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Wu Y, Wang Q, Yang W, Zhang S, Mao CX, He N, Zhou S, Zhou C, Liu W. The cluster digging behavior of larvae confers trophic benefits to fitness in insects. INSECT SCIENCE 2024; 31:870-884. [PMID: 38161191 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Collective behaviors efficiently impart benefits to a diversity of species ranging from bacteria to humans. Fly larvae tend to cluster and form coordinated digging groups under crowded conditions, yet understanding the rules governing this behavior is in its infancy. We primarily took advantage of the Drosophila model to investigate cooperative foraging behavior. Here, we report that Drosophila-related species and the black soldier fly have evolved a conserved strategy of cluster digging in food foraging. Subsequently, we investigated relative factors, including larval stage, population density, and food stiffness and quality, that affect the cluster digging behavior. Remarkably, oxygen supply through the posterior breathing spiracles is necessary for the organization of digging clusters. More importantly, we theoretically devise a mathematical model to accurately calculate how the cluster digging behavior expands food resources by diving depth, cross-section area, and food volume. We found that cluster digging behavior approximately increases 2.2 fold depth, 1.7-fold cross-section area, and 1.9 fold volume than control groups, respectively. Amplification of food sources significantly facilitates survival, larval development, and reproductive success of Drosophila challenged with competition for limited food resources, thereby conferring trophic benefits to fitness in insects. Overall, our findings highlight that the cluster digging behavior is a pivotal behavior for their adaptation to food scarcity, advancing a better understanding of how this cooperative behavior confers fitness benefits in the animal kingdom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujie Wu
- School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory for Green Pesticide Development and Application, Hefei, China
- College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- School of Teacher Education, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Nanjing, China
| | - Weikang Yang
- School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory for Green Pesticide Development and Application, Hefei, China
| | - Sheng Zhang
- School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory for Green Pesticide Development and Application, Hefei, China
| | - Chuan-Xi Mao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Chinese Traditional Medicine, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of High-throughput Drug Screening Technology, School of Life Science, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Nana He
- School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory for Green Pesticide Development and Application, Hefei, China
| | - Shaojie Zhou
- School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory for Green Pesticide Development and Application, Hefei, China
| | - Chuanming Zhou
- School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory for Green Pesticide Development and Application, Hefei, China
| | - Wei Liu
- School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory for Green Pesticide Development and Application, Hefei, China
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Qian C, Wen C, Guo X, Yang X, Wen X, Ma T, Wang C. Gregariousness in lepidopteran larvae. INSECT SCIENCE 2024. [PMID: 38214204 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
The gregarious lifestyle of lepidopteran larvae is diverse and shaped by a complex interplay of ecological and evolutionary factors. Our review showed that the larval-aggregation behavior has been reported in 23 lepidopteran families, indicating multiple evolution of this behavior. Some larvae live in sibling groups throughout all larval instars and even pupation stages, which may result from the kin-selection. In contrast, group fusion may occur among different sibling or foraging groups of larvae and form larger aggregates, and the gregariousness of these species might be driven by the group-selection. While group size and foraging patterns vary greatly across species, it is generally associated with improved larval survivorship and accelerated development. However, the advantages of group living, such as facilitating feeding activities, adjusting the temperature, and defending natural enemies, may diminish along with development, with strong intraspecific competition occurring at later instars, even when food is abundant. Therefore, the group sizes and fission-fusion dynamics of certain gregarious lepidopteran larvae may be a consequence of their cost-benefit balance depending on various biotic and abiotic factors. Trail and aggregation pheromones, silk trails, or body contact contribute to collective movement and group cohesion of gregarious lepidopteran larvae. However, frequent contact among group members may cause the horizontal transmission of pathogens and pesticides, which may bring an integrated pest management strategy controlling gregarious lepidopteran pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyu Qian
- College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chao Wen
- School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoli Guo
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Forest Pest Control, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Xinya Yang
- College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiujun Wen
- College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tao Ma
- College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Cai Wang
- College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
