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Moore D, Liebig J. Innate and learned components of egg recognition in the ant Camponotus floridanus. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231837. [PMID: 39100179 PMCID: PMC11295788 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231837] [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: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Insect societies discriminate against foreigners to avoid exploitation. In ants, helper workers only accept individuals with the familiar chemical cues of their colony. Similarly, unfamiliar eggs may get rejected at their first appearance in the nest. We investigated egg acceptance mechanisms by introducing different types of foreign eggs into worker groups of the ant Camponotus floridanus. Workers from established colonies familiar with queen-laid eggs always accepted eggs from highly fecund queens, but worker-laid eggs only after exposure for several weeks. Workers naive to eggs only rejected worker-laid eggs once they had prior exposure to eggs laid by highly fecund queens, suggesting that prior exposure to such eggs is necessary for discrimination. The general acceptance of eggs from highly fecund queens, irrespective of previous worker egg exposure, suggests an innate response to the queen pheromone these eggs carry. Workers learned to accept queen-laid eggs from different species, indicating high flexibility in learning egg-recognition cues. In incipient colonies with queen-laid eggs that carry a weak queen pheromone, worker-laid eggs were more likely to get accepted than queen-laid eggs from a different species, suggesting that the similarity of egg-recognition cues between the two types of C. floridanus eggs increases acceptance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dani Moore
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ85287, USA
| | - Juergen Liebig
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ85287, USA
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2
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Melet A, Leibold V, Schmitt T, Biedermann PHW. Highly diverse cuticular hydrocarbon profiles but no evidence for aggression towards non-kin in the ambrosia beetle Xyleborinus saxesenii. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11274. [PMID: 38654710 PMCID: PMC11036074 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11274] [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: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Animal societies use nestmate recognition to protect against social cheaters and parasites. In most social insect societies, individuals recognize and exclude any non-nestmates and the roles of cuticular hydrocarbons as recognition cues are well documented. Some ambrosia beetles live in cooperatively breeding societies with farmed fungus cultures that are challenging to establish, but of very high value once established. Hence, social cheaters that sneak into a nest without paying the costs of nest foundation may be selected. Therefore, nestmate recognition is also expected to exist in ambrosia beetles, but so far nobody has investigated this behavior and its underlying mechanisms. Here we studied the ability for nestmate recognition in the cooperatively breeding ambrosia beetle Xyleborinus saxesenii, combining behavioural observations and cuticular hydrocarbon analyses. Laboratory nests of X. saxesenii were exposed to foreign adult females from the same population, another population and another species. Survival as well as the behaviours of the foreign female were observed. The behaviours of the receiving individuals were also observed. We expected that increasing genetic distance would cause increasing distance in chemical profiles and increasing levels of behavioural exclusion and possibly mortality. Chemical profiles differed between populations and appeared as variable as in other highly social insects. However, we found only very little evidence for the behavioural exclusion of foreign individuals. Interpopulation donors left nests at a higher rate than control donors, but neither their behaviours nor the behaviours of receiver individuals within the nest showed any response to the foreign individual in either of the treatments. These results suggest that cuticular hydrocarbon profiles might be used for communication and nestmate recognition, but that behavioural exclusion of non-nestmates is either absent in X. saxesenii or that agonistic encounters are so rare or subtle that they could not be detected by our method. Additional studies are needed to investigate this further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Melet
- Chair of Forest Entomology and Protection, Faculty of Environment and Natural ResourcesAlbert‐Ludwigs‐UniversitätFreiburgGermany
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, BiocentreUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - Viesturs Leibold
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, BiocentreUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - Thomas Schmitt
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, BiocentreUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - Peter H. W. Biedermann
- Chair of Forest Entomology and Protection, Faculty of Environment and Natural ResourcesAlbert‐Ludwigs‐UniversitätFreiburgGermany
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, BiocentreUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
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3
