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Morimoto J. Optimum ratio of dietary protein and carbohydrate that maximises lifespan is shared among related insect species. Aging Cell 2024; 23:e14067. [PMID: 38093527 PMCID: PMC10928577 DOI: 10.1111/acel.14067] [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: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Animals often regulate the intake and quantity of nutrients to maximise fitness through life-history traits such as lifespan, but we still lack a proper understanding of how specific nutrients influence these traits. Here, I developed an algorithm which allowed me to create a nutrient-specific database from literature data, and investigated how the requirements of protein (P) and carbohydrate (C) needed to maximise lifespan evolved across nine insect species. I found moderate evidence of a phylogenetic signal on the optimal ratio of protein to carbohydrate ratio (PC ratio) that maximised lifespan, suggesting that optimal PC ratio for lifespan could have evolved non-independently among related species. I also found evidence for weak-to-strong sex-specific optimal PC ratios for lifespan, suggesting that sex-specific nutritional needs to maximise lifespan can emerge and persist in some species. Although limited in the number of species, the approach adopted here is portable to experiments withn number of nutrients and, thus, can be used in complex comparative precision nutrition studies for insights into the evolution of animal nutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliano Morimoto
- Institute of Mathematics, University of Aberdeen, King's CollegeAberdeenUK
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ecologia e ConservaçãoUniversidade Federal do ParanáCuritibaBrazil
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2
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Rau V, Flatt T, Korb J. The remoulding of dietary effects on the fecundity / longevity trade-off in a social insect. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:244. [PMID: 37147612 PMCID: PMC10163710 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09335-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In many organisms increased reproductive effort is associated with a shortened life span. This trade-off is reflected in conserved molecular pathways that link nutrient-sensing with fecundity and longevity. Social insect queens apparently defy the fecundity / longevity trade-off as they are both, extremely long-lived and highly fecund. Here, we have examined the effects of a protein-enriched diet on these life-history traits and on tissue-specific gene expression in a termite species of low social complexity. RESULTS On a colony level, we did not observe reduced lifespan and increased fecundity, effects typically seen in solitary model organisms, after protein enrichment. Instead, on the individual level mortality was reduced in queens that consumed more of the protein-enriched diet - and partially also in workers - while fecundity seemed unaffected. Our transcriptome analyses supported our life-history results. Consistent with life span extension, the expression of IIS (insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 signalling) components was reduced in fat bodies after protein enrichment. Interestingly, however, genes involved in reproductive physiology (e.g., vitellogenin) were largely unaffected in fat body and head transcriptomes. CONCLUSION These results suggest that IIS is decoupled from downstream fecundity-associated pathways, which can contribute to the remoulding of the fecundity/longevity trade-off in termites as compared to solitary insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Rau
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, University of Freiburg, Hauptstrasse 1, 79104, Freiburg (Brsg.), Germany.
| | - Thomas Flatt
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 10, CH-1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Judith Korb
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, University of Freiburg, Hauptstrasse 1, 79104, Freiburg (Brsg.), Germany.
- RIEL, Charles Darwin University Casuarina Campus, Ellengowan Drive, Darwin, NT0811, Australia.
