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Zink AG, Miller JS. Queen-Worker Conflict over Acceptance of Secondary Queens in Eusocial Insects. Am Nat 2024; 203:139-146. [PMID: 38207139 DOI: 10.1086/727650] [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] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
AbstractThe coexistence of multiple reproductives in eusocial insects is widespread, yet the decisions leading to additional queen acceptance are not well understood. Unlike in vertebrates, acceptance decisions are likely controlled by the more numerous helper population rather than the parent reproductive. Yet there are likely to be queen-worker differences in acceptance criteria because workers and queens differ in their relatedness to a secondary queen. We develop a model that examines queen-worker conflict in two scenarios: accepting a queen's sister or daughter. We additionally ask how the mating frequency and split sex ratios affect the outcomes of these conflicts. Our results reveal that conflict over queen acceptance is highest in monandrous mating systems. We identify a "window of conflict" in which a queen is selected to accept her sister but her workers do not. Our result, that polyandry neutralizes conflict over acceptance thresholds, suggests that conflict suppression may be an additional contributor to the maintenance of polyandrous mating systems.
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2
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Bourke AFG. Conflict and conflict resolution in the major transitions. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231420. [PMID: 37817595 PMCID: PMC10565403 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Conflict and conflict resolution have been argued to be fundamental to the major transitions in evolution. These were key events in life's history in which previously independently living individuals cooperatively formed a higher-level individual, such as a multicellular organism or eusocial colony. Conflict has its central role because, to proceed stably, the evolution of individuality in each major transition required within-individual conflict to be held in check. This review revisits the role of conflict and conflict resolution in the major transitions, addressing recent work arguing for a minor role. Inclusive fitness logic suggests that differences between the kin structures of clones and sexual families support the absence of conflict at the origin of multicellularity but, by contrast, suggest that key conflicts existed at the origin of eusociality. A principal example is conflict over replacing the founding queen (queen replacement). Following the origin of each transition, conflict remained important, because within-individual conflict potentially disrupts the attainment of maximal individuality (organismality) in the system. The conclusion is that conflict remains central to understanding the major transitions, essentially because conflict arises from differences in inclusive fitness optima while conflict resolution can help the system attain a high degree of coincidence of inclusive fitness interests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew F. G. Bourke
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
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3
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da Silva RC, do Nascimento FS, Wenseleers T, Oi CA. Chemical signatures of egg maternity and Dufour's gland in Vespine wasps. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2023; 110:25. [PMID: 37227507 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-023-01852-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are often used in the chemical communication among social insects. CHCs can be used in nestmate recognition and as queen pheromones, the latter allows the regulation of the reproductive division of labor. In the common wasp Vespula vulgaris, CHCs and egg-marking hydrocarbons are caste-specific, being hydrocarbon queen pheromones and egg maternity signals. Whether these compounds are conserved among other Vespinae wasps remains unknown. Queens, virgin queens, reproductive workers, and workers belonging to four different wasp species, Dolichovespula media, Dolichovespula saxonica, Vespa crabro, and Vespula germanica, were collected and studied. The cuticular hydrocarbons, egg surface, and Dufour's gland composition were characterized and it was found that chemical compounds are caste-specific in the four species. Quantitative and qualitative differences were detected in the cuticle, eggs, and Dufour's gland. Some specific hydrocarbons that were shown to be overproduced in the cuticle of queens were also present in higher quantities in queen-laid eggs and in their Dufour's gland. These hydrocarbons can be indicated as putative fertility signals that regulate the division of reproductive labor in these Vespine societies. Our results are in line with the literature for V. vulgaris and D. saxonica, in which hydrocarbons were shown to be conserved queen signals. This work presents correlative evidence that queen chemical compounds are found not only over the body surface of females but also in other sources, such as the Dufour's gland and eggs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Carvalho da Silva
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo - USP, Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900 - Vila Monte Alegre, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-900, Brazil.
| | - Fabio Santos do Nascimento
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo - USP, Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900 - Vila Monte Alegre, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-900, Brazil
| | - Tom Wenseleers
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Cintia Akemi Oi
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
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4
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Schultner E, Wallner T, Dofka B, Brülhart J, Heinze J, Freitak D, Pokorny T, Oettler J. Queens control caste allocation in the ant Cardiocondyla obscurior. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20221784. [PMID: 36750190 PMCID: PMC9904955 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1784] [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: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Social insect queens and workers can engage in conflict over reproductive allocation when they have different fitness optima. Here, we show that queens have control over queen-worker caste allocation in the ant Cardiocondyla obscurior, a species in which workers lack reproductive organs. We describe crystalline deposits that distinguish castes from the egg stage onwards, providing the first report of a discrete trait that can be used to identify ant caste throughout pre-imaginal development. The comparison of queen and worker-destined eggs and larvae revealed size and weight differences in late development, but no discernible differences in traits that may be used in social interactions, including hair morphology and cuticular odours. In line with a lack of caste-specific traits, adult workers treated developing queens and workers indiscriminately. Together with previous studies demonstrating queen control over sex allocation, these results show that queens control reproductive allocation in C. obscurior and suggest that the fitness interests of colony members are aligned to optimize resource allocation in this ant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Schultner
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Wallner
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Dofka
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jeanne Brülhart
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Dalial Freitak
- Institute for Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Tamara Pokorny
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jan Oettler
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
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Chung CY, Shigenobu S. Reproductive constraint in the social aphid Ceratovacuna japonica: Sterility regulation in the soldier caste of a viviparous insect. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 145:103756. [PMID: 35367587 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Differentiation of the non-reproductive caste is a unique feature of eusocial insects. Apoptosis in oocytes plays a major role in constraining the reproductivity of the eusocial insects including bees, ants, and termites. However, the regulation of reproductive constraint in non-reproductives of primitively eusocial insects other than hymenopterans and blattodeans is almost unknown. Here, we investigated the soldier sterility in a hemipteran insect, the social aphid Ceratovacuna japonica. We compared the gonads of soldiers, that are completely sterile, with those of reproductives in their viviparous development. We found that soldiers possess a pair of ovaries and the same number of germaria as reproductives, but soldiers' ovarioles were small and lacking gastrulating embryos. Unlike in most model social insects, the staining of cleaved Caspase-3 showed apoptosis in the maternal nutritive cells, rather in the oocyte, of soldier ovaries. In addition, the ubiquitous C. japonica vasa1 and piwi2a expression indicates the developmental failure of embryos in soldier ovaries. The absence of posterior nos1, an insect posterior determinant, indicates deficient posterior patterning in soldier ovarioles. Our findings suggest a different mode of reproductive constraint, which regulates both oogenesis and embryogenesis in a viviparous insect ovary. This is the first report of the reproductive constraint in a viviparous social insect at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Yo Chung
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genomics, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, 444-8585, Aichi, Japan
| | - Shuji Shigenobu
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genomics, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, 444-8585, Aichi, Japan; Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Okazaki, 444-8585, Japan.
