1
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Ma R, Zhang L, He H. Eco-Morphological Responses of Camponotus japonicus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) to Varied Climates and Habitats. INSECTS 2024; 15:719. [PMID: 39336687 PMCID: PMC11431994 DOI: 10.3390/insects15090719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2024] [Revised: 09/09/2024] [Accepted: 09/18/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024]
Abstract
Ants are a highly adaptable group of insects that have globally established themselves in diverse climates and habitats. This study investigates the influence of climate and habitat on the morphological traits of Camponotus japonicus across 22 sites in mainland China. These sites span three climate zones (mid-temperate, warm temperate, and subtropical) and three habitat types (urban parks, farmlands, and sparse woodlands). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine the principal axis of morphological variation, while hypervolume analysis and centroid distance calculation were used to verify the environmental filtering hypothesis and the optimal transfer hypothesis. The results support both hypotheses showing that climate and habitat significantly affect the morphological space of C. japonicus workers. In particular, the morphological space is more constrained in mid-temperate farmlands, while workers in sparse woodlands exhibit greater morphological variation. In contrast, urban parks are characterized by higher stability and reduced morphological differences. Additionally, robust regression analysis reveals that environmental factors such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, and altitude are closely linked to the morphological traits of the workers. Understanding how ant morphology responds to external environmental changes enhances our understanding of their adaptability and their essential ecological roles across various ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hong He
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Control of Forest Biological Disasters in Western China, College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
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2
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Lagos-Oviedo JJ, Pen I, Kreider JJ. Coevolution of larval signalling and worker response can trigger developmental caste determination in social insects. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240538. [PMID: 39013422 PMCID: PMC11251759 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0538] [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: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Eusocial insects belong to distinct queen and worker castes, which, in turn, can be divided into several morphologically specialized castes of workers. Caste determination typically occurs by differential nutrition of developing larvae. We present a model for the coevolution of larval signalling and worker task allocation-both modelled by flexible smooth reaction norms-to investigate the evolution of caste determination mechanisms and worker polymorphism. In our model, larvae evolve to signal their nutritional state to workers. The workers evolve to allocate time to foraging for resources versus feeding the brood, conditional on the larval signals and their body size. Worker polymorphism evolves under accelerating foraging returns of increasing body size, which causes selection to favour large foraging and small nursing workers. Worker castes emerge because larvae evolve to amplify their signals after obtaining some food, which causes them to receive more food, while the other larvae remain unfed. This leads to symmetry-breaking among the larvae, which are either well-nourished or malnourished, thus emerging as small or large workers. Our model demonstrates the evolution of nutrition-dependent caste determination and worker polymorphism by a self-reinforcement mechanism that evolves from the interplay of larval signalling and worker response to the signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan J. Lagos-Oviedo
- Theoretical Research in Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany
| | - Ido Pen
- Theoretical Research in Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Jan J. Kreider
- Theoretical Research in Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
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3
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Brülhart J, Süß A, Oettler J, Heinze J, Schultner E. Sex- and caste-specific developmental responses to juvenile hormone in an ant with maternal caste determination. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb247396. [PMID: 38779857 PMCID: PMC11418025 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.247396] [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: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Juvenile hormone is considered to be a master regulator of polyphenism in social insects. In the ant Cardiocondyla obscurior, whether a female egg develops into a queen or a worker is determined maternally and caste-specific differentiation occurs in embryos, so that queens and workers can be distinguished in a non-invasive manner from late embryogenesis onwards. This ant also exhibits two male morphs - winged and wingless males. Here, we used topical treatment with juvenile hormone III and its synthetic analogue methoprene, a method that influences caste determination and differentiation in some ant species, to investigate whether hormone manipulation affects the development and growth of male, queen- and worker-destined embryos and larvae. We found no effect of hormone treatment on female caste ratios or body sizes in any of the treated stages, even though individuals reacted to heightened hormone availability with increased expression of krüppel-homolog 1, a conserved JH first-response gene. In contrast, hormone treatment resulted in the emergence of significantly larger males, although male morph fate was not affected. These results show that in C. obscurior, maternal caste determination leads to irreversible and highly canalized caste-specific development and growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne Brülhart
- Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie, Universität Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Anja Süß
- Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie, Universität Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jan Oettler
- Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie, Universität Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie, Universität Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Eva Schultner
- Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie, Universität Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
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4
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Roggenbuck EC, Hall EA, Hanson IB, Roby AA, Zhang KK, Alkatib KA, Carter JA, Clewner JE, Gelfius AL, Gong S, Gordon FR, Iseler JN, Kotapati S, Li M, Maysun A, McCormick EO, Rastogi G, Sengupta S, Uzoma CU, Wolkov MA, Clowney EJ. Let's talk about sex: Mechanisms of neural sexual differentiation in Bilateria. WIREs Mech Dis 2024; 16:e1636. [PMID: 38185860 DOI: 10.1002/wsbm.1636] [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: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
In multicellular organisms, sexed gonads have evolved that facilitate release of sperm versus eggs, and bilaterian animals purposefully combine their gametes via mating behaviors. Distinct neural circuits have evolved that control these physically different mating events for animals producing eggs from ovaries versus sperm from testis. In this review, we will describe the developmental mechanisms that sexually differentiate neural circuits across three major clades of bilaterian animals-Ecdysozoa, Deuterosomia, and Lophotrochozoa. While many of the mechanisms inducing somatic and neuronal sex differentiation across these diverse organisms are clade-specific rather than evolutionarily conserved, we develop a common framework for considering the developmental logic of these events and the types of neuronal differences that produce sex-differentiated behaviors. This article is categorized under: Congenital Diseases > Stem Cells and Development Neurological Diseases > Stem Cells and Development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C Roggenbuck
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Elijah A Hall
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Isabel B Hanson
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Alyssa A Roby
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Katherine K Zhang
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Kyle A Alkatib
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Joseph A Carter
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Jarred E Clewner
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Anna L Gelfius
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Shiyuan Gong
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Finley R Gordon
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Jolene N Iseler
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Samhita Kotapati
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Marilyn Li
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Areeba Maysun
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Elise O McCormick
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Geetanjali Rastogi
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Srijani Sengupta
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Chantal U Uzoma
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Madison A Wolkov
- MCDB 464 - Cellular Diversity: Sex Differentiation of the Brain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - E Josephine Clowney
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute Affiliate, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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5
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Kaiser MI, Gadau J, Kaiser S, Müller C, Richter SH. Individualized social niches in animals: Theoretical clarifications and processes of niche change. Bioscience 2024; 74:146-158. [PMID: 38560618 PMCID: PMC10977865 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biad122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
What are social niches, and how do they arise and change? Our first goal in the present article is to clarify the concept of an individualized social niche and to distinguish it from related concepts, such as a social environment and a social role. We argue that focal individuals are integral parts of individualized social niches and that social interactions with conspecifics are further core elements of social niches. Our second goal in the present article is to characterize three types of processes-social niche construction, conformance, and choice (social NC3 processes)-that explain how individualized social niches originate and change. Our approach brings together studies of behavior, ecology, and evolution and integrates social niches into the broader concept of an individualized ecological niche. We show how clarifying the concept of a social niche and recognizing the differences between the three social NC3 processes enhance and stimulate empirical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie I Kaiser
