which indicated that Sifor is linked to some extent to foraging behavior. Our results demonstrated that foragers could adjust the rhythms in foraging behavior according to light-dark cycle and suggested that Sifor may play an important role in the response of S. invicta to photoperiod.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yanyuan Lei
- Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Yangyang Zhou
- College of Agriculture, South China Agriculture University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Lihua Lü
- Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Yurong He
- College of Agriculture, South China Agriculture University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Abstract
The Drosophila melanogaster foraging (for) gene is a well-established example of a gene with major effects on behavior and natural variation. This gene is best known for underlying the behavioral strategies of rover and sitter foraging larvae, having been mapped and named for this phenotype. Nevertheless, in the last three decades an extensive array of studies describing for's role as a modifier of behavior in a wide range of phenotypes, in both Drosophila and other organisms, has emerged. Furthermore, recent work reveals new insights into the genetic and molecular underpinnings of how for affects these phenotypes. In this article, we discuss the history of the for gene and its role in natural variation in behavior, plasticity, and behavioral pleiotropy, with special attention to recent findings on the molecular structure and transcriptional regulation of this gene.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ina Anreiter
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B2, Canada;
| | - Marla B Sokolowski
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B2, Canada;
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Abstract
Foraging is a goal-directed behavior that balances the need to explore the environment for resources with the need to exploit those resources. In Drosophila melanogaster, distinct phenotypes have been observed in relation to the foraging gene (for), labeled the rover and sitter. Adult rovers explore their environs more extensively than do adult sitters. We explored whether this distinction would be conserved in humans. We made use of a distinction from regulatory mode theory between those who "get on with it," so-called locomotors, and those who prefer to ensure they "do the right thing," so-called assessors. In this logic, rovers and locomotors share similarities in goal pursuit, as do sitters and assessors. We showed that genetic variation in PRKG1, the human ortholog of for, is associated with preferential adoption of a specific regulatory mode. Next, participants performed a foraging task to see whether genetic differences associated with distinct regulatory modes would be associated with distinct goal pursuit patterns. Assessors tended to hug the boundary of the foraging environment, much like behaviors seen in Drosophila adult sitters. In a patchy foraging environment, assessors adopted more cautious search strategies maximizing exploitation. These results show that distinct patterns of goal pursuit are associated with particular genotypes of PRKG1, the human ortholog of for.
Collapse
|
31
|
Kohlmeier P, Alleman AR, Libbrecht R, Foitzik S, Feldmeyer B. Gene expression is more strongly associated with behavioural specialization than with age or fertility in ant workers. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:658-670. [PMID: 30525254 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2018] [Revised: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The ecological success of social insects is based on division of labour, not only between queens and workers, but also among workers. Whether a worker tends the brood or forages is influenced by age, fertility and nutritional status, with brood carers being younger, more fecund and more corpulent. Here, we experimentally disentangle behavioural specialization from age and fertility in Temnothorax longispinosus ant workers and analyse how these parameters are linked to whole-body gene expression. A total of 3,644 genes were associated with behavioural specialization which is ten times more than associated with age and 50 times more than associated with fertility. Brood carers were characterized by an upregulation of three Vitellogenin (Vg) genes, one of which, Vg-like A, was the most differentially expressed gene that was recently shown experimentally to control the switch from brood to worker care. The expression of Conventional Vg was unlinked to behavioural specialization, age or fertility, which contrasts to studies on bees and some ants. Diversity in Vg/Vg-like copy number and expression bias across ants supports subfunctionalization of Vg genes and indicates that some regulatory mechanisms of division of labour diverged in different ant lineages. Simulations revealed that our experimental dissociation of co-varying factors reduced transcriptomic noise, suggesting that confounding factors could potentially explain inconsistencies across transcriptomic studies of behavioural specialization in ants. Thus, our study reveals that worker gene expression is mainly linked to the worker's function for the colony and provides novel insights into the evolution of sociality in ants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philip Kohlmeier
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Austin R Alleman
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Romain Libbrecht
- 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
