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Favreau E, Martínez-Ruiz C, Rodrigues Santiago L, Hammond RL, Wurm Y. Genes and genomic processes underpinning the social lives of ants. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2018; 25:83-90. [PMID: 29602366 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2017.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The >15000 ant species are all highly social and show great variation in colony organization, complexity and behavior. The mechanisms by which such sociality evolved, as well as those underpinning the elaboration of ant societies since their ∼140 million year old common ancestor, have long been pondered. Here, we review recent insights generated using various genomic approaches. This includes understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying caste differentiation and the diversity of social structures, studying the impact of eusociality on genomic evolutionary rates, and investigating gene expression changes associated with differences in lifespan between castes. Furthermore, functional studies involving RNAi and CRISPR have recently been successfully applied to ants, opening the door to exciting research that promises to revolutionize the understanding of the evolution and diversification of social living.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emeline Favreau
- Organismal Biology Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Carlos Martínez-Ruiz
- Organismal Biology Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Leandro Rodrigues Santiago
- Organismal Biology Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Robert L Hammond
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom.
| | - Yannick Wurm
- Organismal Biology Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom.
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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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Toth AL, Rehan SM. Molecular Evolution of Insect Sociality: An Eco-Evo-Devo Perspective. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2017; 62:419-442. [PMID: 27912247 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-031616-035601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of eusociality is a perennial issue in evolutionary biology, and genomic advances have fueled steadily growing interest in the genetic changes underlying social evolution. Along with a recent flurry of research on comparative and evolutionary genomics in different eusocial insect groups (bees, ants, wasps, and termites), several mechanistic explanations have emerged to describe the molecular evolution of eusociality from solitary behavior. These include solitary physiological ground plans, genetic toolkits of deeply conserved genes, evolutionary changes in protein-coding genes, cis regulation, and the structure of gene networks, epigenetics, and novel genes. Despite this proliferation of ideas, there has been little synthesis, even though these ideas are not mutually exclusive and may in fact be complementary. We review available data on molecular evolution of insect sociality and highlight key biotic and abiotic factors influencing social insect genomes. We then suggest both phylogenetic and ecological evolutionary developmental biology (eco-evo-devo) perspectives for a more synthetic view of molecular evolution in insect societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Toth
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011;
- Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
| | - Sandra M Rehan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824;
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Yoder JB. Understanding the coevolutionary dynamics of mutualism with population genomics. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2016; 103:1742-1752. [PMID: 27756732 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1600154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Decades of research on the evolution of mutualism has generated a wealth of possible ways whereby mutually beneficial interactions between species persist in spite of the apparent advantages to individuals that accept the benefits of mutualism without reciprocating - but identifying how any particular empirical system is stabilized against cheating remains challenging. Different hypothesized models of mutualism stability predict different forms of coevolutionary selection, and emerging high-throughput sequencing methods allow examination of the selective histories of mutualism genes and, thereby, the form of selection acting on those genes. Here, I review the evolutionary theory of mutualism stability and identify how differing models make contrasting predictions for the population genomic diversity and geographic differentiation of mutualism-related genes. As an example of the possibilities offered by genomic data, I analyze genes with roles in the symbiosis of Medicago truncatula and nitrogen-fixing rhizobial bacteria, the first classic mutualism in which extensive genomic resources have been developed for both partners. Medicago truncatula symbiosis genes, as a group, differ from the rest of the genome, but they vary in the form of selection indicated by their diversity and differentiation - some show signs of selection expected from roles in sanctioning noncooperative symbionts, while others show evidence of balancing selection expected from coevolution with symbiont signaling factors. I then assess the current state of development for similar resources in other mutualistic interactions and look ahead to identify ways in which modern sequencing technology can best inform our understanding of mutualists and mutualism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy B Yoder
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4 Canada