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6
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Similarities in Recognition Cues Lead to the Infiltration of Non-Nestmates in an Ant Species. J Chem Ecol 2021; 48:16-26. [PMID: 34762209 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-021-01325-3] [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: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Chemical cues are among the most important information-sharing mechanisms in insect societies, in which cuticular hydrocarbons play a central role, e.g., from nestmate recognition to queen signaling. The nestmate recognition mechanism usually prevents intruders from taking advantage of the resources stored in the nest. However, nestmate recognition is not unconditionally effective, and foreign individuals can sometimes infiltrate unrelated nests and take advantage of the colony resources. In this study, we investigated the role of overall colony odor profiles on the ability of conspecific workers to drift into unrelated colonies. We hypothesized that drifters would have higher chances of success by infiltrating colonies with the odor profiles most similar to their own nest, avoiding being detected as non-nestmates. By performing a drifting bioassay, we found that workers of the ant Formica fusca infiltrated unrelated conspecific colonies at a rate of 2.4%, significantly infiltrating colonies displaying CHC profiles most similar to their natal nests. Notably, methyl branched hydrocarbons seem to play a role as recognition cues in this species. In addition, we show that environmental rather than genetic factors are responsible for most contributions on the CHC phenotype, presenting ca. of 50% and 27.5% of explained variation respectively, and playing a major role in how worker ants detect and prevent the infiltration of non-nestmates in the colony. Hence, relying on cuticular hydrocarbons similarities could be a profitably evolutionary strategy by which workers can identify conspecific colonies, evade detection by guards, and avoid competition with genetic relatives.
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Zhao H, Liu Y, Zhang H, Breeze TD, An J. Worker-Born Males Are Smaller but Have Similar Reproduction Ability to Queen-Born Males in Bumblebees. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12111008. [PMID: 34821809 PMCID: PMC8622041 DOI: 10.3390/insects12111008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Queen-worker conflict over the reproduction of males exists in the majority of haplodiplioidy hymenpteran species such as bees, wasps, and ants, whose workers lose mating ability but can produce haploid males in colony. Bumblebee is one of the representatives of primitively eusocial insects with plastic division labor and belongs to monandrous and facultative low polyandry species that have reproductive totipotent workers, which are capable of competing with mother queen to produce haploid males in the queenright colony compared to higher eusocial species, e.g., honeybees. So, bumblebees should be a better material to study worker reproduction, but the reproductive characteristics of worker-born males (WMs) remain unclear. Here, we choose the best-studied bumblebee Bombus terrestris to evaluate the morphological characteristics and reproductive ability of WMs from the queenless micro-colonies. The sexually matured WMs showed smaller in forewing length and weight, relatively less sperm counts but equally high sperm viability in comparison with the queen-born males (QMs) of the queenright colony. Despite with smaller size, the WMs are able to successfully mate with the virgin queens in competition with the QMs under laboratory conditions, which is quite different from the honeybees reported. In addition, there was no difference in the colony development, including the traits such as egg-laying rate, colony establishment rate, and populations of offspring, between the WM- and the QM-mated queens. Our study highlights the equivalent reproductive ability of worker-born males compared to that of queens, which might exhibit a positive application or special use of bumblebee rearing, especially for species whose males are not enough for copulation. Further, our finding contributes new evidence to the kin selection theory and suggests worker reproduction might relate to the evolution of sociality in bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiyue Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; (H.Z.); (Y.L.); (H.Z.)
| | - Yanjie Liu
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; (H.Z.); (Y.L.); (H.Z.)
| | - Hong Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; (H.Z.); (Y.L.); (H.Z.)
| | - Tom D. Breeze
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, Reading University, Reading RG6 6AH, UK;
| | - Jiandong An
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; (H.Z.); (Y.L.); (H.Z.)
- Correspondence:
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8
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Serra RS, Campos LAO, Serrão JE. Evidence that workers recognize unfertilized queen‐laid eggs for male production in stingless bees. ACTA ZOOL-STOCKHOLM 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/azo.12401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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9
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Majoe M, Libbrecht R, Foitzik S, Nehring V. Queen loss increases worker survival in leaf-cutting ants under paraquat-induced oxidative stress. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20190735. [PMID: 33678018 PMCID: PMC7938173 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Longevity is traded off with fecundity in most solitary species, but the two traits are positively linked in social insects. In ants, the most fecund individuals (queens and kings) live longer than the non-reproductive individuals, the workers. In many species, workers may become fertile following queen loss, and recent evidence suggests that worker fecundity extends worker lifespan. We postulated that this effect is in part owing to improved resilience to oxidative stress, and tested this hypothesis in three Myrmicine ants: Temnothorax rugatulus, and the leaf-cutting ants Atta colombica and Acromyrmex echinatior. We removed the queen from colonies to induce worker reproduction and subjected workers to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress drastically reduced survival, but this effect was less pronounced in leaf-cutting ant workers from queenless nests. We also found that, irrespective of oxidative stress, outside workers died earlier than inside workers did, likely because they were older. Since At. colombica workers cannot produce fertile offspring, our results indicate that direct reproduction is not necessary to extend the lives of queenless workers. Our findings suggest that workers are less resilient to oxidative stress in the presence of the queen, and raise questions on the proximate and ultimate mechanisms underlying socially mediated variation in worker lifespan. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ageing and sociality: why, when and how does sociality change ageing patterns?'