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Stoldt M, Collin E, Macit MN, Foitzik S. Brain and antennal transcriptomes of host ants reveal potential links between behaviour and the functioning of socially parasitic colonies. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:5170-5185. [PMID: 37540194 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17092] [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: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Insect social parasites are characterized by exploiting the hosts' social behaviour. Why exactly hosts direct their caring behaviour towards these parasites and their offspring remains largely unstudied. One hypothesis is that hosts do not perceive their social environment as altered and accept the parasitic colony as their own. We used the ant Leptothorax acervorum, host of the dulotic, obligate social parasite Harpagoxenus sublaevis, to shed light on molecular mechanisms underlying behavioural exploitation by contrasting tissue-specific transcriptomes in young host workers. Host pupae were experimentally (re-)introduced into fragments of their original, another conspecific, heterospecific or parasitic colony. Brain and antennal mRNA was extracted and sequenced from adult ants after they had lived in the experimental colony for at least 50 days after eclosion. The resulting transcriptomes of L. acervorum revealed that ants were indeed affected by their social environment. Host brain transcriptomes were altered by the presence of social parasites, suggesting that the parasitic environment influences brain activity, which may be linked to behavioural changes. Transcriptional activity in the antennae changed most with the presence of unrelated individuals, regardless of whether they were conspecifics or parasites. This suggests early priming of odour perception, which was further supported by sensory perception of odour as an enriched function of differentially expressed genes. Furthermore, gene expression in the antennae, but not in the brain corresponded to ant worker behaviour before sampling. Our study demonstrated that the exploitation of social behaviours by brood parasites correlates with transcriptomic alterations in the central and peripheral nervous systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marah Stoldt
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Erwann Collin
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Maide Nesibe Macit
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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4
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de Fouchier A, Leroy C, Khila A, d'Ettorre P. Discrimination of non-nestmate early brood in ants: behavioural and chemical analyses. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
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5
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Dahan RA, Rabeling C. Multi-queen breeding is associated with the origin of inquiline social parasitism in ants. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14680. [PMID: 36038583 PMCID: PMC9424252 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17595-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Social parasites exploit the brood care behavior of their hosts to raise their own offspring. Social parasites are common among eusocial Hymenoptera and exhibit a wide range of distinct life history traits in ants, bees, and wasps. In ants, obligate inquiline social parasites are workerless (or nearly-so) species that engage in lifelong interactions with their hosts, taking advantage of the existing host worker forces to reproduce and exploit host colonies’ resources. Inquiline social parasites are phylogenetically diverse with approximately 100 known species that evolved at least 40 times independently in ants. Importantly, ant inquilines tend to be closely related to their hosts, an observation referred to as ‘Emery’s Rule’. Polygyny, the presence of multiple egg-laying queens, was repeatedly suggested to be associated with the origin of inquiline social parasitism, either by providing the opportunity for reproductive cheating, thereby facilitating the origin of social parasite species, and/or by making polygynous species more vulnerable to social parasitism via the acceptance of additional egg-laying queens in their colonies. Although the association between host polygyny and the evolution of social parasitism has been repeatedly discussed in the literature, it has not been statistically tested in a phylogenetic framework across the ants. Here, we conduct a meta-analysis of ant social structure and social parasitism, testing for an association between polygyny and inquiline social parasitism with a phylogenetic correction for independent evolutionary events. We find an imperfect but significant over-representation of polygynous species among hosts of inquiline social parasites, suggesting that while polygyny is not required for the maintenance of inquiline social parasitism, it (or factors associated with it) may favor the origin of socially parasitic behavior. Our results are consistent with an intra-specific origin model for the evolution of inquiline social parasites by sympatric speciation but cannot exclude the alternative, inter-specific allopatric speciation model. The diversity of social parasite behaviors and host colony structures further supports the notion that inquiline social parasites evolved in parallel across unrelated ant genera in the formicoid clade via independent evolutionary pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain A Dahan
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
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6
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Pacheco Junior P, Teseo S, Châline N, Lanhoso H, da Costa A. Nestmate recognition in the Amazonian stingless bee Melipona paraensis. Naturwissenschaften 2022; 109:26. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-022-01796-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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7