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Woon JS, Atkinson D, Adu-Bredu S, Eggleton P, Parr CL. Termites have wider thermal limits to cope with environmental conditions in savannas. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:766-779. [PMID: 35157309 PMCID: PMC9307009 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The most diverse and abundant family of termites, the Termitidae, evolved in African tropical forests. They have since colonised grassy biomes such as savannas. These open environments have more extreme conditions than tropical forests, notably wider extremes of temperature and lower precipitation levels and greater temporal fluctuations (of both annual and diurnal variation). These conditions are challenging for soft‐bodied ectotherms, such as termites, to survive in, let alone become as ecologically dominant as termites have. Here, we quantified termite thermal limits to test the hypothesis that these physiological limits are wider in savanna termite species to facilitate their existence in savanna environments. We sampled termites directly from mound structures, across an environmental gradient in Ghana, ranging from wet tropical forest through to savanna. At each location, we quantified both the Critical Thermal Maxima (CTmax) and the Critical Thermal Minima (CTmin) of all the most abundant mound‐building Termitidae species in the study areas. We modelled the thermal limits in two separate mixed‐effects models against canopy cover at the mound, temperature and rainfall, as fixed effects, with sampling location as a random intercept. For both CTmax and CTmin, savanna species had significantly more extreme thermal limits than forest species. Between and within environments, areas with higher amounts of canopy cover were significantly associated with lower CTmax values of the termite colonies. CTmin was significantly positively correlated with rainfall. Temperature was retained in both models; however, it did not have a significant relationship in either. Sampling location explained a large proportion of the residual variation, suggesting there are other environmental factors that could influence termite thermal limits. Our results suggest that savanna termite species have wider thermal limits than forest species. These physiological differences, in conjunction with other behavioural adaptations, are likely to have enabled termites to cope with the more extreme environmental conditions found in savanna environments and facilitated their expansion into open tropical environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel S Woon
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.,Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - David Atkinson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, University of Liverpool, UK
| | - Stephen Adu-Bredu
- CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, Kumasi, Ghana.,Department of Natural Resources Management, CSIR College of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Paul Eggleton
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Catherine L Parr
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.,Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.,School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witswatersrand, Wits, South Africa
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Menzel F, Feldmeyer B. How does climate change affect social insects? CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 46:10-15. [PMID: 33545433 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2021.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Climate change poses a major threat to global biodiversity, already causing sharp declines of populations and species. In some social insect species we already see advanced phenologies, changes in distribution ranges, and changes in abundance Rafferty (2017) and Diamond et al. (2017). Physiologically, social insects are no different from solitary insects, but they possess a number of characteristics that distinguish their response to climate change. Here, we examine these traits, which might enable them to cope better with climate change than solitary insects, but only in the short term. In addition, we discuss how climate change will alter biotic interactions and ecosystem functions, and how it will affect invasive social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Menzel
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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Austin AJ, Gilbert JDJ. Solitary bee larvae prioritize carbohydrate over protein in parentally provided pollen. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J. Austin
- Department of Biological and Marine Sciences University of Hull Hull UK
- Strategy & Environment Ku‐ring‐gai Council Gordon NSW Australia
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Wu D, Pietsch KA, Staab M, Yu M. Wood species identity alters dominant factors driving fine wood decomposition along a tree diversity gradient in subtropical plantation forests. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Donghao Wu
- College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou China
| | - Katherina A. Pietsch
- Institute of Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity University of Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - Michael Staab
- Department of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology Albert‐Ludwigs‐University Freiburg Freiburg Germany
| | - Mingjian Yu
- College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou China
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Shik JZ, Dussutour A. Nutritional Dimensions of Invasive Success. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 35:691-703. [PMID: 32668214 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Despite mounting calls for predictive ecological approaches rooted in physiological performance currencies, the field of invasive species biology has lagged behind. For instance, successful invaders are often predicted to consume diverse foods, but the nutritional complexity of foods often leaves food-level analyses short of physiological mechanisms. The emerging field of nutritional geometry (NG) provides new theory and empirical tools to predict invasive potential based on fundamental and realized nutritional niches. We review recent advances and synthesize NG predictions about behavioral traits that favor invasive establishment, and evolutionary dynamics that promote invasive spread. We also provide practical advice for applying NG approaches, and discuss the power of nutrition to achieve a more predictive invasion biology that explicitly integrates physiological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Z Shik
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama.
| | - Audrey Dussutour
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Unité Propre de Service (UPS), 31062, Toulouse, France.