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Affiliation(s)
- Megha Majoe
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Hanns Dieter Hüsch Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Institute for Biology I (Zoology), University of Freiburg, Hauptstrasse 1, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Romain Libbrecht
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Hanns Dieter Hüsch Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Hanns Dieter Hüsch Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Volker Nehring
- Institute for Biology I (Zoology), University of Freiburg, Hauptstrasse 1, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
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Lenancker P, Feldhaar H, Holzinger A, Greenfield M, Strain A, Yeeles P, Hoffmann BD, Tay WT, Lach L. Origin, behaviour, and genetics of reproductive workers in an invasive ant. Front Zool 2021; 18:13. [PMID: 33752683 PMCID: PMC7986258 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-021-00392-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Worker reproduction has an important influence on the social cohesion and efficiency of social insect colonies, but its role in the success of invasive ants has been neglected. We used observations of 233 captive colonies, laboratory experiments, and genetic analyses to investigate the conditions for worker reproduction in the invasive Anoplolepis gracilipes (yellow crazy ant) and its potential cost on interspecific defence. We determined the prevalence of worker production of males and whether it is triggered by queen absence; whether physogastric workers with enlarged abdomens are more likely to be reproductive, how normal workers and physogastric workers compare in their contributions to foraging and defence; and whether worker-produced males and males that could have been queen- or worker-produced differ in their size and heterozygosity. Results Sixty-six of our 233 captive colonies produced males, and in 25 of these, some males could only have been produced by workers. Colonies with more workers were more likely to produce males, especially for queenless colonies. The average number of days between the first appearance of eggs and adult males in our colonies was 54.1 ± 10.2 (mean ± SD, n = 20). In our laboratory experiment, queen removal triggered an increase in the proportion of physogastric workers. Physogastric workers were more likely to have yolky oocytes (37–54.9%) than normal workers (2–25.6%), which is an indicator of fertile or trophic egg production. Physogastric workers were less aggressive during interspecific aggression tests and foraged less than normal workers. The head width and wing length of worker-produced males were on average 4.0 and 4.3% greater respectively than those of males of undetermined source. Our microsatellite DNA analyses indicate that 5.5% of worker-produced males and 14.3% of males of undetermined source were heterozygous, which suggests the presence of diploid males and/or genetic mosaics in A. gracilipes. Conclusions Our experimental work provides crucial information on worker reproduction in A. gracilipes and its potential cost to colony defence. The ability of A. gracilipes workers to produce males in the absence of queens may also contribute to its success as an invasive species if intranidal mating can take place between virgin queens and worker-produced males. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12983-021-00392-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Lenancker
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia. .,CSIRO, Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre, Darwin, NT, 0822, Australia.
| | - Heike Feldhaar
- Animal Ecology I, Bayreuth Centre of Ecology and Environmental Research, University of Bayreuth, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Anja Holzinger
- Animal Ecology I, Bayreuth Centre of Ecology and Environmental Research, University of Bayreuth, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Melinda Greenfield
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia
| | - Angela Strain
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia
| | - Peter Yeeles
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia
| | | | - Wee Tek Tay
- CSIRO, Black Mountain Laboratories, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Lori Lach
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia
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11
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Simonet C, McNally L. Kin selection explains the evolution of cooperation in the gut microbiota. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2016046118. [PMID: 33526674 PMCID: PMC8017935 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2016046118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Through the secretion of "public goods" molecules, microbes cooperatively exploit their habitat. This is known as a major driver of the functioning of microbial communities, including in human disease. Understanding why microbial species cooperate is therefore crucial to achieve successful microbial community management, such as microbiome manipulation. A leading explanation is that of Hamilton's inclusive-fitness framework. A cooperator can indirectly transmit its genes by helping the reproduction of an individual carrying similar genes. Therefore, all else being equal, as relatedness among individuals increases, so should cooperation. However, the predictive power of relatedness, particularly in microbes, is surrounded by controversy. Using phylogenetic comparative analyses across the full diversity of the human gut microbiota and six forms of cooperation, we find that relatedness is predictive of the cooperative gene content evolution in gut-microbe genomes. Hence, relatedness is predictive of cooperation over broad microbial taxonomic levels that encompass variation in other life-history and ecology details. This supports the generality of Hamilton's central insights and the relevance of relatedness as a key parameter of interest to advance microbial predictive and engineering science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Simonet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, United Kingdom;
| | - Luke McNally
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, United Kingdom
- Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, United Kingdom
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12
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Lecocq de Pletincx N, Aron S. Sociogenetic Organization of the Red Honey Ant ( Melophorus bagoti). INSECTS 2020; 11:E755. [PMID: 33158025 PMCID: PMC7693516 DOI: 10.3390/insects11110755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Kin selection and inclusive fitness are thought to be key factors explaining the reproductive altruism displayed by workers in eusocial insect species. However, when a colony's queen has mated with <2 males, workers may increase their fitness by producing their own male offspring. Conversely, when the queen has mated with ≥2 males, workers are expected to increase their inclusive fitness by eschewing the production of their sons and preventing other workers from reproducing as well. Here, we investigated sociogenetic structure and worker reproduction in the red honey ant, Melophorus bagoti. Morphometric analyses revealed that workers belong to one of two distinct subcastes: they are either majors or minors. Using DNA microsatellite markers, we showed that all the colonies had a single, multiple-mated queen and that there was no relationship between worker patriline and worker subcaste. Furthermore, we found that workers were producing males in the presence of the queen, which contrasts with the predictions of inclusive fitness theory. Although our results are based on a small sample, they can serve as the foundation for future research examining worker reproduction in M. bagoti.
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13
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Oi CA, Brown RL, da Silva RC, Wenseleers T. Reproduction and signals regulating worker policing under identical hormonal control in social wasps. Sci Rep 2020; 10:18971. [PMID: 33149171 PMCID: PMC7643062 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76084-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In social Hymenoptera, fertility and fertility signalling are often under identical hormonal control, and it has been suggested that such hormonal pleiotropies can help to maintain signal honesty. In the common wasp Vespula vulgaris, for example, fertile queens have much higher juvenile hormone (JH) titers than workers, and JH also controls the production of chemical fertility cues present on the females’ cuticle. To regulate reproductive division of labour, queens use these fertility cues in two distinct ways: as queen pheromones that directly suppress the workers’ reproduction as well as to mark queen eggs and enable the workers to recognize and police eggs laid by other workers. Here, we investigated the hormonal pleiotropy hypothesis by testing if experimental treatment with the JH analogue methoprene could enable the workers to lay eggs that evade policing. In support of this hypothesis, we find that methoprene-treated workers laid more eggs, and that the chemical profiles of their eggs were more queen-like, thereby causing fewer of their eggs to be policed compared to in the control. Overall, our results identify JH as a key regulator of both reproduction and the production of egg marking pheromones that mediate policing behaviour in eusocial wasps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cintia Akemi Oi
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Robert L Brown
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Rafael Carvalho da Silva
- Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de São Paulo - USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Tom Wenseleers
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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14
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Holland JG, Bloch G. The Complexity of Social Complexity: A Quantitative Multidimensional Approach for Studies of Social Organization. Am Nat 2020; 196:525-540. [PMID: 33064587 DOI: 10.1086/710957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe rapid increase in "big data" during the postgenomic era makes it crucial to appropriately measure the level of social complexity in comparative studies. We argue that commonly used qualitative classifications lump together species showing a broad range of social complexity and falsely imply that social evolution always progresses along a single linear stepwise trajectory that can be deduced from comparing extant species. To illustrate this point, we compared widely used social complexity measures in "primitively eusocial" bumble bees with "advanced eusocial" stingless bees, honey bees, and attine ants. We find that a single species can have both higher and lower levels of complexity compared with other taxa, depending on the social trait measured. We propose that measuring the complexity of individual social traits switches focus from semantic discussions and offers several directions for progress. First, quantitative social traits can be correlated with molecular, developmental, and physiological processes within and across lineages of social animals. This approach is particularly promising for identifying processes that influence or have been affected by social evolution. Second, key social complexity traits can be combined into multidimensional lineage-specific quantitative indices, enabling fine-scale comparison across species that are currently bundled within the same level of social complexity.