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Stoldt M, Macit MN, Collin E, Foitzik S. Molecular (co)evolution of hymenopteran social parasites and their hosts. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 50:100889. [PMID: 35181562 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2022.100889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Social parasitism describes a fascinating way of life in which species exploit the altruistic behaviour of closely related, social species. Social parasites have repeatedly evolved in the social Hymenoptera, including ants, bees, and wasps. The common ancestry and shared (social) environment with their hosts facilitates the study of molecular adaptations to the parasitic lifestyle. Moreover, when social parasites are widespread and virulent, they exert strong selection pressure on their hosts, leading to the evolution of defense mechanisms and triggering a coevolutionary arms race. Recent advances in sequencing technology now make it possible to study the molecular basis of this coevolutionary process. In addition to describing the latest developments, we highlight open research questions that could be tackled with genomic, transcriptomic, or epigenetic data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marah Stoldt
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Maide Nesibe Macit
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Erwann Collin
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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8
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Rozanski AN, Cini A, Lopreto TE, Gandia KM, Hauber ME, Cervo R, Uy FMK. Differential investment in visual and olfactory brain regions is linked to the sensory needs of a wasp social parasite and its host. J Comp Neurol 2021; 530:756-767. [PMID: 34473851 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Obligate insect social parasites evolve traits to effectively locate and then exploit their hosts, whereas hosts have complex social behavioral repertoires, which include sensory recognition to reject potential conspecific intruders and heterospecific parasites. While social parasites and host behaviors have been studied extensively, less is known about how their sensory systems function to meet their specific selective pressures. Here, we compare investment in visual and olfactory brain regions in the paper wasp Polistes dominula, and its obligate social parasite P. sulcifer, to explore the links among sensory systems,brain and behavior. Our results show significant relative volumetric differences between these two closely related species, consistent with their very different life histories. Social parasites show proportionally larger optic lobes and central complex to likely navigate long-distance migrations and unfamiliar landscapes to locate the specific species of hosts they usurp. Contrastingly, hosts have larger antennal lobes and calyces of the mushroom bodies compared with social parasites, as predicted by their sensory means to maintain social cohesion via olfactory signals, allocate colony tasks, forage, and recognize conspecific and heterospecific intruders. Our work suggests how this tradeoff between visual and olfactory brain regions may facilitate different sensory adaptations needed to perform social and foraging tasks by the host, including recognition of parasites, or to fly long distances and successful host localizing by the social parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alessandro Cini
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy.,Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Taylor E Lopreto
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
| | - Kristine M Gandia
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Rita Cervo
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy
| | - Floria M K Uy
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA.,Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
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9
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The Inquiline Ant Myrmica karavajevi Uses Both Chemical and Vibroacoustic Deception Mechanisms to Integrate into Its Host Colonies. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:biology10070654. [PMID: 34356510 PMCID: PMC8301377 DOI: 10.3390/biology10070654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Social parasitism represents a particular type of agonistic interaction in which a parasite exploits an entire society instead of a single organism. One fascinating form of social parasitism in ants is the "inquilinism", in which a typically worker-less parasitic queen coexists with the resident queen in the host colony and produces sexual offspring. To bypass the recognition system of host colonies, inquilines have evolved a repertoire of deceiving strategies. We tested the level of integration of the inquiline Myrmica karavajevi within the host colonies of M. scabrinodis and we investigated the mechanisms of chemical and vibroacoustic deception used by the parasite. M. karavajevi is integrated into the ant colony to such an extent that, in rescue experiments, the parasite pupae were saved prior to the host's brood. M. karavajevi gynes perfectly imitated the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of M. scabrinodis queens and the parasite vibroacoustic signals resembled those emitted by the host queens eliciting the same levels of attention in the host workers during playback experiments. Our results suggest that M. karavajevi has evolved ultimate deception strategies to reach the highest social status in the colony hierarchy, encouraging the use of a combined molecular and behavioural approach when studying host-parasite interactions.