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Friedman DA, Pilko A, Skowronska-Krawczyk D, Krasinska K, Parker JW, Hirsh J, Gordon DM. The Role of Dopamine in the Collective Regulation of Foraging in Harvester Ants. iScience 2018; 8:283-294. [PMID: 30270022 PMCID: PMC6205345 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2018.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Revised: 08/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Colonies of the red harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) differ in how they regulate collective foraging activity in response to changes in humidity. We used transcriptomic, physiological, and pharmacological experiments to investigate the molecular basis of this ecologically important variation in collective behavior among colonies. RNA sequencing of forager brain tissue showed an association between colony foraging activity and differential expression of transcripts related to biogenic amine and neurohormonal metabolism and signaling. In field experiments, pharmacological increases in forager brain dopamine titer caused significant increases in foraging activity. Colonies that were naturally most sensitive to humidity were significantly more responsive to the stimulatory effect of exogenous dopamine. In addition, forager brain tissue significantly varied among colonies in biogenic amine content. Neurophysiological variation among colonies associated with individual forager sensitivity to humidity may reflect the heritable molecular variation on which natural selection acts to shape the collective regulation of foraging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Friedman
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Anna Pilko
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences (QCB), University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk
- Shiley Eye Institute, Richard C. Atkinson Lab for Regenerative Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Karolina Krasinska
- Stanford University Mass Spectrometry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jacqueline W Parker
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Jay Hirsh
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Deborah M Gordon
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Malé PJG, Turner KM, Doha M, Anreiter I, Allen AM, Sokolowski MB, Frederickson ME. An ant-plant mutualism through the lens of cGMP-dependent kinase genes. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.0896. [PMID: 28904134 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In plant-animal mutualisms, how an animal forages often determines how much benefit its plant partner receives. In many animals, foraging behaviour changes in response to foraging gene expression or activation of the cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) that foraging encodes. Here, we show that this highly conserved molecular mechanism affects the outcome of a plant-animal mutualism. We studied the two PKG genes of Allomerus octoarticulatus, an Amazonian ant that defends the ant-plant Cordia nodosa against herbivores. Some ant colonies are better 'bodyguards' than others. Working in the field in Peru, we found that colonies fed with a PKG activator recruited more workers to attack herbivores than control colonies. This resulted in less herbivore damage. PKG gene expression in ant workers correlated with whether an ant colony discovered an herbivore and how much damage herbivores inflicted on leaves in a complex way; natural variation in expression levels of the two genes had significant interaction effects on ant behaviour and herbivory. Our results suggest a molecular basis for ant protection of plants in this mutualism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-Jean G Malé
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
| | - Kyle M Turner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
| | - Manjima Doha
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
| | - Ina Anreiter
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), MaRS Centre, West Tower, 661 University Avenue, Suite 505, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1M1
| | - Aaron M Allen
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G5
| | - Marla B Sokolowski
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), MaRS Centre, West Tower, 661 University Avenue, Suite 505, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1M1
| | - Megan E Frederickson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Ingram KK, Gordon DM, Friedman DA, Greene M, Kahler J, Peteru S. Context-dependent expression of the foraging gene in field colonies of ants: the interacting roles of age, environment and task. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.0841. [PMID: 27581876 PMCID: PMC5013789 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Task allocation among social insect workers is an ideal framework for studying the molecular mechanisms underlying behavioural plasticity because workers of similar genotype adopt different behavioural phenotypes. Elegant laboratory studies have pioneered this effort, but field studies involving the genetic regulation of task allocation are rare. Here, we investigate the expression of the foraging gene in harvester ant workers from five age- and task-related groups in a natural population, and we experimentally test how exposure to light affects foraging expression in brood workers and foragers. Results from our field study show that the regulation of the foraging gene in harvester ants occurs at two time scales: levels of foraging mRNA are associated with ontogenetic changes over weeks in worker age, location and task, and there are significant daily oscillations in foraging expression in foragers. The temporal dissection of foraging expression reveals that gene expression changes in foragers occur across a scale of hours and the level of expression is predicted by activity rhythms: foragers have high levels of foraging mRNA during daylight hours when they are most active outside the nests. In the experimental study, we find complex interactions in foraging expression between task behaviour and light exposure. Oscillations occur in foragers following experimental exposure to 13 L : 11 D (LD) conditions, but not in brood workers under similar conditions. No significant differences were seen in foraging expression over time in either task in 24 h dark (DD) conditions. Interestingly, the expression of foraging in both undisturbed field and experimentally treated foragers is also significantly correlated with the expression of the circadian clock gene, cycle. Our results provide evidence that the regulation of this gene is context-dependent and associated with both ontogenetic and daily behavioural plasticity in field colonies of harvester ants. Our results underscore the importance of assaying temporal patterns in behavioural gene expression and suggest that gene regulation is an integral mechanism associated with behavioural plasticity in harvester ants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Krista K Ingram