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15
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Giehr J, Wallner J, Senninger L, Ruhland K, Krüger T, Heinze J. Substantial direct fitness gains of workers in a highly eusocial ant. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:3720-3730. [PMID: 32869398 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Hamilton's theory of inclusive fitness suggests that helpers in animal societies gain fitness indirectly by increasing the reproductive performance of a related beneficiary. Helpers in cooperatively breeding birds, mammals and primitively eusocial wasps may additionally obtain direct fitness through inheriting the nest or mating partner of the former reproductive. Here, we show that also workers of a highly eusocial ant may achieve considerable direct fitness by producing males in both queenless and queenright colonies. We investigated the reproductive success of workers of the ant Temnothorax crassispinus in nature and the laboratory by dissecting workers and determining the origin of males by microsatellite analysis. We show that workers are capable of activating their ovaries and successfully producing their sons independently of the presence of a queen. Genotypes revealed that at least one fifth of the males in natural queenright colonies were not offspring of the queen. Most worker-produced males could be assigned to workers that were unrelated to the queen, suggesting egg-laying by drifting workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Giehr
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jennifer Wallner
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Lisa Senninger
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Katja Ruhland
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Theresa Krüger
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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16
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Princen SA, Van Oystaeyen A, van Zweden JS, Wenseleers T. Worker dominance and reproduction in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris: when does it pay to bare one's mandibles? Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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17
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Sun Q, Hampton JD, Merchant A, Haynes KF, Zhou X. Cooperative policing behaviour regulates reproductive division of labour in a termite. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200780. [PMID: 32517622 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Reproductive conflicts are common in insect societies where helping castes retain reproductive potential. One of the mechanisms regulating these conflicts is policing, a coercive behaviour that reduces direct reproduction by other individuals. In eusocial Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps), workers or the queen act aggressively towards fertile workers, or destroy their eggs. In many termite species (order Blattodea), upon the death of the primary queen and king, workers and nymphs can differentiate into neotenic reproductives and inherit the breeding position. During this process, competition among neotenics is inevitable, but how this conflict is resolved remains unclear. Here, we report a policing behaviour that regulates reproductive division of labour in the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes. Our results demonstrate that the policing behaviour is a cooperative effort performed sequentially by successful neotenics and workers. A neotenic reproductive initiates the attack of the fellow neotenic by biting and displays alarm behaviour. Workers are then recruited to cannibalize the injured neotenic. Furthermore, the initiation of policing is age-dependent, with older reproductives attacking younger ones, thereby inheriting the reproductive position. This study provides empirical evidence of policing behaviour in termites, which represents a convergent trait shared between eusocial Hymenoptera and Blattodea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Sun
- Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.,Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, S-225 Agricultural Science Center North, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, USA
| | - Jordan D Hampton
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, S-225 Agricultural Science Center North, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, USA
| | - Austin Merchant
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, S-225 Agricultural Science Center North, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, USA
| | - Kenneth F Haynes
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, S-225 Agricultural Science Center North, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, USA
| | - Xuguo Zhou
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, S-225 Agricultural Science Center North, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, USA
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18
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Giehr J, Wallner J, Krüger T, Heinze J. Body size and sperm quality in queen- And worker-produced ant males. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:842-849. [PMID: 32162367 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Workers of many species of social Hymenoptera have functional ovaries and are capable of laying haploid, unfertilized eggs, at least in the absence of a queen. Except for honeybees, it remains largely unknown whether worker-produced males have the same quality as queen-produced males and whether workers benefit in direct fitness by producing their sons. Previous studies in the monogynous ant Temnothorax crassispinus revealed that a high proportion of males in natural and laboratory colonies are worker offspring. Here, we compare longevity, body size, sperm length and sperm viability between queen- and worker-produced males. We either split queenright colonies into queenright and queenless halves or removed the queen from a fraction of the queenright colonies and then examined the newly produced males. Male quality traits varied considerably among colonies but differed only slightly between queen- and worker-produced males. Worker-produced males outnumbered queen-produced males and also had a longer lifespan, but under certain rearing conditions sperm from queen-produced males had a higher viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Giehr
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jennifer Wallner
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Theresa Krüger
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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19
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Lerch BA, Abbott KC. Allee effects drive the coevolution of cooperation and group size in high reproductive skew groups. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The evolution of cooperation between conspecifics is a fundamental evolutionary puzzle, with much work focusing on the evolution of cooperative breeding. Surprisingly, although we expect cooperation to affect the population structures in which individuals interact, most studies fail to allow cooperation and population structure to coevolve. Here, we build two models containing group-level Allee effects (positive density dependence at low group sizes) to study the coevolution of cooperation and group size. Group-level Allee effects, although common in cooperatively breeding species, remain understudied for their evolutionary implications. We find that a trait that affects group size can cause increased cooperation to be favored evolutionarily even in a group with complete reproductive skew. In particular, we find a single evolutionarily stable attractor in our model corresponding to moderate helpfulness and group size. In general, our results demonstrate that, even in groups with complete reproductive skew, Allee effects can be important for the evolution of cooperation and that the evolution of cooperation may be closely linked to the evolution of group size. Further, our model matches empirical data in African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus), suggesting that it may have an application in understanding social evolution in this endangered species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian A Lerch
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Karen C Abbott
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
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20
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Princen SA, Van Oystaeyen A, Petit C, van Zweden JS, Wenseleers T. Cross-activity of honeybee queen mandibular pheromone in bumblebees provides evidence for sensory exploitation. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractThe evolutionary origin of queen pheromones (QPs), which regulate reproductive division of labor in insect societies, has been explained by two evolutionary scenarios: the sender-precursor hypothesis and the sensory exploitation hypothesis. These scenarios differ in terms of whether the signaling system was built on preadaptations on the part of either the sender queens or the receiver workers. While some social insect QPs—such as cuticular hydrocarbons—were likely derived from ancestral fertility cues and evolved according to the former theory, the honeybee’s queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) has been suggested to act directly on preexisting gene-regulatory networks linked with reproduction. This is evidenced by the fact that QMP has been shown to also inhibit ovary activation in fruit flies, thereby implying exploitation of conserved physiological pathways. To verify whether QMP has similar effects on more closely related eusocial species, we here tested for QMP cross-activity in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. Interestingly, we found that the non-native QMP blend significantly inhibited egg laying in both worker and queen bumblebees and caused accompanying shifts in ovary activation. The native bumblebee QP pentacosane, by contrast, only inhibited the reproduction of the workers. Overall, these findings support the hypothesis that honeybee QMP likely evolved via a route of sensory exploitation. We argue that such exploitation could allow social insect queens to produce compounds that manipulate the workers to remain sterile, but that a major hurdle would be that the queens themselves would have to be immune to such compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Princen