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10
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Schrader L, Pan H, Bollazzi M, Schiøtt M, Larabee FJ, Bi X, Deng Y, Zhang G, Boomsma JJ, Rabeling C. Relaxed selection underlies genome erosion in socially parasitic ant species. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2918. [PMID: 34006882 PMCID: PMC8131649 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23178-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Inquiline ants are highly specialized and obligate social parasites that infiltrate and exploit colonies of closely related species. They have evolved many times convergently, are often evolutionarily young lineages, and are almost invariably rare. Focusing on the leaf-cutting ant genus Acromyrmex, we compared genomes of three inquiline social parasites with their free-living, closely-related hosts. The social parasite genomes show distinct signatures of erosion compared to the host lineages, as a consequence of relaxed selective constraints on traits associated with cooperative ant colony life and of inquilines having very small effective population sizes. We find parallel gene losses, particularly in olfactory receptors, consistent with inquiline species having highly reduced social behavioral repertoires. Many of the genomic changes that we uncover resemble those observed in the genomes of obligate non-social parasites and intracellular endosymbionts that branched off into highly specialized, host-dependent niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Schrader
- Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
| | | | - Martin Bollazzi
- Entomología, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Morten Schiøtt
- Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Fredrick J Larabee
- Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | | | - Guojie Zhang
- Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Jacobus J Boomsma
- Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Christian Rabeling
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
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11
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Gandra LC, Amaral KD, Couceiro JC, Dângelo RAC, De Souza DJ, Della Lucia TMC. Immune Defense Strategies of Queens of the Social Parasite Ant Acromyrmex ameliae and Queens of Its Natural Hosts. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 50:229-236. [PMID: 33555562 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-020-00838-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Social parasitism is well known in ants, but many aspects of this social phenomenon remain mysterious and unexplored. In some cases, parasite queens, who are able to mate very rarely end up producing brood and, thus, depend virtually on the labor of host ants. In this work, we sought to test the occurrence of grooming by host workers of Acromyrmex subterraneus subterraneus Forel, to their own queens and queens of the parasite Acromyrmex ameliae De Souza, Soares and Della Lucia and to compare the immune defense responses of parasite queens and queens of A. subterraneus subterraneus and Acromyrmex subterraneus brunneus Forel, the natural hosts. Duration and frequency of behavioral acts were recorded. The relative size of the bulla and the encapsulation response to a standardized antigen were analyzed. Regarding behavioral acts, self-grooming (duration and frequency) and allogrooming (duration) were statistically different between the species; the first is more frequent and lasted longer in parasite queens, while the second act lasted longer in host ants than in parasite ants. The bulla of A. ameliae was approximately 50% wider than those of its hosts. Parasite queens exhibited a stronger immune response than host queens. The results of this work contribute to elucidate potential mechanisms involved in the parasitism capacity of A. ameliae queens such as their strategies of immune defense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lailla C Gandra
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Univ Federal de Viçosa, Florestal, MG, Brazil.
| | | | - Joel C Couceiro
- Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Univ de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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12
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Gilad T, Dorfman A, Subach A, Scharf I. Leg or antenna injury in Cataglyphis ants impairs survival but does not hinder searching for food. Curr Zool 2021; 68:441-450. [PMID: 36090143 PMCID: PMC9450180 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Injury is common in nature resulting, for example, from fighting, partial predation, or the wear of body parts. Injury is costly, expressed in impaired performance, failure in competition, and a shorter life span. A survey of the literature revealed the frequent occurrence of injury in ants and its various causes. We examined whether leg or antenna injury impacts food-discovery time and reduces the likelihood of reaching food in workers of the desert ant Cataglyphis niger. We examined the search-related consequences of injury in groups of either 4 or 8 workers searching for food in a short arena, a long arena, and a maze. We conducted a small field survey to evaluate the prevalence of injury in the studied population. Finally, we compared the survival rates of injured versus uninjured workers in the laboratory. Injury was common in the field, with almost 9% of the workers collected out of the nest, found to be injured. Injured workers survived shorter than uninjured ones and there was a positive link between injury severity and survival. However, we could not detect an effect of injury on any of the searching-related response variables, neither in the arenas nor in the mazes tested. We suggest that workers that survive such injury are only moderately affected by it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomer Gilad
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Arik Dorfman
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Aziz Subach
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Inon Scharf
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
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13