- Department of Philosophy, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment, University of Münster and Bielefeld University, Münster and in Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Jürgen Gadau
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment, University of Münster and Bielefeld University, Münster and in Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sylvia Kaiser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment, University of Münster and Bielefeld University, Münster and in Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Caroline Müller
- Department of Chemical Ecology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment, University of Münster and Bielefeld University, Münster and in Bielefeld, Germany
| | - S Helene Richter
- Department of Behavioural Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment, University of Münster and Bielefeld University, Münster and in Bielefeld, Germany
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6
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Negroni MA, LeBoeuf AC. Social administration of juvenile hormone to larvae increases body size and nutritional needs for pupation. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:231471. [PMID: 38126067 PMCID: PMC10731321 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Social insects often display extreme variation in body size and morphology within the same colony. In many species, adult morphology is socially regulated by workers during larval development. While larval nutrition may play a role in this regulation, it is often difficult to identify precisely what larvae receive from rearing workers, especially when larvae are fed through social regurgitation. Across insects, juvenile hormone is a major regulator of development. In the ant Camponotus floridanus, this hormone is present in the socially regurgitated fluid of workers. We investigated the role the social transfer of juvenile hormone in the social regulation of development. To do this, we administered an artificial regurgitate to larvae through a newly developed handfeeding method that was or was not supplemented with juvenile hormone. Orally administered juvenile hormone increased the nutritional needs of larvae, allowing them to reach a larger size at pupation. Instead of causing them to grow faster, the juvenile hormone treatment extended larval developmental time, allowing them to accumulate resources over a longer period. Handfeeding ant larvae with juvenile hormone resulted in larger adult workers after metamorphosis, suggesting a role for socially transferred juvenile hormone in the colony-level regulation of worker size over colony maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo A. Negroni
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 10, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Adria C. LeBoeuf
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 10, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
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7
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Venney CJ, Anastasiadi D, Wellenreuther M, Bernatchez L. The Evolutionary Complexities of DNA Methylation in Animals: From Plasticity to Genetic Evolution. Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:evad216. [PMID: 38015807 PMCID: PMC10701099 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The importance of DNA methylation in plastic responses to environmental change and evolutionary dynamics is increasingly recognized. Here, we provide a Perspective piece on the diverse roles of DNA methylation on broad evolutionary timescales, including (i) short-term transient acclimation, (ii) stable phenotypic evolution, and (iii) genomic evolution. We show that epigenetic responses vary along a continuum, ranging from short-term acclimatory responses in variable environments within a generation to long-term modifications in populations and species. DNA methylation thus unlocks additional potential for organisms to rapidly acclimate to their environment over short timeframes. If these changes affect fitness, they can circumvent the need for adaptive changes at the genome level. However, methylation has a complex reciprocal relationship with genetic variation as it can be genetically controlled, yet it can also induce point mutations and contribute to genomic evolution. When habitats remain constant over many generations, or populations are separated across habitats, initially plastic phenotypes can become hardwired through epigenetically facilitated mutagenesis. It remains unclear under what circumstances plasticity contributes to evolutionary outcomes, and when plastic changes will become permanently encoded into genotype. We highlight how studies investigating the evolution of epigenetic plasticity need to carefully consider how plasticity in methylation state could evolve among different evolutionary scenarios, the possible phenotypic outcomes, its effects on genomic evolution, and the proximate energetic and ultimate fitness costs of methylation. We argue that accumulating evidence suggests that DNA methylation can contribute toward evolution on various timescales, spanning a continuum from acclimatory plasticity to genomic evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare J Venney
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative des Systèmes (IBIS), Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Dafni Anastasiadi
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd, Nelson Research Centre, Nelson, New Zealand
| | - Maren Wellenreuther
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd, Nelson Research Centre, Nelson, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Louis Bernatchez
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative des Systèmes (IBIS), Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
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8
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Chau KD, Shamekh M, Huisken J, Rehan SM. The effects of maternal care on the developmental transcriptome and metatranscriptome of a wild bee. Commun Biol 2023; 6:904. [PMID: 37709905 PMCID: PMC10502028 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05275-2] [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: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal care acts as a strong environmental stimulus that can induce phenotypic plasticity in animals and may also alter their microbial communities through development. Here, we characterize the developmental metatranscriptome of the small carpenter bee, Ceratina calcarata, across developmental stages and in the presence or absence of mothers. Maternal care had the most influence during early development, with the greatest number and magnitude of differentially expressed genes between maternal care treatments, and enrichment for transcription factors regulating immune response in motherless early larvae. Metatranscriptomic data revealed fungi to be the most abundant group in the microbiome, with Aspergillus the most abundant in early larvae raised without mothers. Finally, integrative analysis between host transcriptome and metatranscriptome highlights several fungi correlating with developmental and immunity genes. Our results provide characterizations of the influence of maternal care on gene expression and the microbiome through development in a wild bee.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jesse Huisken
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - Sandra M Rehan
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Canada.
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9
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Gay DR, Judd TM. Comparison of Protein and Carbohydrate Consumption and Processing in Emerging Workers, Gynes and Males of the Wasp Polistes metricus. INSECTS 2023; 14:617. [PMID: 37504623 PMCID: PMC10380711 DOI: 10.3390/insects14070617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
There is growing evidence that paper wasps' (Polistes') fate as workers or reproductive females (gynes) is affected by cues that exist at the larval stage and during eclosion. The nutritional requirements for workers and gynes are different early in their adult lives. Males are short-lived and have different nutritional needs than females. To determine the relative importance of larval and adult cues, we reared Polistes metricus individuals from prepupae to adults isolated from known environmental cues shown to affect caste differentiation. Individuals were given access to two foods with different ratios of protein and carbohydrates. Levels of protein, amino acids, carbohydrates and lipids were measured after the feeding trials. If larval experience drove feeding behavior in adults, we expected to see differences in protein and carbohydrate intake as well as differences in nutrient levels. Females showed no differences in feeding or nutrient levels. Males had lower levels of protein and amino acids than females but had similar feeding results to females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R Gay
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, USA
| | - Timothy M Judd
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, USA
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10
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Smith CR. Sexual dimorphism as a facilitator of worker caste evolution in ants. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9825. [PMID: 36818531 PMCID: PMC9929627 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Ant societies are primarily composed of females, whereby labor is divided into reproductive, or queen, and non-reproductive, or worker, castes. Workers and reproductive queens can differ greatly in behavior, longevity, physiology, and morphology, but queen-worker differences are usually modest relative to the differences in males. Males are short-lived, typically do not provide the colony with labor, often look like a different species, and only occur seasonally. It is these differences that have historically led to their neglect in social insect research, but also why they may facilitate novel phenotypic variation - by increasing the phenotypic variability that is available for selection. In this study, worker variation in multivariate size-shape space paralleled male-queen variation. As worker variation increased within species, so did sexual variation. Across species in two independent genera, using head width as a proxy for body size, sexual size dimorphism correlated with worker polymorphism regardless of whether the ancestral condition was large or small worker/sexual dimorphism. Mounting molecular data support the hypothesis that queen-worker caste determination has co-opted many genes/pathways from sex determination. The molecular evidence, coupled with the observations from this study, leads to the hypothesis that sexual selection and selection on colony-level traits are non-independent, and that sexual dimorphism may even have facilitated the evolution of the distinct worker caste.