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Naamsestraat, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Annette Van Oystaeyen
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Naamsestraat, Leuven, Belgium
- Biobest Group NV, Westerlo, Belgium
| | - Clément Petit
- Biobest Group NV, Westerlo, Belgium
- Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier, France
| | - Jelle S van Zweden
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Naamsestraat, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tom Wenseleers
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Naamsestraat, Leuven, Belgium
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21
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Quiñones AE, Henriques GJB, Pen I. Queen–worker conflict can drive the evolution of social polymorphism and split sex ratios in facultatively eusocial life cycles*. Evolution 2019; 74:15-28. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrés E. Quiñones
- Theoretical Research in Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of Groningen 9747 AG Groningen The Netherlands
- Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva de Vertebrados, Departamento de Ciencias BiológicasUniversidad de los Andes Bogotá Colombia
| | - Gil J. B. Henriques
- Theoretical Research in Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of Groningen 9747 AG Groningen The Netherlands
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research CentreUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia V6T 1Z4 Canada
| | - Ido Pen
- Theoretical Research in Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of Groningen 9747 AG Groningen The Netherlands
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22
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Princen SA, Oliveira RC, Ernst UR, Millar JG, van Zweden JS, Wenseleers T. Honeybees possess a structurally diverse and functionally redundant set of queen pheromones. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190517. [PMID: 31213188 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Queen pheromones, which signal the presence of a fertile queen and induce workers to remain sterile, play a key role in regulating reproductive division of labour in insect societies. In the honeybee, volatiles produced by the queen's mandibular glands have been argued to act as the primary sterility-inducing pheromones. This contrasts with evidence from other groups of social insects, where specific queen-characteristic hydrocarbons present on the cuticle act as conserved queen signals. This led us to hypothesize that honeybee queens might also employ cuticular pheromones to stop workers from reproducing. Here, we support this hypothesis with the results of bioassays with synthetic blends of queen-characteristic alkenes, esters and carboxylic acids. We show that all these compound classes suppress worker ovary development, and that one of the blends of esters that we used was as effective as the queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) mix. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the two main QMP compounds 9-ODA and 9-HDA tested individually were as effective as the blend of all four major QMP compounds, suggesting considerable signal redundancy. Possible adaptive reasons for the observed complexity of the honeybee queen signal mix are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Princen
- 1 Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution , Leuven , Belgium
| | - Ricardo Caliari Oliveira
- 1 Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution , Leuven , Belgium
| | - Ulrich R Ernst
- 1 Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution , Leuven , Belgium.,2 Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Functional Genomics and Proteomics Group , Leuven , Belgium.,3 Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Molecular Evolution and Sociobiology Group , Münster , Germany
| | - Jocelyn G Millar
- 4 Departments of Entomology and Chemistry, University of California , Riverside, CA 92521 , USA
| | - Jelle S van Zweden
- 1 Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution , Leuven , Belgium
| | - Tom Wenseleers
- 1 Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution , Leuven , Belgium
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23
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Oi CA, Oliveira RC, van Zweden JS, Mateus S, Millar JG, Nascimento FS, Wenseleers T. Do Primitively Eusocial Wasps Use Queen Pheromones to Regulate Reproduction? A Case Study of the Paper Wasp Polistes satan. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
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24
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25
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Almond EJ, Huggins TJ, Crowther LP, Parker JD, Bourke AFG. Queen Longevity and Fecundity Affect Conflict with Workers over Resource Inheritance in a Social Insect. Am Nat 2018; 193:256-266. [PMID: 30720369 DOI: 10.1086/701299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Resource inheritance is a major source of conflict in animal societies. However, the assumptions and predictions of models of conflict over resource inheritance have not been systematically tested within a single system. We developed an inclusive fitness model for annual eusocial Hymenoptera that predicts a zone of conflict in which future reproductive workers are selected to enforce nest inheritance before the queen is selected to cede the nest. We experimentally tested key elements of this model in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. In colonies from which queens were sequentially removed, queen tenure was significantly negatively associated with worker male production, confirming that workers gain direct fitness by usurping the queen. In unmanipulated colonies, queen fecundity decreased significantly over the latter part of the colony cycle, confirming that workers' indirect fitness from maintaining queens declines over time. Finally, in an experiment simulating loss of queen fecundity by removal of queens' eggs, worker-to-queen aggression increased significantly and aggressive workers were significantly more likely to become egg layers, consistent with workers monitoring queen fecundity to assess the net benefit of future reproduction. Overall, by upholding key assumptions and predictions of the model, our results provide novel empirical support for kin-selected conflict over resource inheritance.
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26
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Cooper GA, Levin SR, Wild G, West SA. Modeling relatedness and demography in social evolution. Evol Lett 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/evl3.69] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Guy A. Cooper
- Department of Zoology; University of Oxford; Oxford OX1 3PS United Kingdom
| | - Samuel R. Levin
- Department of Zoology; University of Oxford; Oxford OX1 3PS United Kingdom
| | - Geoff Wild
- Department of Applied Mathematics; University of Western Ontario; London Ontario N6A 3K7 Canada
| | - Stuart A. West
- Department of Zoology; University of Oxford; Oxford OX1 3PS United Kingdom
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27
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Genetic relatedness does not predict the queen’s successors in the primitively eusocial wasp, Ropalidia marginata. J Genet 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s12041-018-0926-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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28
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Queen Control or Queen Signal in Ants: What Remains of the Controversy 25 Years After Keller and Nonacs' Seminal Paper? J Chem Ecol 2018; 44:805-817. [PMID: 29858748 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-018-0974-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Ant queen pheromones (QPs) have long been known to affect colony functioning. In many species, QPs affect important reproductive functions such as diploid larvae sexualization and egg-laying by workers, unmated queens (gynes), or other queens. Until the 1990s, these effects were generally viewed to be the result of queen manipulation through the use of coercive or dishonest signals. However, in their seminal 1993 paper, Keller and Nonacs challenged this idea, suggesting that QPs had evolved as honest signals that informed workers and other colony members of the queen's presence and reproductive state. This paper has greatly influenced the study of ant QPs and inspired numerous attempts to identify fertility-related compounds and test their physiological and behavioral effects. In the present article, we review the literature on ant QPs in various contexts and pay special attention to the role of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs). Although the controversy generated by Keller and Nonacs' (Anim Behav 45:787-794, 1993) paper is currently less intensively debated, there is still no clear evidence which allows the rejection of the queen control hypothesis in favor of the queen signal hypothesis. We argue that important questions remain regarding the mode of action of QPs, and their targets which may help understanding their evolution.