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Bernadou A, Hoffacker E, Pable J, Heinze J. Lipid content influences division of labour in a clonal ant. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb219238. [PMID: 32107304 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.219238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The fat body, a major metabolic hub in insects, is involved in many functions, e.g. energy storage, nutrient sensing and immune response. In social insects, fat appears to play an additional role in division of labour between egg layers and workers, which specialize in non-reproductive tasks inside and outside their nest. For instance, reproductives are more resistant to starvation, and changes in fat content have been associated with the transition from inside to outside work or reproductive activities. However, most studies have been correlative and we still need to unravel the causal interrelationships between fat content and division of both reproductive and non-reproductive labour. Clonal ants, e.g. Platythyrea punctata, are ideal models for studying task partitioning without confounding variation in genotype and morphology. In this study, we examined the range of variation and flexibility of fat content throughout the lifespan of workers, the threshold of corpulence associated with foraging or reproduction and whether low fat content is a cause rather than a consequence of the transition to foraging. We found that lipid stores change with division of labour from corpulent to lean and, in reverted nurses, back to corpulent. In addition, our data show the presence of fat content thresholds that trigger the onset of foraging or egg-laying behaviour. Our study supports the view that mechanisms that regulate reproduction and foraging in solitary insects, in particular the nutritional status of individuals, have been co-opted to regulate division of labour in colonies of social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abel Bernadou
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Hoffacker
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Julia Pable
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
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Poissonnier LA, Simpson SJ, Dussutour A, Buhl C. Regulation of macronutrient intake in termites: A dietary self-selection experiment. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 120:103983. [PMID: 31747550 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2019.103983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Many animals have been shown to select among nutritionally complementary foods to reach a specific balance of nutrients that optimizes key life history traits. Nutritional ecology theory, however, predicts that an animal with a diet that is very stable in its composition, and with nutritional requirements that do not vary in their balance through time, would not need to display such mechanisms of regulation. Here we use the Australian termite Nasutitermes exitiosus as a model to test this prediction for the first time. We used the nutritional geometric framework to investigate the regulation of carbohydrate and protein, as well as the effects on foraging behaviour of protein type and group caste composition and size. Our results support the prediction of nutritional ecology, as termites failed to actively defend a well-defined macronutrient ratio. Termites maintained food collection relatively constant across protein type and group composition, and only appear to vary their collection by avoiding diets too rich in protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laure-Anne Poissonnier
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia; Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse 31062, France.
| | - Stephen J Simpson
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Audrey Dussutour
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse 31062, France
| | - Camille Buhl
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
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Kraus S, Gómez-Moracho T, Pasquaretta C, Latil G, Dussutour A, Lihoreau M. Bumblebees adjust protein and lipid collection rules to the presence of brood. Curr Zool 2019; 65:437-446. [PMID: 31413716 PMCID: PMC6688571 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoz026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals have evolved foraging strategies to acquire blends of nutrients that maximize fitness traits. In social insects, nutrient regulation is complicated by the fact that few individuals, the foragers, must address the divergent nutritional needs of all colony members simultaneously, including other workers, the reproductives, and the brood. Here we used 3D nutritional geometry design to examine how bumblebee workers regulate their collection of 3 major macronutrients in the presence and absence of brood. We provided small colonies artificial nectars (liquid diets) and pollens (solid diets) varying in their compositions of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates during 2 weeks. Colonies given a choice between nutritionally complementary diets self-selected foods to reach a target ratio of 71% proteins, 6% carbohydrates, and 23% lipids, irrespective of the presence of brood. When confined to a single nutritionally imbalanced solid diet, colonies without brood regulated lipid collection and over-collected protein relative to this target ratio, whereas colonies with brood regulated both lipid and protein collection. This brood effect on the regulation of nutrient collection by workers suggests that protein levels are critical for larval development. Our results highlight the importance of considering bee nutrition as a multidimensional phenomenon to better assess the effects of environmental impoverishment and malnutrition on population declines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Kraus
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Intergrative Biology (CBI); CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
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