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11
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Choppin M, Schall M, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S. Protein-rich diet decreases survival, but does not alter reproduction, in fertile ant workers. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1098245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Aging is associated with diverse molecular processes such as oxidative damage, decrease in immunocompetence, or increase in epigenetic abnormalities, mutations, and inflammations. Many of these processes are linked to nutrient-sensing signalling pathways, suggesting that diet plays a critical role in the aging process. In fact, the protein content in the diet can affect both longevity and fecundity, but often in opposite directions. In many solitary organisms, protein-rich diets dramatically shorten lifespan, but increase egg production. We used the ant Temnothorax rugatulus to investigate the effect of the protein to carbohydrate ratio in the diet on the survival and fecundity of fertile workers. We fed colonies either a moderately high-carbohydrate or high-protein diet (1:2 and 2:1 respectively) and monitored worker survival and egg production over 9 weeks. The protein-rich diet did not alter the ability of workers to lay eggs, but reduced worker survival, suggesting that consuming large amounts of protein may shorten lifespan in fertile ant workers without promoting reproduction. Our study shows for the first time that a protein-rich diet reduces the overall fitness of fertile workers.
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12
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Weyna A, Romiguier J, Mullon C. Hybridization enables the fixation of selfish queen genotypes in eusocial colonies. Evol Lett 2021; 5:582-594. [PMID: 34917398 PMCID: PMC8645202 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
A eusocial colony typically consists of two main castes: queens that reproduce and sterile workers that help them. This division of labor, however, is vulnerable to genetic elements that favor the development of their carriers into queens. Several factors, such as intracolonial relatedness, can modulate the spread of such caste-biasing genotypes. Here we investigate the effects of a notable yet understudied ecological setting: where larvae produced by hybridization develop into sterile workers. Using mathematical modeling, we show that the coevolution of hybridization with caste determination readily triggers an evolutionary arms race between nonhybrid larvae that increasingly develop into queens, and queens that increasingly hybridize to produce workers. Even where hybridization reduces worker function and colony fitness, this race can lead to the loss of developmental plasticity and to genetically hard-wired caste determination. Overall, our results may help understand the repeated evolution toward remarkable reproductive systems (e.g., social hybridogenesis) observed in several ant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Weyna
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution (UMR 5554)University of Montpellier, CNRSMontpellier34000France
| | - Jonathan Romiguier
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution (UMR 5554)University of Montpellier, CNRSMontpellier34000France
| | - Charles Mullon
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of LausanneLausanne1015Switzerland
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13
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Abstract
Optimal nutrition is crucial for honey bee colony growth and robust immune systems. Honey bee nutrition is complex and depends on the floral composition of the landscape. Foraging behavior of honey bees depends on both colony environment and external environment. There are significant gaps in knowledge regarding honey bee nutrition, and hence no optimal diet is available for honey bees, as there is for other livestock. In this review, we discuss (1) foraging behavior of honey bees, (2) nutritional needs, (3) nutritional supplements used by beekeepers, (4) probiotics, and (5) supplemental forage and efforts integrating floral diversity into cropping systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Tsuruda
- University of Tennessee - Knoxville, 2505 E J Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Priyadarshini Chakrabarti
- Mississippi State University, P.O. Box 5307, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA; Oregon State University, 4017 Agriculture and Life Science Building, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Ramesh R Sagili
- Oregon State University, 4017 Agriculture and Life Science Building, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
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14
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Sugar is an ant’s best friend? Testing food web theory predictions about trophic position and abundance in an invasive ant (Nylanderia fulva). Biol Invasions 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-021-02627-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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15
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Lecocq de Pletincx N, Dellicour S, Aron S. The evolution of ant worker polymorphism correlates with multiple social traits. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03049-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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16
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Westwick RR, Rittschof CC. Insects Provide Unique Systems to Investigate How Early-Life Experience Alters the Brain and Behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:660464. [PMID: 33967715 PMCID: PMC8097038 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.660464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Early-life experiences have strong and long-lasting consequences for behavior in a surprising diversity of animals. Determining which environmental inputs cause behavioral change, how this information becomes neurobiologically encoded, and the functional consequences of these changes remain fundamental puzzles relevant to diverse fields from evolutionary biology to the health sciences. Here we explore how insects provide unique opportunities for comparative study of developmental behavioral plasticity. Insects have sophisticated behavior and cognitive abilities, and they are frequently studied in their natural environments, which provides an ecological and adaptive perspective that is often more limited in lab-based vertebrate models. A range of cues, from relatively simple cues like temperature to complex social information, influence insect behavior. This variety provides experimentally tractable opportunities to study diverse neural plasticity mechanisms. Insects also have a wide range of neurodevelopmental trajectories while sharing many developmental plasticity mechanisms with vertebrates. In addition, some insects retain only subsets of their juvenile neuronal population in adulthood, narrowing the targets for detailed study of cellular plasticity mechanisms. Insects and vertebrates share many of the same knowledge gaps pertaining to developmental behavioral plasticity. Combined with the extensive study of insect behavior under natural conditions and their experimental tractability, insect systems may be uniquely qualified to address some of the biggest unanswered questions in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca R Westwick
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Clare C Rittschof
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
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Milone JP, Chakrabarti P, Sagili RR, Tarpy DR. Colony-level pesticide exposure affects honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) royal jelly production and nutritional composition. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 263:128183. [PMID: 33297150 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Honey bees provision glandular secretions in the form of royal jelly as larval nourishment to developing queens. Exposure to chemicals and nutritional conditions can influence queen development and thus impact colony fitness. Previous research reports that royal jelly remains pesticide-free during colony-level exposure and that chemical residues are buffered by the nurse bees. However, the impacts of pesticides can also manifest in quality and quantity of royal jelly produced by nurse bees. Here, we tested how colony exposure to a multi-pesticide pollen treatment influences the amount of royal jelly provisioned per queen and the additional impacts on royal jelly nutritional quality. We observed differences in the metabolome, proteome, and phytosterol compositions of royal jelly synthesized by nurse bees from multi-pesticide exposed colonies, including significant reductions of key nutrients such as 24-methylenecholesterol, major royal jelly proteins, and 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid. Additionally, quantity of royal jelly provisioned per queen was lower in colonies exposed to pesticides, but this effect was colony-dependent. Pesticide treatment had a greater impact on royal jelly nutritional composition than the weight of royal jelly provisioned per queen cell. These novel findings highlight the indirect effects of pesticide exposure on queen developmental nutrition and allude to social consequences of nurse bee glandular degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph P Milone
- Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | | | - Ramesh R Sagili
- Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - David R Tarpy
- Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
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18
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Perez R, Aron S. Adaptations to thermal stress in social insects: recent advances and future directions. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:1535-1553. [PMID: 33021060 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Thermal stress is a major driver of population declines and extinctions. Shifts in thermal regimes create new environmental conditions, leading to trait adaptation, population migration, and/or species extinction. Extensive research has examined thermal adaptations in terrestrial arthropods. However, little is known about social insects, despite their major role in ecosystems. It is only within the last few years that the adaptations of social insects to thermal stress have received attention. Herein, we discuss what is currently known about thermal tolerance and thermal adaptation in social insects - namely ants, termites, social bees, and social wasps. We describe the behavioural, morphological, physiological, and molecular adaptations that social insects have evolved to cope with thermal stress. We examine individual and collective responses to both temporary and persistent changes in thermal conditions and explore the extent to which individuals can exploit genetic variability to acclimatise. Finally, we consider the costs and benefits of sociality in the face of thermal stress, and we propose some future research directions that should advance our knowledge of individual and collective thermal adaptations in social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rémy Perez