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Cho H, Rohlfs M. Transmission of beneficial yeasts accompanies offspring production in Drosophila-An initial evolutionary stage of insect maternal care through manipulation of microbial load? Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10184. [PMID: 37332518 PMCID: PMC10276349 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10184] [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: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Parent-to-offspring transmission of beneficial microorganisms is intimately interwoven with the evolution of social behaviors. Ancestral stages of complex sociality-microbe vectoring interrelationships may be characterized by high costs of intensive parental care and hence only a weak link between the transmission of microbial symbionts and offspring production. We investigate the relationship between yeast symbiont transmission and egg-laying, as well as some general factors thought to drive the "farming" of microscopic fungi by the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, an insect with no obvious parental care but which is highly dependent on dietary microbes during offspring development. The process of transmitting microbes involves flies ingesting microbes from their previous environment, storing and vectoring them, and finally depositing them to a new environment. This study revealed that fecal materials of adult flies play a significant role in this process, as they contain viable yeast cells that support larval development. During single patch visits, egg-laying female flies transmitted more yeast cells than non-egg-laying females, suggesting that dietary symbiont transmission is not random, but linked to offspring production. The crop, an extension of the foregut, was identified as an organ capable of storing viable yeast cells during travel between egg-laying sites. However, the amount of yeast in the crop reduced rapidly during periods of starvation. Although females starved for 24 h deposited a smaller amount of yeast than those starved for 6 h, the yeast inoculum produced still promoted the development of larval offspring. The results of these experiments suggest that female Drosophila fruit flies have the ability to store and regulate the transfer of microorganisms beneficial to their offspring via the shedding of fecal material. We argue that our observation may represent an initial evolutionary stage of maternal care through the manipulation of microbial load, from which more specialized feedbacks of sociality and microbe management may evolve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Cho
- Institute of Ecology, Insect and Chemical Ecology GroupUniversity of BremenBremenGermany
| | - Marko Rohlfs
- Institute of Ecology, Insect and Chemical Ecology GroupUniversity of BremenBremenGermany
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Anholt RRH, Mackay TFC. The genetic architecture of behavioral canalization. Trends Genet 2023:S0168-9525(23)00033-1. [PMID: 36878820 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2023.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
Behaviors are components of fitness and contribute to adaptive evolution. Behaviors represent the interactions of an organism with its environment, yet innate behaviors display robustness in the face of environmental change, which we refer to as 'behavioral canalization'. We hypothesize that positive selection of hub genes of genetic networks stabilizes the genetic architecture for innate behaviors by reducing variation in the expression of interconnected network genes. Robustness of these stabilized networks would be protected from deleterious mutations by purifying selection or suppressing epistasis. We propose that, together with newly emerging favorable mutations, epistatically suppressed mutations can generate a reservoir of cryptic genetic variation that could give rise to decanalization when genetic backgrounds or environmental conditions change to allow behavioral adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert R H Anholt
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry and Center for Human Genetics, Clemson University, 114 Gregor Mendel Circle, Greenwood, SC 29646, USA.
| | - Trudy F C Mackay
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry and Center for Human Genetics, Clemson University, 114 Gregor Mendel Circle, Greenwood, SC 29646, USA
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Das D, Begum M, Paul P, Dutta I, Mandal S, Ghosh P, Ghosh S. Effects of plant growth retardant daminozide (Alar) on neuromuscular co-ordination behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2022; 85:921-936. [PMID: 35996764 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2022.2114564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Daminozide (alar), a plant growth retardant, is used in different fruit orchard to make fruits attractive and reduce pre-harvest losses. Previously data demonstrated that acute daminozide exposure affected reproductive fitness and produced neurodegeneration in Drosophila melanogaster. The goal of this study was to determine whether continuous exposure to daminozide affects neuromuscular co-ordination in D. melanogaster as manifested in various behavioral responses. Fruit flies were exposed to 200 or 400 mg/L concentration of daminozide for two successive generations. Treated D. melanogaster were examined for the behaviors indicative of neuromuscular coordination and cognitive abilities, that include climbing, social interaction, adult grooming, migration, flight, male aggression, and adult courtship. Aberrant behavioral responses were noted among treated D. melanogaster of both sexes as evidenced by the following parameters: reduction in flight duration, abnormal social interaction, altered copulatory acts, and over-aggressiveness. Data suggest that daminozide produces impairment in neuromuscular coordination and cognitive ability in Drosophila, which was reflected as altered behavioral patterns. As Drosophila is considered as a reliable in vivo model utilized in toxicity testing, our findings may help us to anticipate and monitor potential daminozide-induced toxicity in animals and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debasmita Das
- Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
| | - Morium Begum
- Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
| | - Pallab Paul
- Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
| | - Ishita Dutta
- Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
| | | | - Papiya Ghosh
- Department of Zoology, Bijoykrishna Girls' College. Howrah. India
| | - Sujay Ghosh
- Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
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