- Department of Biology, Colgate University, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346, USA
| | - Deborah M Gordon
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Gilbert Biological Science Building, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Daniel A Friedman
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Gilbert Biological Science Building, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michael Greene
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado, Campus Box 171, PO Box 176634, Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA
| | - John Kahler
- Department of Biology, Colgate University, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346, USA
| | - Swetha Peteru
- Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Epigenetic switch turns on genetic behavioral variations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:12365-12367. [PMID: 29114044 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1717376114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
|
36
|
Behavior, brain, and morphology in a complex insect society: trait integration and social evolution in the exceptionally polymorphic ant Pheidole rhea. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2396-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
|
37
|
Bockoven AA, Coates CJ, Eubanks MD. Colony‐level behavioural variation correlates with differences in expression of the
foraging
gene in red imported fire ants. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:5953-5960. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Revised: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Craig J. Coates
- Department of Entomology Texas A&M University College Station TX USA
| | - Micky D. Eubanks
- Department of Entomology Texas A&M University College Station TX USA
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Kamhi JF, Arganda S, Moreau CS, Traniello JFA. Origins of Aminergic Regulation of Behavior in Complex Insect Social Systems. Front Syst Neurosci 2017; 11:74. [PMID: 29066958 PMCID: PMC5641352 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2017.00074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuromodulators are conserved across insect taxa, but how biogenic amines and their receptors in ancestral solitary forms have been co-opted to control behaviors in derived socially complex species is largely unknown. Here we explore patterns associated with the functions of octopamine (OA), serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) in solitary ancestral insects and their derived functions in eusocial ants, bees, wasps and termites. Synthesizing current findings that reveal potential ancestral roles of monoamines in insects, we identify physiological processes and conserved behaviors under aminergic control, consider how biogenic amines may have evolved to modulate complex social behavior, and present focal research areas that warrant further study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J. Frances Kamhi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sara Arganda
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Corrie S. Moreau
- Department of Science and Education, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - James F. A. Traniello
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Abstract
The study of insect social behavior has offered tremendous insight into the molecular mechanisms mediating behavioral and phenotypic plasticity. Genomic applications to the study of eusocial insect species, in particular, have led to several hypotheses for the processes underlying the molecular evolution of behavior. Advances in understanding the genetic control of social organization have also been made, suggesting an important role for supergenes in the evolution of divergent behavioral phenotypes. Intensive study of social phenotypes across species has revealed that behavior and caste are controlled by an interaction between genetic and environmentally mediated effects and, further, that gene expression and regulation mediate plastic responses to environmental signals. However, several key methodological flaws that are hindering progress in the study of insect social behavior remain. After reviewing the current state of knowledge, we outline ongoing challenges in experimental design that remain to be overcome in order to advance the field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea A Weitekamp
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; ,
| | - Romain Libbrecht
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany;
| | - Laurent Keller
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; ,
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
McConnell MW, Fitzpatrick MJ. 'Foraging' for a place to lay eggs: A genetic link between foraging behaviour and oviposition preferences. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0179362. [PMID: 28622389 PMCID: PMC5473555 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Gravid female arthropods in search of egg-laying substrates embark on foraging-like forays: they survey the environment assessing multiple patches, tasting each with their tarsi and proboscis, and then, if interested, they deposit an egg (or eggs). In fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, allelic variation in the foraging gene (for) underlies the rover/sitter foraging behaviour polymorphism. Rover flies (forR) are more active foragers (both within and between food patches) compared to sitters (fors). In nematodes, Caenorhabditis elegans, a mutation in egl-4, the ortholog of for, leads to aberrations in egg laying. Given this and the notion that females may 'forage' for a place to oviposit, we hypothesized that for may underlie egg-laying decisions in the fruit fly. Indeed, when given a choice between patches of low- and high-nutrient availability, rovers lay significantly more eggs on the low-nutrient patches than sitters and also a sitter mutant (fors2). We confirm the role of for by inducing rover-like oviposition preferences in a sitter fly using the transgenic overexpression of for-mRNA in the nervous system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Murray W. McConnell