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29
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Davies NG, Gardner A. Monogamy promotes altruistic sterility in insect societies. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:172190. [PMID: 29892408 PMCID: PMC5990772 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.172190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Monogamy is associated with sibling-directed altruism in multiple animal taxa, including insects, birds and mammals. Inclusive-fitness theory readily explains this pattern by identifying high relatedness as a promoter of altruism. In keeping with this prediction, monogamy should promote the evolution of voluntary sterility in insect societies if sterile workers make for better helpers. However, a recent mathematical population-genetics analysis failed to identify a consistent effect of monogamy on voluntary worker sterility. Here, we revisit that analysis. First, we relax genetic assumptions, considering not only alleles of extreme effect-encoding either no sterility or complete sterility-but also alleles with intermediate effects on worker sterility. Second, we broaden the stability analysis-which focused on the invasibility of populations where either all workers are fully sterile or all workers are fully reproductive-to identify where intermediate pure or mixed evolutionarily stable states may occur. Third, we consider a broader range of demographically explicit ecological scenarios relevant to altruistic worker non-reproduction and to the evolution of eusociality more generally. We find that, in the absence of genetic constraints, monogamy always promotes altruistic worker sterility and may inhibit spiteful worker sterility. Our extended analysis demonstrates that an exact population-genetics approach strongly supports the prediction of inclusive-fitness theory that monogamy promotes sib-directed altruism in social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andy Gardner
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
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30
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Schultner E, Oettler J, Helanterä H. The Role of Brood in Eusocial Hymenoptera. QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY 2018; 92:39-78. [PMID: 29558609 DOI: 10.1086/690840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Study of social traits in offspring traditionally reflects on interactions in simple family groups, with famous examples including parent-offspring conflict and sibling rivalry in birds and mammals. In contrast, studies of complex social groups such as the societies of ants, bees, and wasps focus mainly on adults and, in particular, on traits and interests of queens and workers. The social role of developing individuals in complex societies remains poorly understood. We attempt to fill this gap by illustrating that development in social Hymenoptera constitutes a crucial life stage with important consequences for the individual as well as the colony. We begin by describing the complex social regulatory network that modulates development in Hymenoptera societies. By highlighting the inclusive fitness interests of developing individuals, we show that they may differ from those of other colony members. We then demonstrate that offspring have evolved specialized traits that allow them to play a functional, cooperative role within colonies and give them the potential power to act toward increasing their inclusive fitness. We conclude by providing testable predictions for investigating the role of brood in colony interactions and giving a general outlook on what can be learned from studying offspring traits in hymenopteran societies.
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31
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Shimoji H, Kikuchi T, Ohnishi H, Kikuta N, Tsuji K. Social enforcement depending on the stage of colony growth in an ant. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20172548. [PMID: 29593107 PMCID: PMC5897631 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Altruism is a paradox in Darwinian evolution. Policing is an important mechanism of the evolution and maintenance of altruism. A recently developed dynamic game model incorporating colony demography and inclusive fitness predicts that, in hymenopteran social insects, policing behaviour enforcing reproductive altruism in group members depends strongly on the colony growth stage, with strong policing as the colony develops and a relaxation of policing during the reproductive phase. Here, we report clear evidence supporting this prediction. In the ant Diacamma sp., reproduction by workers was suppressed by worker policing when the colony was small, whereas in large, mature colonies worker policing was relaxed and worker-produced males emerged. Conditional expression of traits can provide strong empirical evidence for natural selection theory if the expression pattern is precisely predicted by the theory, and our results illustrate the importance of intracolony population dynamics in the evolution of social systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Shimoji
- Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
| | - Tomonori Kikuchi
- Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
- Marine Biosystems Research Center, Chiba University, Tokawa 1, Choshi, Chiba 288-0014, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Ohnishi
- Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
- National Institute for Environmental Studies, Onogawa 16-2, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Noritsugu Kikuta
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Toyama University, Toyama 930-8555, Japan
| | - Kazuki Tsuji
- Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
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32
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Doums C, Fédérici P, Chifflet-Belle P, Monnin T. Worker thelytoky allows requeening of orphaned colonies but increases susceptibility to reproductive cheating in an ant. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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33
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Rautiala P, Helanterä H, Puurtinen M. The evolutionary dynamics of adaptive virginity, sex-allocation, and altruistic helping in haplodiploid animals. Evolution 2017; 72:30-38. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Revised: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Petri Rautiala
- School of Biology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews KY16 9TH United Kingdom
| | - Heikki Helanterä
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biosciences; University of Helsinki; FI-00014 Helsinki Finland
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biological and Environmental Science; University of Jyvaskyla; FI-40014 Jyvaskyla Finland
| | - Mikael Puurtinen
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biological and Environmental Science; University of Jyvaskyla; FI-40014 Jyvaskyla Finland
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34
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Yagound B, Duncan M, Chapman NC, Oldroyd BP. Subfamily-dependent alternative reproductive strategies in worker honeybees. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:6938-6947. [PMID: 29113015 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Functional worker sterility is the defining feature of insect societies. Yet, workers are sometimes found reproducing in their own or foreign colonies. The proximate mechanisms underlying these alternative reproductive phenotypes are keys to understanding how reproductive altruism and selfishness are balanced in eusocial insects. In this study, we show that in honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies, the social environment of a worker, that is, the presence and relatedness of the queens in a worker's natal colony and in surrounding colonies, significantly influences her fertility and drifting behaviour. Furthermore, subfamilies vary in the frequency of worker ovarian activation, propensity to drift and the kind of host colony that is targeted for reproductive parasitism. Our results show that there is an interplay between a worker's subfamily, reproductive state and social environment that substantially affects her reproductive phenotype. Our study further indicates that honeybee populations show substantial genetic variance for worker reproductive strategies, suggesting that no one strategy is optimal under all the circumstances that a typical worker may encounter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Yagound
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Michael Duncan
- School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, Australia
| | - Nadine C Chapman
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Benjamin P Oldroyd
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Lukas D, Clutton-Brock T. Comparative studies need to rely both on sound natural history data and on excellent statistical analysis. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:171211. [PMID: 29292798 PMCID: PMC5717680 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.171211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