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Serge Aron
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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Villagra C, Frías-Lasserre D. Epigenetic Molecular Mechanisms in Insects. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 49:615-642. [PMID: 32514997 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-020-00777-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Insects are the largest animal group on Earth both in biomass and diversity. Their outstanding success has inspired genetics and developmental research, allowing the discovery of dynamic process explaining extreme phenotypic plasticity and canalization. Epigenetic molecular mechanisms (EMMs) are vital for several housekeeping functions in multicellular organisms, regulating developmental, ontogenetic trajectories and environmental adaptations. In Insecta, EMMs are involved in the development of extreme phenotypic divergences such as polyphenisms and eusocial castes. Here, we review the history of this research field and how the main EMMs found in insects help to understand their biological processes and diversity. EMMs in insects confer them rapid response capacity allowing insect either to change with plastic divergence or to keep constant when facing different stressors or stimuli. EMMs function both at intra as well as transgenerational scales, playing important roles in insect ecology and evolution. We discuss on how EMMs pervasive influences in Insecta require not only the control of gene expression but also the dynamic interplay of EMMs with further regulatory levels, including genetic, physiological, behavioral, and environmental among others, as was earlier proposed by the Probabilistic Epigenesis model and Developmental System Theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Villagra
- Instituto de Entomología, Univ Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, Santiago, Chile.
| | - D Frías-Lasserre
- Instituto de Entomología, Univ Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, Santiago, Chile
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20
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Reproductive physiology corresponds to adult nutrition and task performance in a Neotropical paper wasp: a test of dominance-nutrition hypothesis predictions. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02898-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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21
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Manipulation of worker size diversity does not affect colony fitness under natural conditions in the ant Temnothorax nylanderi. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02885-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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22
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Gutiérrez Y, Phung T, Mumma H, Ambrose‐Winters A, Scherber C, Smith CR. Growth and survival of the superorganism: Ant colony macronutrient intake and investment. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:7901-7915. [PMID: 32760573 PMCID: PMC7391535 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 05/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we used two common ant species (Lasius niger and Lasius neoniger) to assay how they translate variation in the diet (both in composition and frequency) into growth. We measured colony development for over 8 months and measured several phenotypic traits of the worker caste, and examined whether forager preference corresponded with diet quality. Optimal colony growth was a balance between survival and growth, and each of these was maximized with different nutrient regimes. Interestingly, forager preference was not totally aligned with the diet that maximized colony growth. Our results highlight that: (a) organism and superorganism size are controlled by the same nutrients, and this may reflect a common molecular basis for size across life's organizational levels, (b) there are nutrient trade-offs that are associated with life-history trade-offs, likely leading to selection for a balanced diet, and (c) the connection between the preference of foragers for different nutrients and how nutrient combinations affect colony success and demographics are complex and only beginning to be understood.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tung Phung
- Department of BiologyEarlham CollegeRichmondINUSA
| | - Harald Mumma
- Department of BiologyEarlham CollegeRichmondINUSA
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23
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Chiu MC, Wu WJ, Lai LC. Carriers and cutters: size-dependent caste polyethism in the tropical fire ant ( Solenopsis geminata). BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2020; 110:388-396. [PMID: 31735176 DOI: 10.1017/s0007485319000750] [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: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Body size is an important life-history trait in eusocial insects which plays a key role in colony fitness. The division of labour, represented by caste polyethism, correlates with divergent morphological traits. Size polymorphism has been noted in the tropical fire ant, Solenopsis geminata; however, little is known regarding the differences in the size distributions of workers performing foraging tasks. In the present study, task partitioning was observed in the foraging activities of S. geminata. Two subgroups among foraging workers of S. geminata were discovered using the Gaussian mixture model: a large worker group (head width ≥ 0.924 mm) and a small worker group (head width < 0.924 mm). The foraging worker population comprised two distinct groups - 25.64% were large workers and 74.36% were small workers. Larger workers delivered heavier seeds faster than smaller workers, but this difference became less apparent when lighter seeds were being carried. When large prey such as crickets was encountered during foraging, S. geminata partitioned their tasks into cutting and transportation. The large workers were observed to cut cricket prey into fragments with their longer mandibles, and the small workers then transported these fragments back to the nest. These results present evidence of task partitioning among tropical fire ants, with different tasks being performed by ants of different castes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Chung Chiu
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Kobe6578501, Japan
| | - Wen-Jer Wu
- Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, 27, Lane 113, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei10617, Taiwan
| | - Li-Chuan Lai
- Department of Ecological Humanities, Providence University, 200, Sec. 7, Taiwan Boulevard, Shalu Dist., Taichung City 43301, Taiwan
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24
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Matsuura
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of AgricultureKyoto University Kyoto Japan
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25
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Lafuente E, Beldade P. Genomics of Developmental Plasticity in Animals. Front Genet 2019; 10:720. [PMID: 31481970 PMCID: PMC6709652 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental plasticity refers to the property by which the same genotype produces distinct phenotypes depending on the environmental conditions under which development takes place. By allowing organisms to produce phenotypes adjusted to the conditions that adults will experience, developmental plasticity can provide the means to cope with environmental heterogeneity. Developmental plasticity can be adaptive and its evolution can be shaped by natural selection. It has also been suggested that developmental plasticity can facilitate adaptation and promote diversification. Here, we summarize current knowledge on the evolution of plasticity and on the impact of plasticity on adaptive evolution, and we identify recent advances and important open questions about the genomics of developmental plasticity in animals. We give special attention to studies using transcriptomics to identify genes whose expression changes across developmental environments and studies using genetic mapping to identify loci that contribute to variation in plasticity and can fuel its evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Patrícia Beldade
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
- CNRS-UMR5174, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Changes, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
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26
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Functional Morphology and Defensive Behavior in a Social Aphid. INSECTS 2019; 10:insects10060163. [PMID: 31181861 PMCID: PMC6627702 DOI: 10.3390/insects10060163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Revised: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Social aphids produce different morphs, which are genetically identical but morphologically different. Each morph performs a different duty in its community. Social aphids usually produce morphologically distinct soldiers to protect their colonies. The social aphid Pseudoregma bambucicola produces sterile first instar soldiers with specialized body parts and unique defensive behaviors, such as hind leg waving. By using this species as a research model, this study tested the assumption that the functional morphological basis of defensive behaviors of soldiers is related to specialized body parts. Field observations and a comprehensive morphometric analysis were carried out for natural populations. The results showed significant differences in functional morphology between soldiers, first instar nymphs, and adults. Elongated hind legs in soldiers are an important functional morphological basis for the deimatic behavior of hind leg waving, while sclerotized front legs and head horns are related to the function of directly attacking natural enemies. The size variation of different body parts among different morphs also indicates a cost–benefit trade-off in the evolution of the social aphid species.