- Integrative Behaviour & Neuroscience Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Mark J. Fitzpatrick
- Integrative Behaviour & Neuroscience Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Sokolowski HM, Vasquez OE, Unternaehrer E, Sokolowski DJ, Biergans SD, Atkinson L, Gonzalez A, Silveira PP, Levitan R, O'Donnell KJ, Steiner M, Kennedy J, Meaney MJ, Fleming AS, Sokolowski MB. The Drosophila foraging gene human orthologue PRKG1 predicts individual differences in the effects of early adversity on maternal sensitivity. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2016; 42:62-73. [PMID: 28827895 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2016.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
There is variation in the extent to which childhood adverse experience affects adult individual differences in maternal behavior. Genetic variation in the animal foraging gene, which encodes a cGMP-dependent protein kinase, contributes to variation in the responses of adult fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, to early life adversity and is also known to play a role in maternal behavior in social insects. Here we investigate genetic variation in the human foraging gene (PRKG1) as a predictor of individual differences in the effects of early adversity on maternal behavior in two cohorts. We show that the PRKG1 genetic polymorphism rs2043556 associates with maternal sensitivity towards their infants. We also show that rs2043556 moderates the association between self-reported childhood adversity of the mother and her later maternal sensitivity. Mothers with the TT allele of rs2043556 appeared buffered from the effects of early adversity, whereas mothers with the presence of a C allele were not. Our study used the Toronto Longitudinal Cohort (N=288 mother-16 month old infant pairs) and the Maternal Adversity and Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment Cohort (N=281 mother-18 month old infant pairs). Our findings expand the literature on the contributions of both genetics and gene-environment interactions to maternal sensitivity, a salient feature of the early environment relevant for child neurodevelopment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H Moriah Sokolowski
- Department of Psychology, Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Westminster Hall, Room 325, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7
| | - Oscar E Vasquez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 25 Wilcocks St. University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3B2
| | - Eva Unternaehrer
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, 6875, Boulevard LaSalle, Montréal, Québec, Canada H4H 1R3
| | - Dustin J Sokolowski
- Department of Biology, University of Western, Ontario, Toronto, Canada, N6A 3K7
| | - Stephanie D Biergans
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 25 Wilcocks St. University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3B2
| | - Leslie Atkinson
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B2K3
| | - Andrea Gonzalez
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster Innovation Park, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1
| | - Patricia P Silveira
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, 6875, Boulevard LaSalle, Montréal, Québec, Canada H4H 1R3
| | - Robert Levitan
- Women's Health Concerns Clinic, St. Joseph's Healthcare, 50 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8G 5E4
| | - Kieran J O'Donnell
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, 6875, Boulevard LaSalle, Montréal, Québec, Canada H4H 1R3.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), 180 Dundas St West, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario Canada M5G 1Z8
| | - Meir Steiner
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster Innovation Park, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1.,Women's Health Concerns Clinic, St. Joseph's Healthcare, 50 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8G 5E4
| | - James Kennedy
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto and Centre for Addiction an Mental Health, 33 Russell St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3M1
| | - Michael J Meaney
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, 6875, Boulevard LaSalle, Montréal, Québec, Canada H4H 1R3.,Singapore Institute for Clinical Science, Brenner Centre for Molecular Medicine 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), 180 Dundas St West, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario Canada M5G 1Z8
| | - Alison S Fleming
- Department of Psychology, 100 St. George Street, Sidney Smith Hall Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G3
| | - Marla B Sokolowski
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 25 Wilcocks St. University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3B2.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), 180 Dundas St West, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario Canada M5G 1Z8
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Fouks B, Lattorff HMG. Contrasting Evolutionary Rates between Social and Parasitic Bumblebees for Three Social Effect Genes. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|
43
|