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Mattila HR, Otis GW, Nguyen LTP, Pham HD, Knight OM, Phan NT. Honey bees (Apis cerana) use animal feces as a tool to defend colonies against group attack by giant hornets (Vespa soror). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0242668. [PMID: 33296376 PMCID: PMC7725375 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Honey bees (genus Apis) are well known for the impressive suite of nest defenses they have evolved to protect their abundant stockpiles of food and the large colonies they sustain. In Asia, honey bees have evolved under tremendous predatory pressure from social wasps in the genus Vespa, the most formidable of which are the giant hornets that attack colonies in groups, kill adult defenders, and prey on brood. We document for the first time an extraordinary collective defense used by Apis cerana against the giant hornet Vespa soror. In response to attack by V. soror, A. cerana workers foraged for and applied spots of animal feces around their nest entrances. Fecal spotting increased after colonies were exposed either to naturally occurring attacks or to chemicals that scout hornets use to target colonies for mass attack. Spotting continued for days after attacks ceased and occurred in response to V. soror, which frequently landed at and chewed on entrances to breach nests, but not Vespa velutina, a smaller hornet that rarely landed at entrances. Moderate to heavy fecal spotting suppressed attempts by V. soror to penetrate nests by lowering the incidence of multiple-hornet attacks and substantially reducing the likelihood of them approaching and chewing on entrances. We argue that A. cerana forages for animal feces because it has properties that repel this deadly predator from nest entrances, providing the first report of tool use by honey bees and the first evidence that they forage for solids that are not derived from plants. Our study describes a remarkable weapon in the already sophisticated portfolio of defenses that honey bees have evolved in response to the predatory threats they face. It also highlights the strong selective pressure honey bees will encounter if giant hornets, recently detected in western North America, become established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather R. Mattila
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Gard W. Otis
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lien T. P. Nguyen
- Insect Ecology Department, Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Hanh D. Pham
- Bee Research Centre, National Institute of Animal Sciences, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Olivia M. Knight
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ngoc T. Phan
- Research Center for Tropical Bees and Beekeeping, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Hanoi, Vietnam
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14
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Suhonen J, Ilvonen JJ, Nyman T, Sorvari J. Brood parasitism in eusocial insects (Hymenoptera): role of host geographical range size and phylogeny. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 374:20180203. [PMID: 30967081 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Interspecific brood parasitism is common in many animal systems. Brood parasites enter the nests of other species and divert host resources for producing their own offspring, which can lead to strong antagonistic parasite-host coevolution. Here, we look at commonalities among social insect species that are victims of brood parasites, and use phylogenetic data and information on geographical range size to predict which species are most probably to fall victims to brood parasites in the future. In our analyses, we focus on three eusocial hymenopteran groups and their brood parasites: (i) bumblebees, (ii) Myrmica ants, and (iii) vespine and polistine wasps. In these groups, some, but not all, species are parasitized by obligate workerless inquilines that only produce reproductive-caste descendants. We find phylogenetic signals for geographical range size and the presence of parasites in bumblebees, but not in ants and wasps. Phylogenetic logistic regressions indicate that the probability of being attacked by one or more brood parasite species increases with the size of the geographical range in bumblebees, but the effect is statistically only marginally significant in ants. However, non-phylogenetic logistic regressions suggest that bumblebee species with the largest geographical range sizes may have a lower likelihood of harbouring social parasites than do hosts with medium-sized ranges. Our results provide new insights into the ecology and evolution of host-social parasite systems, and indicate that host phylogeny and geographical range size can be used to predict threats posed by social parasites, as well to design efficient conservation measures for both hosts and their parasites. This article is part of the theme issue 'The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jukka Suhonen
- 1 Department of Biology, University of Turku , 20014 Turku , Finland
| | - Jaakko J Ilvonen
- 1 Department of Biology, University of Turku , 20014 Turku , Finland
| | - Tommi Nyman
- 2 Department of Ecosystems in the Barents Region, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research , Svanhovd Research Station, 9925 Svanvik , Norway.,3 Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland , PO Box 111, 80101 Joensuu , Finland
| | - Jouni Sorvari
- 4 Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland , PO Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio , Finland
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Not too big, not too small: raids at moderately sized hosts lead to optimal outcomes for a slave-making ant. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2797-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Del Giudice M. Invisible Designers: Brain Evolution Through the Lens of Parasite Manipulation. QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1086/705038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Sarabian C, Curtis V, McMullan R. Evolution of pathogen and parasite avoidance behaviours. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0256. [PMID: 29866923 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