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27
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Lower temperatures decrease worker size variation but do not affect fine-grained thermoregulation in bumble bees. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2577-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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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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Sinotte VM, Freedman SN, Ugelvig LV, Seid MA. Camponotusfloridanus Ants Incur a Trade-Off between Phenotypic Development and Pathogen Susceptibility from Their Mutualistic Endosymbiont Blochmannia. INSECTS 2018; 9:E58. [PMID: 29857577 PMCID: PMC6023366 DOI: 10.3390/insects9020058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Revised: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Various insects engage in microbial mutualisms in which the reciprocal benefits exceed the costs. Ants of the genus Camponotus benefit from nutrient supplementation by their mutualistic endosymbiotic bacteria, Blochmannia, but suffer a cost in tolerating and regulating the symbiont. This cost suggests that the ants face secondary consequences such as susceptibility to pathogenic infection and transmission. In order to elucidate the symbiont's effects on development and disease defence, Blochmannia floridanus was reduced in colonies of Camponotus floridanus using antibiotics. Colonies with reduced symbiont levels exhibited workers of smaller body size, smaller colony size, and a lower major-to-minor worker caste ratio, indicating the symbiont's crucial role in development. Moreover, these ants had decreased cuticular melanisation, yet higher resistance to the entomopathogen Metarhizium brunneum, suggesting that the symbiont reduces the ants' ability to fight infection, despite the availability of melanin to aid in mounting an immune response. While the benefits of improved growth and development likely drive the mutualism, the symbiont imposes a critical trade-off. The ants' increased susceptibility to infection exacerbates the danger of pathogen transmission, a significant risk given ants' social lifestyle. Thus, the results warrant research into potential adaptations of the ants and pathogens that remedy and exploit the described disease vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica M Sinotte
- Department of Biology, Program of Neuroscience, University of Scranton, Loyola Science Center, Scranton, PA 1851-4699, USA.
- Centre for Social Evolution, Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Samantha N Freedman
- Department of Biology, Program of Neuroscience, University of Scranton, Loyola Science Center, Scranton, PA 1851-4699, USA.
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa, 1080 Medical Laboratories, 500 Newton Road, Iowa City, IA 52242-8205, USA.
| | - Line V Ugelvig
- Centre for Social Evolution, Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Marc A Seid
- Department of Biology, Program of Neuroscience, University of Scranton, Loyola Science Center, Scranton, PA 1851-4699, USA.
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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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Matsuura K, Mizumoto N, Kobayashi K, Nozaki T, Fujita T, Yashiro T, Fuchikawa T, Mitaka Y, Vargo EL. A Genomic Imprinting Model of Termite Caste Determination: Not Genetic but Epigenetic Inheritance Influences Offspring Caste Fate. Am Nat 2018; 191:677-690. [PMID: 29750562 DOI: 10.1086/697238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Eusocial insects exhibit the most striking example of phenotypic plasticity. There has been a long controversy over the factors determining caste development of individuals in social insects. Here we demonstrate that parental phenotypes influence the social status of offspring not through genetic inheritance but through genomic imprinting in termites. Our extensive field survey and genetic analysis of the termite Reticulitermes speratus show that its breeding system is inconsistent with a genetic caste determination model. We therefore developed a genomic imprinting model, in which queen- and king-specific epigenetic marks antagonistically influence sexual development of offspring. The model accounts for all known empirical data on caste differentiation of R. speratus and other related species. By conducting colony-founding experiments and additively incorporating relevant socio-environmental factors into our genomic imprinting model, we show the relative importance of genomic imprinting and environmental factors in caste determination. The idea of epigenetic inheritance of sexual phenotypes solves the puzzle of why parthenogenetically produced daughters carrying only maternal chromosomes exclusively develop into queens and why parental phenotypes (nymph- or worker-derived reproductives) strongly influence caste differentiation of offspring. According to our model, the worker caste is seen as a "neuter" caste whose sexual development is suppressed due to counterbalanced maternal and paternal imprinting and opens new avenues for understanding the evolution of caste systems in social insects.
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32
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Beyond Royalactin and a master inducer explanation of phenotypic plasticity in honey bees. Commun Biol 2018; 1:8. [PMID: 30271895 PMCID: PMC6123742 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-017-0004-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Distinct female castes produced from one genotype are the trademark of a successful evolutionary invention in eusocial insects known as reproductive division of labour. In honey bees, fertile queens develop from larvae fed a complex diet called royal jelly. Recently, one protein in royal jelly, dubbed Royalactin, was deemed to be the exclusive driver of queen bee determination. However, this notion has not been universally accepted. Here I critically evaluate this line of research and argue that the sheer complexity of creating alternate phenotypes from one genotype cannot be reduced to a single dietary component. An acceptable model of environmentally driven caste differentiation should include the facets of dynamic thinking, such as the concepts of attractor states and genetic hierarchical networks. In honeybees, genotypically identical females develop into queens or sterile workers, depending on their diets. In this review, Ryszard Maleszka discusses the controversial role of the royal jelly protein Royalactin in caste determination and provides a framework for moving beyond the master inducer concept.