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36
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Ernst UR, Cardoen D, Cornette V, Ratnieks FL, de Graaf DC, Schoofs L, Verleyen P, Wenseleers T. Individual and genetic task specialization in policing behaviour in the European honeybee. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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37
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Lee CC, Nakao H, Tseng SP, Hsu HW, Lin GL, Tay JW, Billen J, Ito F, Lee CY, Lin CC, Yang CCS. Worker reproduction of the invasive yellow crazy ant Anoplolepis gracilipes. Front Zool 2017; 14:24. [PMID: 28503187 PMCID: PMC5422973 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-017-0210-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Reproductive division of labor is one of the key features of social insects. Queens are adapted for reproduction while workers are adapted for foraging and colony maintenance. In many species, however, workers retain functional ovaries and can lay unfertilized male eggs or trophic eggs. Here we report for the first time on the occurrence of physogastric workers and apparent worker reproduction in the invasive yellow crazy ant Anoplolepis gracilipes (Fr. Smith). We further examined the reproductive potential and nutritional role of physogastric workers through multidisciplinary approaches including morphological characterization, laboratory manipulation, genetic analysis and behavioral observation. Results Egg production with two types of eggs, namely reproductive and trophic eggs, by physogastric workers was found. The reproductive egg was confirmed to be haploid and male-destined, suggesting that the workers produced males via arrhenotokous parthenogenesis as no spermatheca was discovered. Detailed observations suggested that larvae were mainly fed with trophic eggs. Along with consumption of trophic eggs by queens and other castes as part of their diet, the vital role of physogastric workers as “trophic specialist” is confirmed. Conclusion We propose that adaptive advantages derived from worker reproduction for A. gracilipes may include 1) trophic eggs provisioned by physogastric workers likely assist colonies of A. gracilipes in overcoming unfavorable conditions such as paucity of food during critical founding stage; 2) worker-produced males are fertile and thus might offer an inclusive fitness advantage for the doomed orphaned colony. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12983-017-0210-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ching-Chen Lee
- Department of Biology, National Changhua University of Education, No. 1, Jin-De Rd., Changhua, 50007 Taiwan.,Master Program for Plant Medicine, National Taiwan University, No.1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, Taiwan 106
| | - Hirotaka Nakao
- Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University, Ikenobe, Miki, 761-0795 Japan
| | - Shu-Ping Tseng
- Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, No.1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, Taiwan 106.,Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto, 611-0011 Japan
| | - Hung-Wei Hsu
- Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, No.1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, Taiwan 106
| | - Gwo-Li Lin
- Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, No.1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, Taiwan 106
| | - Jia-Wei Tay
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521 USA
| | - Johan Billen
- K.U. Leuven, Zoological Institute, Naamsestraat 59, box 2466, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Fuminori Ito
- Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University, Ikenobe, Miki, 761-0795 Japan
| | - Chow-Yang Lee
- Urban Entomology Laboratory, Vector Control Research Unit, School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia
| | - Chung-Chi Lin
- Department of Biology, National Changhua University of Education, No. 1, Jin-De Rd., Changhua, 50007 Taiwan
| | - Chin-Cheng Scotty Yang
- Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto, 611-0011 Japan
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Lopez-Osorio F, Pickett KM, Carpenter JM, Ballif BA, Agnarsson I. Phylogenomic analysis of yellowjackets and hornets (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Vespinae). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2017; 107:10-15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2016.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2016] [Revised: 09/24/2016] [Accepted: 10/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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39
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Pamminger T, Hughes WOH. Testing the reproductive groundplan hypothesis in ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Evolution 2016; 71:153-159. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2016] [Revised: 10/16/2016] [Accepted: 10/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Pamminger
- School of Life Sciences; University of Sussex; Falmer Brighton BN1 9QG United Kingdom
| | - William O. H. Hughes
- School of Life Sciences; University of Sussex; Falmer Brighton BN1 9QG United Kingdom
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40
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Riehl C, Frederickson ME. Cheating and punishment in cooperative animal societies. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:20150090. [PMID: 26729930 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cheaters-genotypes that gain a selective advantage by taking the benefits of the social contributions of others while avoiding the costs of cooperating-are thought to pose a major threat to the evolutionary stability of cooperative societies. In order for cheaters to undermine cooperation, cheating must be an adaptive strategy: cheaters must have higher fitness than cooperators, and their behaviour must reduce the fitness of their cooperative partners. It is frequently suggested that cheating is not adaptive because cooperators have evolved mechanisms to punish these behaviours, thereby reducing the fitness of selfish individuals. However, a simpler hypothesis is that such societies arise precisely because cooperative strategies have been favoured over selfish ones-hence, behaviours that have been interpreted as 'cheating' may not actually result in increased fitness, even when they go unpunished. Here, we review the empirical evidence for cheating behaviours in animal societies, including cooperatively breeding vertebrates and social insects, and we ask whether such behaviours are primarily limited by punishment. Our review suggests that both cheating and punishment are probably rarer than often supposed. Uncooperative individuals typically have lower, not higher, fitness than cooperators; and when evidence suggests that cheating may be adaptive, it is often limited by frequency-dependent selection rather than by punishment. When apparently punitive behaviours do occur, it remains an open question whether they evolved in order to limit cheating, or whether they arose before the evolution of cooperation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Riehl
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, 106A Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Megan E Frederickson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
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Motais de Narbonne M, van Zweden JS, Bello JE, Wenseleers T, Millar JG, d'Ettorre P. Biological activity of the enantiomers of 3-methylhentriacontane, a queen pheromone of the ant Lasius niger. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 219:1632-8. [PMID: 26994182 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.136069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2015] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Queen pheromones are essential for regulation of the reproductive division of labor in eusocial insect species. Although only the queen is able to lay fertilized eggs and produce females, in some cases workers may develop their ovaries and lay male-destined eggs, thus reducing the overall colony efficiency. As long as the queen is healthy, it is usually in the workers' collective interest to work for the colony and remain sterile. Queens signal their fertility via pheromones, which may have a primer effect, affecting the physiology of workers, or a releaser effect, influencing worker behavior. The queen pheromone of the ant Lasius niger was among the first queen pheromones of social insects to be identified. Its major component is 3-methylhentriacontane (3-MeC31), which is present in relatively large amounts on the queen's cuticle and on her eggs. 3-MeC31 regulates worker reproduction by inhibiting ovarian development. Most monomethyl-branched hydrocarbons can exist in two stereoisomeric forms. The correct stereochemistry is fundamental to the activity of most bioactive molecules, but this has rarely been investigated for methyl-branched hydrocarbons. Here, we tested the bioactivity of the (S)- and (R)-enantiomers of 3-MeC31, and found that whereas both enantiomers were effective in suppressing worker ovarian development, (S)-3-MeC31 appeared to be more effective at suppressing aggressive behavior by workers. This suggests that the natural pheromone may be a mixture of the two enantiomers. The enantiomeric ratio produced by queens remains unknown because of the small amounts of the compound available from each queen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Motais de Narbonne