All free-living animals are subject to intense selection pressure from parasites and pathogens resulting in behavioural adaptations that can help potential hosts to avoid falling prey to parasites. This special issue on the evolution of parasite avoidance behaviour was compiled following a Royal Society meeting in 2017. Here we have assembled contributions from a wide range of disciplines including genetics, ecology, parasitology, behavioural science, ecology, psychology and epidemiology on the disease avoidance behaviour of a wide range of species. Taking an interdisciplinary and cross-species perspective allows us to sketch out the strategies, mechanisms and consequences of parasite avoidance and to identify gaps and further questions. Parasite avoidance strategies must include avoiding parasites themselves and cues to their presence in conspecifics, heterospecifics, foods and habitat. Further, parasite avoidance behaviour can be directed at constructing parasite-retardant niches. Mechanisms of parasite avoidance behaviour are generally less well characterized, though nematodes, rodents and human studies are beginning to elucidate the genetic, hormonal and neural architecture that allows animals to recognize and respond to cues of parasite threat. While the consequences of infection are well characterized in humans, we still have much to learn about the epidemiology of parasites of other species, as well as the trade-offs that hosts make in parasite defence versus other beneficial investments like mating and foraging. Finally, in this overview we conclude that it is legitimate to use the word 'disgust' to describe parasite avoidance systems, in the same way that 'fear' is used to describe animal predator avoidance systems. Understanding disgust across species offers an excellent system for investigating the strategies, mechanisms and consequences of behaviour and could be a vital contribution towards the understanding and conservation of our planet's ecosystems.This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Evolution of pathogen and parasite avoidance behaviours'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecile Sarabian
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, 41-2 Kanrin, Inuyama 484-8506, Japan
| | - Val Curtis
- Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Rachel McMullan
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 2AA, UK
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Cini A, Sumner S, Cervo R. Inquiline social parasites as tools to unlock the secrets of insect sociality. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20180193. [PMID: 30967091 PMCID: PMC6388031 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Insect societies play a crucial role in the functioning of most ecosystems and have fascinated both scientists and the lay public for centuries. Despite the long history of study, we are still far from understanding how insect societies have evolved and how social cohesion in their colonies is maintained. Here we suggest inquiline social parasites of insect societies as an under-exploited experimental tool for understanding sociality. We draw on examples from obligate inquiline (permanent) social parasites in wasps, ants and bees to illustrate how these parasites may allow us to better understand societies and learn more about the evolution and functioning of insect societies. We highlight three main features of these social parasite-host systems-namely, close phylogenetic relationships, strong selective pressures arising from coevolution and multiple independent origins-that make inquiline social parasites particularly suited for this aim; we propose a conceptual comparative framework that considers trait losses, gains and modifications in social parasite-host systems. We give examples of how this framework can reveal the more elusive secrets of sociality by focusing on two cornerstones of sociality: communication and reproductive division of labour. Together with social parasites in other taxonomic groups, such as cuckoos in birds, social parasitism has a great potential to reveal the mechanisms and evolution of complex social groups. This article is part of the theme issue 'The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Cini
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Seirian Sumner
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Rita Cervo
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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Pulliainen U, Helanterä H, Sundström L, Schultner E. The possible role of ant larvae in the defence against social parasites. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20182867. [PMID: 30836870 PMCID: PMC6458323 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Temporary social parasite ant queens initiate new colonies by entering colonies of host species, where they begin laying eggs. As the resident queen can be killed during this process, host colonies may lose their entire future reproductive output. Selection thus favours the evolution of defence mechanisms, before and after parasite intrusion. Most studies on social parasites focus on host worker discrimination of parasite queens and their offspring. However, ant larvae can also influence brood composition by consuming eggs. This raises the question whether host larvae can aid in preventing colony takeover by consuming eggs laid by parasite queens. To test whether larvae could play a role in anti-parasite defence, we compared the rates at which larvae of a common host species, Formica fusca, consumed eggs laid by social parasite, non-parasite, nest-mate, or conspecific non-nest-mate queens. Larvae consumed social parasite eggs more than eggs laid by a heterospecific non-parasite queen, irrespective of the chemical distance between the egg cuticular profiles. Also, larvae consumed eggs laid by conspecific non-nest-mate queens more than those laid by nest-mate queens. Our study suggests that larvae may act as players in colony defence against social parasitism, and that social parasitism is a key factor shaping discrimination behaviour in ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Unni Pulliainen
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Heikki Helanterä
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Oulu, Finland
| | - Liselotte Sundström
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eva Schultner
- Institut für Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Biologie I, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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