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33
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Pennell TM, Holman L, Morrow EH, Field J. Building a new research framework for social evolution: intralocus caste antagonism. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 93:1251-1268. [PMID: 29341390 PMCID: PMC5896731 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Revised: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The breeding and non‐breeding ‘castes’ of eusocial insects provide a striking example of role‐specific selection, where each caste maximises fitness through different morphological, behavioural and physiological trait values. Typically, queens are long‐lived egg‐layers, while workers are short‐lived, largely sterile foragers. Remarkably, the two castes are nevertheless produced by the same genome. The existence of inter‐caste genetic correlations is a neglected consequence of this shared genome, potentially hindering the evolution of caste dimorphism: alleles that increase the productivity of queens may decrease the productivity of workers and vice versa, such that each caste is prevented from reaching optimal trait values. A likely consequence of this ‘intralocus caste antagonism’ should be the maintenance of genetic variation for fitness and maladaptation within castes (termed ‘caste load’), analogous to the result of intralocus sexual antagonism. The aim of this review is to create a research framework for understanding caste antagonism, drawing in part upon conceptual similarities with sexual antagonism. By reviewing both the social insect and sexual antagonism literature, we highlight the current empirical evidence for caste antagonism, discuss social systems of interest, how antagonism might be resolved, and challenges for future research. We also introduce the idea that sexual and caste antagonism could interact, creating a three‐way antagonism over gene expression. This includes unpacking the implications of haplodiploidy for the outcome of this complex interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya M Pennell
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Luke Holman
- School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Edward H Morrow
- Evolution Behaviour and Environment Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, East Sussex, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Jeremy Field
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
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34
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Wills BD, Powell S, Rivera MD, Suarez AV. Correlates and Consequences of Worker Polymorphism in Ants. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 63:575-598. [PMID: 29068707 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-020117-043357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Body size is a key life-history trait influencing all aspects of an organism's biology. Ants provide an interesting model for examining body-size variation because of the high degree of worker polymorphism seen in many taxa. We review worker-size variation in ants from the perspective of factors internal and external to the colony that may influence body-size distributions. We also discuss proximate and ultimate causes of size variation and how variation in worker size can promote worker efficiency and colony fitness. Our review focuses on two questions: What is our current understanding of factors influencing worker-size variation? And how does variation in body size benefit the colony? We conclude with recommendations for future work aimed at addressing current limitations and ask, How can we better understand the contribution of worker body-size variation to colony success? And, what research is needed to address gaps in our knowledge?
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Affiliation(s)
- Bill D Wills
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA;
| | - Scott Powell
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA;
| | - Michael D Rivera
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA;
| | - Andrew V Suarez
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA;
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA;
- Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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35
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Abstract
The study of insect social behavior has offered tremendous insight into the molecular mechanisms mediating behavioral and phenotypic plasticity. Genomic applications to the study of eusocial insect species, in particular, have led to several hypotheses for the processes underlying the molecular evolution of behavior. Advances in understanding the genetic control of social organization have also been made, suggesting an important role for supergenes in the evolution of divergent behavioral phenotypes. Intensive study of social phenotypes across species has revealed that behavior and caste are controlled by an interaction between genetic and environmentally mediated effects and, further, that gene expression and regulation mediate plastic responses to environmental signals. However, several key methodological flaws that are hindering progress in the study of insect social behavior remain. After reviewing the current state of knowledge, we outline ongoing challenges in experimental design that remain to be overcome in order to advance the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea A Weitekamp
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; ,
| | - Romain Libbrecht
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany;
| | - Laurent Keller
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; ,
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The ecological and genetic basis of annual worker production in the desert seed harvesting ant, Veromessor pergandei. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2333-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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Molet M, Péronnet R, Couette S, Canovas C, Doums C. Effect of temperature and social environment on worker size in the ant Temnothorax nylanderi. J Therm Biol 2017; 67:22-29. [PMID: 28558933 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2017.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2017] [Revised: 04/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Warm temperatures decrease insect developmental time and body size. Social life could buffer external environmental variations, especially in large social groups, either through behavioral regulation and compensation or through specific nest architecture. Mean worker size and distribution of worker sizes within colonies are important parameters affecting colony productivity as worker size is linked to division of labor in insect societies. In this paper, we investigate the effect of stressful warm temperatures and the role of social environment (colony size and size of nestmate workers) on the mean size and size variation of laboratory-born workers in the small European ant Temnothorax nylanderi. To do so, we reared field-collected colonies under medium or warm temperature treatments after having marked the field-born workers and removed the brood except for 30 first instar larvae. Warm temperature resulted in the production of fewer workers and a higher adult mortality, confirming that this regime was stressful for the ants. T. nylanderi ants followed the temperature size rule observed in insects, with a decreased developmental time and mean size under warm condition. Social environment appeared to play an important role as we observed that (i) larger colonies buffered the effect of temperature better than smaller ones (ii) colonies with larger workers produced larger workers whatever the rearing temperature and (iii) the coefficient of variation of worker size was similar in the field and under medium laboratory temperature. This suggests that worker size variation is not primarily due to seasonal environmental fluctuations in the field. Finally, we observed a higher coefficient of variation of worker size under warm temperature. We propose that this results from a disruption of social regulation, i.e. the control of nestmate workers over developing larvae and adult worker size, under stressful conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Molet
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris UMR7618, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Romain Péronnet
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris UMR7618, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Sébastien Couette
- Biogéosciences, UMR CNRS 6282, Univ Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 bv Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France; EPHE, PSL Research University, 75014 Paris, France.
| | - Christophe Canovas
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris UMR7618, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Claudie Doums
- EPHE, PSL Research University, 75014 Paris, France; Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), EPHE, CNRS, UPMC Univ Paris 06, MNHN, Sorbonne Universités, 45 rue Buffon, CP 39, 75005 Paris, France.
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Roeder KA, Kaspari M. From cryptic herbivore to predator: stable isotopes reveal consistent variability in trophic levels in an ant population. Ecology 2017; 98:297-303. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2016] [Revised: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Karl A. Roeder
- Department of Biology; Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Oklahoma; 730 Van Vleet Oval, Room 314 Norman Oklahoma 73019 USA
| | - Michael Kaspari
- Department of Biology; Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Oklahoma; 730 Van Vleet Oval, Room 314 Norman Oklahoma 73019 USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Balboa Panama
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Social coercion of larval development in an ant species. Naturwissenschaften 2016; 103:18. [PMID: 26874941 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-016-1341-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2015] [Revised: 01/31/2016] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Ants provide one of the best examples of the division of labor in animal societies. While the queens reproduce, workers generally refrain from laying eggs and dedicate themselves exclusively to domestic tasks. In many species, the small diploid larvae are bipotent and can develop either into workers or queens depending mostly on environmental cues. This generates a conflicting situation between the adults that tend to rear a majority of larvae into workers and the larvae whose individual interest may be to develop into reproductive queens. We tested the social regulation of larval caste fate in the fission-performing ant Aphaenogaster senilis. We first observed interactions between resident workers and queen- and worker-destined larvae in presence/absence of the queen. The results show that workers tend to specifically eliminate queen-destined larvae when the queen is present but not when she is absent or imprisoned in a small cage allowing for volatile pheromone exchanges. In addition, we found that the presence of already developed queen-destined larvae does not inhibit the development of younger still bipotent larvae into queens. Finally, we analyzed the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of queen- and worker-destined larvae and found no significant quantitative or qualitative difference. Interestingly, the total amount of hydrocarbons on both larval castes is extremely low, which lends credence on the chemical insignificance hypothesis of larval ants. Overall, our results suggest that workers control larval development and police larvae that would develop into queens instead of workers. Such policing behavior is similar in many aspects to what is known of worker policing among adults.