Giraldo YM, Rusakov A, Diloreto A, Kordek A, Traniello JFA. Age, worksite location, neuromodulators, and task performance in the ant Pheidole dentata. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016; 70:1441-1455. [PMID: 28042198 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2153-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Social insect workers modify task performance according to age-related schedules of behavioral development, and/or changing colony labor requirements based on flexible responses that may be independent of age. Using known-age minor workers of the ant Pheidole dentata throughout 68% of their 140-day laboratory lifespan, we asked whether workers found inside or outside the nest differed in task performance and if behaviors were correlated with and/or causally linked to changes in brain serotonin (5HT) and dopamine (DA). Our results suggest that task performance patterns of individually assayed minors collected at these two spatially different worksites were independent of age. Outside-nest minors displayed significantly higher levels of predatory behavior and greater activity than inside-nest minors, but these groups did not differ in brood care or phototaxis. We examined the relationship of 5HT and DA to these behaviors in known-age minors by quantifying individual brain titers. Both monoamines did not increase significantly from 20 to 95 days of age. DA did not appear to directly regulate worksite location, although titers were significantly higher in outside-nest than inside-nest workers. Pharmacological depletion of 5HT did not affect nursing, predation, phototaxis or activity. Our results suggest that worker task capabilities are independent of age beyond 20 days, and only predatory behavior can be consistently predicted by spatial location. This could reflect worker flexibility or variability in the behavior of individuals collected at each location, which could be influenced by complex interactions between age, worksite location, social interactions, neuromodulators, and other environmental and internal regulators of behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Adina Rusakov
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | | | - Adrianna Kordek
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Howe J, Schiøtt M, Boomsma JJ. Tachykinin Expression Levels Correlate with Caste-Specific Aggression in Workers of the Leaf-Cutting Ant Acromyrmex echinatior. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|
45
|
Kamhi JF, Nunn K, Robson SKA, Traniello JFA. Polymorphism and division of labour in a socially complex ant: neuromodulation of aggression in the Australian weaver ant, Oecophylla smaragdina. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 282:rspb.2015.0704. [PMID: 26136448 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.0704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Complex social structure in eusocial insects can involve worker morphological and behavioural differentiation. Neuroanatomical variation may underscore worker division of labour, but the regulatory mechanisms of size-based task specialization in polymorphic species are unknown. The Australian weaver ant, Oecophylla smaragdina, exhibits worker polyphenism: larger major workers aggressively defend arboreal territories, whereas smaller minors nurse brood.Here, we demonstrate that octopamine (OA) modulates worker size-related aggression in O. smaragdina. We found that the brains of majors had significantly higher titres of OA than those of minors and that OA was positively and specifically correlated with the frequency of aggressive responses to non-nestmates, a key component of territorial defence. Pharmacological manipulations that effectively switched OA action in major and minor worker brains reversed levels of aggression characteristic of each worker size class. Results suggest that altering OA action is sufficient to produce differences in aggression characteristic of size-related social roles. Neuromodulators therefore may generate variation in responsiveness to task-related stimuli associated with worker size differentiation and collateral behavioural specializations, a significant component of division of labour in complex social systems.
Collapse
|
46
|
Abstract
Many exciting studies have begun to elucidate the genetics of the morphological and physiological diversity of ants, but as yet few studies have investigated the genetics of ant behavior directly. Ant genomes are marked by extreme rates of gene turnover, especially in gene families related to olfactory communication, such as the synthesis of cuticular hydrocarbons and the perception of environmental semiochemicals. Transcriptomic and epigenetic differences are apparent between reproductive and sterile females, males and females, and workers that differ in body size. Quantitative genetic approaches suggest heritability of task performance, and population genetic studies indicate a genetic association with reproductive status in some species. Gene expression is associated with behavior including foraging, response to queens attempting to join a colony, circadian patterns of task performance, and age-related changes of task. Ant behavioral genetics needs further investigation of the feedback between individual-level physiological changes and socially mediated responses to environmental conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D A Friedman
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5020;
| | - D M Gordon
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5020;