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology, University Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse 93430, France
| | - Jelle S van Zweden
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59 - Box 2466, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Jan E Bello
- Departments of Entomology and Chemistry, University of California, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Tom Wenseleers
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59 - Box 2466, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Jocelyn G Millar
- Departments of Entomology and Chemistry, University of California, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Patrizia d'Ettorre
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology, University Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse 93430, France
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Olejarz JW, Allen B, Veller C, Gadagkar R, Nowak MA. Evolution of worker policing. J Theor Biol 2016; 399:103-16. [PMID: 26976051 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2015] [Revised: 01/23/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Workers in insect societies are sometimes observed to kill male eggs of other workers, a phenomenon known as worker policing. We perform a mathematical analysis of the evolutionary dynamics of policing. We investigate the selective forces behind policing for both dominant and recessive mutations for different numbers of matings of the queen. The traditional, relatedness-based argument suggests that policing evolves if the queen mates with more than two males, but does not evolve if the queen mates with a single male. We derive precise conditions for the invasion and stability of policing alleles. We find that the relatedness-based argument is not robust with respect to small changes in colony efficiency caused by policing. We also calculate evolutionarily singular strategies and determine when they are evolutionarily stable. We use a population genetics approach that applies to dominant or recessive mutations of any effect size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason W Olejarz
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Benjamin Allen
- Department of Mathematics, Emmanuel College, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Center for Mathematical Sciences and Applications, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Carl Veller
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Raghavendra Gadagkar
- Centre for Ecological Sciences and Centre for Contemporary Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012, India; Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi 110 002, India
| | - Martin A Nowak
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Mathematics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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43
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Oliveira RC, Oi CA, Vollet-Neto A, Wenseleers T. Intraspecific worker parasitism in the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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44
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45
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Ronai I, Vergoz V, Oldroyd B. The Mechanistic, Genetic, and Evolutionary Basis of Worker Sterility in the Social Hymenoptera. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2016.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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46
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Elgar MA. Integrating insights across diverse taxa: challenges for understanding social evolution. Front Ecol Evol 2015. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
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47
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Loope KJ. Queen Killing Is Linked to High Worker-Worker Relatedness in a Social Wasp. Curr Biol 2015; 25:2976-9. [PMID: 26526371 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.09.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2015] [Revised: 08/24/2015] [Accepted: 09/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Social insect colonies are pinnacles of evolved altruism but also exhibit dramatic conflict among relatives. In many species, a colony's workers compete with the queen and each other over the production of males. Interspecific comparisons demonstrate the importance of within-colony relatedness in determining the outcome of such conflicts, but facultative responses to within-colony relatedness are rarely reported. Here, I report facultative matricide (worker killing of a colony's queen) in the social wasp Dolichovespula arenaria. Matricide is strongly associated with high worker-worker relatedness, as predicted by theory, because closely related workers value nephews more than brothers. This pattern is the result of variation in both paternity frequency and the paternity skew of colonies with multiple patrilines, implicating worker-worker relatedness rather than a direct effect of multiple mating on queen survival. Furthermore, occasional inbreeding can explain why some multiple-patriline colonies exhibit high paternity skew associated with matricide. In general, these results support the hypothesis that workers can facultatively respond to intracolony relatedness determined by queen mating behavior and demonstrate a novel benefit of polyandry in annual social insects. Facultative matricide shows dramatically how workers are evolutionary actors with interests that can diverge from the queen's, rather than being "extrasomatic projections of her personal genome".
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin J Loope
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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48
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When doing nothing is something. How task allocation strategies compromise between flexibility, efficiency, and inactive agents. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10818-015-9205-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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49
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Villalta I, Angulo E, Devers S, Cerdá X, Boulay R. Regulation of worker egg laying by larvae in a fission-performing ant. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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50
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Yagound B, Gouttefarde R, Leroy C, Belibel R, Barbaud C, Fresneau D, Chameron S, Poteaux C, Châline N. Fertility Signaling and Partitioning of Reproduction in the Ant Neoponera apicalis. J Chem Ecol 2015; 41:557-66. [PMID: 26018617 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-015-0591-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2015] [Revised: 03/30/2015] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
All individuals in social insect colonies benefit from being informed about the presence and fertility state of reproducers. This allows the established reproductive individuals to maintain their reproductive monopoly without the need for physical control, and the non-reproductive individuals to make appropriate reproductive choices. Here, we studied whether fertility signaling is responsible for the partitioning of reproduction in the ant Neoponera apicalis. This species forms small colonies from one single-mated queen, with workers establishing reproductive hierarchies when hopelessly queenless. Previous studies identified putative fertility signals, particularly the hydrocarbon 13-methylpentacosane (13-MeC25), and have shown that precise status discrimination based on these signals could be involved in the regulation of reproductive activities. Here, we extend these findings and reveal that all individuals, be they queens or workers, differ in their cuticular hydrocarbon profile according to fertility state. Proportions of 13-MeC25 were a strong predictor of an individual's ovarian activity, and could, thus, advertise the established reproducer(s) in both queenright and queenless conditions. Furthermore, this compound might play a key role in the establishment of the reproductive hierarchy, since workers with low fertility at the onset of hierarchy formation already have relatively high amounts of 13-MeC25. Dyadic encounters showed that individuals with experimentally increased amounts of 13-MeC25 triggered less agonistic interactions from top rankers, in accord with them "advertising" higher status. Thus, these bioassays supported the use of 13-MeC25 by competing ants. This simple recognition system potentially allows permanent regulation of partitioning of reproduction in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Yagound
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, E.A. 4443, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 93430, Villetaneuse, France,
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