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Mendes CC, Mirth CK. Stage-Specific Plasticity in Ovary Size Is Regulated by Insulin/Insulin-Like Growth Factor and Ecdysone Signaling in Drosophila. Genetics 2016; 202:703-19. [PMID: 26715667 PMCID: PMC4788244 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.115.179960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals from flies to humans adjust their development in response to environmental conditions through a series of developmental checkpoints, which alter the sensitivity of organs to environmental perturbation. Despite their importance, we know little about the molecular mechanisms through which this change in sensitivity occurs. Here we identify two phases of sensitivity to larval nutrition that contribute to plasticity in ovariole number, an important determinant of fecundity, in Drosophila melanogaster. These two phases of sensitivity are separated by the developmental checkpoint called "critical weight"; poor nutrition has greater effects on ovariole number in larvae before critical weight than after. We find that this switch in sensitivity results from distinct developmental processes. In precritical weight larvae, poor nutrition delays the onset of terminal filament cell differentiation, the starting point for ovariole development, and strongly suppresses the rate of terminal filament addition and the rate of increase in ovary volume. Conversely, in postcritical weight larvae, poor nutrition affects only the rate of increase in ovary volume. Our results further indicate that two hormonal pathways, the insulin/insulin-like growth factor and the ecdysone-signaling pathways, modulate the timing and rates of all three developmental processes. The change in sensitivity in the ovary results from changes in the relative contribution of each pathway to the rates of terminal filament addition and increase in ovary volume before and after critical weight. Our work deepens our understanding of how hormones act to modify the sensitivity of organs to environmental conditions, thereby affecting their plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cláudia C Mendes
- Development, Evolution, and the Environment Laboratory, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Christen K Mirth
- Development, Evolution, and the Environment Laboratory, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
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Caut S, Barroso Á, Cerdá X, Amor F, Boulay RR. A year in an ant's life: Opportunism and seasonal variation in the foraging ecology ofAphaenogaster senilis. ECOSCIENCE 2015. [DOI: 10.2980/20-1-3559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Epigenetic variation in the Egfr gene generates quantitative variation in a complex trait in ants. Nat Commun 2015; 6:6513. [PMID: 25758336 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2014] [Accepted: 02/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex quantitative traits, like size and behaviour, are a pervasive feature of natural populations. Quantitative trait variation is the product of both genetic and environmental factors, yet little is known about the mechanisms through which their interaction generates this variation. Epigenetic processes, such as DNA methylation, can mediate gene-by-environment interactions during development to generate discrete phenotypic variation. We therefore investigated the developmental role of DNA methylation in generating continuous size variation of workers in an ant colony, a key trait associated with division of labour. Here we show that, in the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus, global (genome-wide) DNA methylation indirectly regulates quantitative methylation of the conserved cell-signalling gene Epidermal growth factor receptor to generate continuous size variation of workers. DNA methylation can therefore generate quantitative variation in a complex trait by quantitatively regulating the transcription of a gene. This mechanism, alongside genetic variation, may determine the phenotypic possibilities of loci for generating quantitative trait variation in natural populations.
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Simões JM, Barata EN, Harris RM, O'Connell LA, Hofmann HA, Oliveira RF. Social odors conveying dominance and reproductive information induce rapid physiological and neuromolecular changes in a cichlid fish. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:114. [PMID: 25766511 PMCID: PMC4344806 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1255-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2014] [Accepted: 01/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Social plasticity is a pervasive feature of animal behavior. Animals adjust the expression of their social behavior to the daily changes in social life and to transitions between life-history stages, and this ability has an impact in their Darwinian fitness. This behavioral plasticity may be achieved either by rewiring or by biochemically switching nodes of the neural network underlying social behavior in response to perceived social information. Independent of the proximate mechanisms, at the neuromolecular level social plasticity relies on the regulation of gene expression, such that different neurogenomic states emerge in response to different social stimuli and the switches between states are orchestrated by signaling pathways that interface the social environment and the genotype. Here, we test this hypothesis by characterizing the changes in the brain profile of gene expression in response to social odors in the Mozambique Tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus. This species has a rich repertoire of social behaviors during which both visual and chemical information are conveyed to conspecifics. Specifically, dominant males increase their urination frequency during agonist encounters and during courtship to convey chemical information reflecting their dominance status. Results We recorded electro-olfactograms to test the extent to which the olfactory epithelium can discriminate between olfactory information from dominant and subordinate males as well as from pre- and post-spawning females. We then performed a genome-scale gene expression analysis of the olfactory bulb and the olfactory cortex homolog in order to identify the neuromolecular systems involved in processing these social stimuli. Conclusions Our results show that different olfactory stimuli from conspecifics’ have a major impact in the brain transcriptome, with different chemical social cues eliciting specific patterns of gene expression in the brain. These results confirm the role of rapid changes in gene expression in the brain as a genomic mechanism underlying behavioral plasticity and reinforce the idea of an extensive transcriptional plasticity of cichlid genomes, especially in response to rapid changes in their social environment. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1255-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M Simões
- Unidade de Investigação em Eco-Etologia, ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041, Lisbon, Portugal. .,Integrative Behavioural Biology Lab, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal. .,Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Eduardo N Barata
- CCMAR-CIMAR Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal. .,Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Évora, Apartado 94, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal.
| | - Rayna M Harris
- Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA. .,Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
| | - Lauren A O'Connell
- Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA. .,Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA. .,Current address: FAS Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Hans A Hofmann
- Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA. .,Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA. .,Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
| | - Rui F Oliveira
- Unidade de Investigação em Eco-Etologia, ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041, Lisbon, Portugal. .,Integrative Behavioural Biology Lab, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal. .,Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal.
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Enzmann BL, Gibbs AG, Nonacs P. The cost of being queen: investment across Pogonomyrmex harvester ant gynes that differ in degree of claustrality. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2014; 70:134-142. [PMID: 25111688 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2014.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2014] [Revised: 07/28/2014] [Accepted: 07/31/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The role of the ant colony largely consists of non-reproductive tasks, such as foraging, tending brood, and defense. However, workers are vitally linked to reproduction through their provisioning of sexual offspring, which are produced annually to mate and initiate new colonies. Gynes (future queens) have size-associated variation in colony founding strategy (claustrality), with each strategy requiring different energetic investments from their natal colony. We compared the per capita production cost required for semi-claustral, facultative, and claustral gynes across four species of Pogonomyrmex harvester ants. We found that the claustral founding strategy is markedly expensive, costing approximately 70% more energy than that of the semi-claustral strategy. Relative to males, claustral gynes also had the largest differential investment and smallest size variation. We applied these investment costs to a model by Brown and Bonhoeffer (2003) that predicts founding strategy based on investment cost and foraging survivorship. The model predicts that non-claustral foundresses must survive the foraging period with a probability of 30-36% in order for a foraging strategy to be selectively favored. These results highlight the importance of incorporating resource investment at the colony level when investigating the evolution of colony founding strategies in ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany L Enzmann
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Box 951606, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
| | - Allen G Gibbs
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA.