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Lockett GA, Almond EJ, Huggins TJ, Parker JD, Bourke AFG. Gene expression differences in relation to age and social environment in queen and worker bumble bees. Exp Gerontol 2016; 77:52-61. [PMID: 26883339 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2016.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2015] [Revised: 01/24/2016] [Accepted: 02/12/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Eusocial insects provide special insights into the genetic pathways influencing aging because of their long-lived queens and flexible aging schedules. Using qRT-PCR in the primitively eusocial bumble bee Bombus terrestris (Linnaeus), we investigated expression levels of four candidate genes associated with taxonomically widespread age-related pathways (coenzyme Q biosynthesis protein 7, COQ7; DNA methyltransferase 3, Dnmt3; foraging, for; and vitellogenin, vg). In Experiment 1, we tested how expression changes with queen relative age and productivity. We found a significant age-related increase in COQ7 expression in queen ovary. In brain, all four genes showed higher expression with increasing female (queen plus worker) production, with this relationship strengthening as queen age increased, suggesting a link with the positive association of fecundity and longevity found in eusocial insect queens. In Experiment 2, we tested effects of relative age and social environment (worker removal) in foundress queens and effects of age and reproductive status in workers. In this experiment, workerless queens showed significantly higher for expression in brain, as predicted if downregulation of for is associated with the cessation of foraging by foundress queens following worker emergence. Workers showed a significant age-related increase in Dnmt3 expression in fat body, suggesting a novel association between aging and methylation in B. terrestris. Ovary activation was associated with significantly higher vg expression in fat body and, in younger workers, in brain, consistent with vitellogenin's ancestral role in regulating egg production. Overall, our findings reveal a mixture of novel and conserved features in age-related genetic pathways under primitive eusociality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle A Lockett
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Life Sciences Building, Highfield Campus, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Edward J Almond
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Timothy J Huggins
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Joel D Parker
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Life Sciences Building, Highfield Campus, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Andrew F G Bourke
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Simola DF, Graham RJ, Brady CM, Enzmann BL, Desplan C, Ray A, Zwiebel LJ, Bonasio R, Reinberg D, Liebig J, Berger SL. Epigenetic (re)programming of caste-specific behavior in the ant Camponotus floridanus. Science 2016; 351:aac6633. [PMID: 26722000 PMCID: PMC5057185 DOI: 10.1126/science.aac6633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Eusocial insects organize themselves into behavioral castes whose regulation has been proposed to involve epigenetic processes, including histone modification. In the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus, morphologically distinct worker castes called minors and majors exhibit pronounced differences in foraging and scouting behaviors. We found that these behaviors are regulated by histone acetylation likely catalyzed by the conserved acetyltransferase CBP. Transcriptome and chromatin analysis in brains of scouting minors fed pharmacological inhibitors of CBP and histone deacetylases (HDACs) revealed hundreds of genes linked to hyperacetylated regions targeted by CBP. Majors rarely forage, but injection of a HDAC inhibitor or small interfering RNAs against the HDAC Rpd3 into young major brains induced and sustained foraging in a CBP-dependent manner. Our results suggest that behavioral plasticity in animals may be regulated in an epigenetic manner via histone modification.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel F. Simola
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Program in Epigenetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Riley J. Graham
- Program in Epigenetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Cristina M. Brady
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Program in Epigenetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | | | - Claude Desplan
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Anandasankar Ray
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Laurence J. Zwiebel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Roberto Bonasio
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Program in Epigenetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Danny Reinberg
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biochemistry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Jürgen Liebig
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Shelley L. Berger
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Program in Epigenetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Hammel B, Vollet-Neto A, Menezes C, Nascimento FS, Engels W, Grüter C. Soldiers in a Stingless Bee. Am Nat 2016; 187:120-9. [DOI: 10.1086/684192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
50
|
Oettler J, Nachtigal AL, Schrader L. Expression of the Foraging Gene Is Associated with Age Polyethism, Not Task Preference, in the Ant Cardiocondyla obscurior. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0144699. [PMID: 26650238 PMCID: PMC4674073 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the fundamental principles of social organization, age polyethism, describes behavioral maturation of workers leading to switches in task preference. Here we present a system that allows for studying division of labor (DOL) by taking advantage of the relative short life of Cardiocondyla obscurior workers and thereby the pace of behavioral transitions. By challenging same-age young and older age cohorts to de novo establish DOL into nurse and foraging tasks and by forcing nurses to precociously become foragers and vice versa we studied expression patterns of one of the best known candidates for social insect worker behavior, the foraging gene. Contrary to our expectations we found that foraging gene expression correlates with age, but not with the task foraging per se. This suggests that this nutrition-related gene, and the pathways it is embedded in, correlates with physiological changes over time and potentially primes, but not determines task preference of individual workers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jan Oettler
- Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Lukas Schrader
- Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|