| | - Peter Nonacs
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Box 951606, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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45
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Buechel SD, Wurm Y, Keller L. Social chromosome variants differentially affect queen determination and the survival of workers in the fire ant Solenopsis invicta. Mol Ecol 2014; 23:5117-27. [PMID: 25211290 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2014] [Revised: 08/29/2014] [Accepted: 08/29/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Intraspecific variation in social organization is common, yet the underlying causes are rarely known. An exception is the fire ant Solenopsis invicta in which the existence of two distinct forms of social colony organization is under the control of the two variants of a pair of social chromosomes, SB and Sb. Colonies containing exclusively SB/SB workers accept only one single queen and she must be SB/SB. By contrast, when colonies contain more than 10% of SB/Sb workers, they accept several queens but only SB/Sb queens. The variants of the social chromosome are associated with several additional important phenotypic differences, including the size, fecundity and dispersal strategies of queens, aggressiveness of workers, and sperm count in males. However, little is known about whether social chromosome variants affect fitness in other life stages. Here, we perform experiments to determine whether differential selection occurs during development and in adult workers. We find evidence that the Sb variant of the social chromosome increases the likelihood of female brood to develop into queens and that adult SB/Sb workers, the workers that cull SB/SB queens, are overrepresented in comparison to SB/SB workers. This demonstrates that supergenes such as the social chromosome can have complex effects on phenotypes at various stages of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Séverine D Buechel
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Sorge, Le Biophore, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland; Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ), ETH Zürich, Universitätsstrasse 16, CH-8092, Zürich, Switzerland
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Wills BD, Moreau CS, Wray BD, Hoffmann BD, Suarez AV. Body size variation and caste ratios in geographically distinct populations of the invasive big-headed ant,Pheidole megacephala(Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bill D. Wills
- Department of Animal Biology; University of Illinois; 515 Morrill Hall, 505 S. Goodwin Ave. Urbana IL 61801 USA
| | - Corrie S. Moreau
- Department of Science and Education; Center for Integrative Research; Field Museum of Natural History; 1400 South Lake Shore Drive Chicago IL 60605 USA
| | - Brian D. Wray
- Department of Science and Education; Center for Integrative Research; Field Museum of Natural History; 1400 South Lake Shore Drive Chicago IL 60605 USA
| | - Benjamin D. Hoffmann
- CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre; PMB 44 Winnellie NT 0822 Australia
| | - Andrew V. Suarez
- Department of Animal Biology; University of Illinois; 515 Morrill Hall, 505 S. Goodwin Ave. Urbana IL 61801 USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology; Department of Entomology; University of Illinois; 320 Morrill Hall, 505 S. Goodwin Ave. Urbana IL 61801 USA
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Tian L, Zhou X. The soldiers in societies: defense, regulation, and evolution. Int J Biol Sci 2014; 10:296-308. [PMID: 24644427 PMCID: PMC3957085 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.6847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2013] [Accepted: 01/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of reproductively altruistic castes is one of the primary traits of the eusocial societies. Adaptation and regulation of the sterile caste, to a certain extent, drives the evolution of eusociality. Depending on adaptive functions of the first evolved sterile caste, eusocial societies can be categorized into the worker-first and soldier-first lineages, respectively. The former is marked by a worker caste as the first evolved altruistic caste, whose primary function is housekeeping, and the latter is highlighted by a sterile soldier caste as the first evolved altruistic caste, whose task is predominantly colony defense. The apparent functional differences between these two fundamentally important castes suggest worker-first and soldier-first eusociality are potentially driven by a suite of distinctively different factors. Current studies of eusocial evolution have been focused largely on the worker-first Hymenoptera, whereas understanding of soldier-first lineages including termites, eusocial aphids, gall-dwelling thrips, and snapping shrimp, is greatly lacking. In this review, we summarize the current state of knowledge on biology, morphology, adaptive functions, and caste regulation of the soldier caste. In addition, we discuss the biological, ecological and genetic factors that might contribute to the evolution of distinct caste systems within eusocial lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Xuguo Zhou
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, USA
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Interplay between insulin signaling, juvenile hormone, and vitellogenin regulates maternal effects on polyphenism in ants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:11050-5. [PMID: 23754378 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1221781110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Polyphenism is the phenomenon in which alternative phenotypes are produced by a single genotype in response to environmental cues. An extreme case is found in social insects, in which reproductive queens and sterile workers that greatly differ in morphology and behavior can arise from a single genotype. Experimental evidence for maternal effects on caste determination, the differential larval development toward the queen or worker caste, was recently documented in Pogonomyrmex seed harvester ants, in which only colonies with a hibernated queen produce new queens. However, the proximate mechanisms behind these intergenerational effects have remained elusive. We used a combination of artificial hibernation, hormonal treatments, gene expression analyses, hormone measurements, and vitellogenin quantification to investigate how the combined effect of environmental cues and hormonal signaling affects the process of caste determination in Pogonomyrmex rugosus. The results show that the interplay between insulin signaling, juvenile hormone, and vitellogenin regulates maternal effects on the production of alternative phenotypes and set vitellogenin as a likely key player in the intergenerational transmission of information. This study reveals how hibernation triggers the production of new queens in Pogonomyrmex ant colonies. More generally, it provides important information on maternal effects by showing how environmental cues experienced by one generation can translate into phenotypic variation in the next generation.
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Constant N, Santorelli LA, Lopes JFS, Hughes WOH. The effects of genotype, caste, and age on foraging performance in leaf-cutting ants. Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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50
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Smith CR, Mutti NS, Jasper WC, Naidu A, Smith CD, Gadau J. Patterns of DNA methylation in development, division of labor and hybridization in an ant with genetic caste determination. PLoS One 2012; 7:e42433. [PMID: 22879983 PMCID: PMC3411777 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2010] [Accepted: 07/09/2012] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND DNA methylation is a common regulator of gene expression, including acting as a regulator of developmental events and behavioral changes in adults. Using the unique system of genetic caste determination in Pogonomyrmex barbatus, we were able to document changes in DNA methylation during development, and also across both ancient and contemporary hybridization events. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Sodium bisulfite sequencing demonstrated in vivo methylation of symmetric CG dinucleotides in P. barbatus. We also found methylation of non-CpG sequences. This validated two bioinformatics methods for predicting gene methylation, the bias in observed to expected ratio of CpG dinucleotides and the density of CpG/TpG single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). Frequencies of genomic DNA methylation were determined for different developmental stages and castes using ms-AFLP assays. The genetic caste determination system (GCD) is probably the product of an ancestral hybridization event between P. barbatus and P. rugosus. Two lineages obligately co-occur within a GCD population, and queens are derived from intra-lineage matings whereas workers are produced from inter-lineage matings. Relative DNA methylation levels of queens and workers from GCD lineages (contemporary hybrids) were not significantly different until adulthood. Virgin queens had significantly higher relative levels of DNA methylation compared to workers. Worker DNA methylation did not vary among developmental stages within each lineage, but was significantly different between the currently hybridizing lineages. Finally, workers of the two genetic caste determination lineages had half as many methylated cytosines as workers from the putative parental species, which have environmental caste determination. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE These results suggest that DNA methylation may be a conserved regulatory mechanism moderating division of labor in both bees and ants. Current and historic hybridization appear to have altered genomic methylation levels suggesting a possible link between changes in overall DNA methylation and the origin and regulation of genetic caste determination in P. barbatus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris R Smith
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana, United States of America.
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