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Zhang Z, Zhu S. Comparative genomics analysis of five families of antimicrobial peptide-like genes in seven ant species. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2012; 38:262-274. [PMID: 22617650 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2012.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2012] [Revised: 05/02/2012] [Accepted: 05/09/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Ants, as eusocial insects, live in dense groups with high connectivity, increasing the risk of pathogen spread and possibly driving the evolution of their antimicrobial immune system. Draft genomes of seven ant species provide a new source to undertake comparative study of their antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), key components of insect innate immunity. By using computational approaches, we analyzed five AMP families that include abaecins, hymenoptaecins, insect defensins, tachystatins, and crustins in ants, which comprise 69 new members. Among them, a new type of proline-rich abaecins was recognized and they are exclusively present in ants. Hymenoptaecins, a family of glycine-rich AMPs from Hymenoptera and Diptera, exhibit variable numbers of intragenic tandem repeats in a lineage-specific manner and all hymenoptaecins in ants have evolved an acidic C-terminal propeptide. In some ant species, insect defensins with the cysteine-stabilized α-helical and β-sheet (CSαβ) fold and tachystatin-like AMPs with the inhibitor cysteine knot (ICK) fold have undergone gene expansion and differential gene loss. Moreover, extensive sequence diversity exists in the C-termini of the defensins and the ICK-type peptides and the n-loop of the defensins. Also, we identified for the first time a crustin-type AMP in ants, which are only known in crustaceans previously. These ant crustins evolutionarily gain an aromatic amino acid-rich insertion when compared with those of crustaceans. Our work not only enlarges the insect AMP resource, but also sheds light on the complexity and dynamic evolution of AMPs in ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenting Zhang
- Group of Animal Innate Immunity, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects & Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, PR China
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Duarte A, Weissing FJ, Pen I, Keller L. An Evolutionary Perspective on Self-Organized Division of Labor in Social Insects. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2011. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-102710-145017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Duarte
- Department of Theoretical Biology, Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, 9747 AG The Netherlands; , ,
| | - Franz J. Weissing
- Department of Theoretical Biology, Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, 9747 AG The Netherlands; , ,
| | - Ido Pen
- Department of Theoretical Biology, Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, 9747 AG The Netherlands; , ,
| | - Laurent Keller
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, CH-1015 Switzerland;
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The genomic impact of 100 million years of social evolution in seven ant species. Trends Genet 2011; 28:14-21. [PMID: 21982512 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2011.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2011] [Revised: 08/30/2011] [Accepted: 08/31/2011] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) represent one of the most successful eusocial taxa in terms of both their geographic distribution and species number. The publication of seven ant genomes within the past year was a quantum leap for socio- and ant genomics. The diversity of social organization in ants makes them excellent model organisms to study the evolution of social systems. Comparing the ant genomes with those of the honeybee, a lineage that evolved eusociality independently from ants, and solitary insects suggests that there are significant differences in key aspects of genome organization between social and solitary insects, as well as among ant species. Altogether, these seven ant genomes open exciting new research avenues and opportunities for understanding the genetic basis and regulation of social species, and adaptive complex systems in general.
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Beldade P, Mateus ARA, Keller RA. Evolution and molecular mechanisms of adaptive developmental plasticity. Mol Ecol 2011; 20:1347-63. [PMID: 21342300 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2011.05016.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 224] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Aside from its selective role in filtering inter-individual variation during evolution by natural selection, the environment also plays an instructive role in producing variation during development. External environmental cues can influence developmental rates and/or trajectories and lead to the production of distinct phenotypes from the same genotype. This can result in a better match between adult phenotype and selective environment and thus represents a potential solution to problems posed by environmental fluctuation. The phenomenon is called adaptive developmental plasticity. The study of developmental plasticity integrates different disciplines (notably ecology and developmental biology) and analyses at all levels of biological organization, from the molecular regulation of changes in organismal development to variation in phenotypes and fitness in natural populations. Here, we focus on recent advances and examples from morphological traits in animals to provide a broad overview covering (i) the evolution of developmental plasticity, as well as its relevance to adaptive evolution, (ii) the ecological significance of alternative environmentally induced phenotypes, and the way the external environment can affect development to produce them, (iii) the molecular mechanisms underlying developmental plasticity, with emphasis on the contribution of genetic, physiological and epigenetic factors, and (iv) current challenges and trends, including the relevance of the environmental sensitivity of development to studies in ecological developmental biology, biomedicine and conservation biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia Beldade
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, Oeiras, Portugal.
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Abstract
We report the draft genome sequence of the red harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus. The genome was sequenced using 454 pyrosequencing, and the current assembly and annotation were completed in less than 1 y. Analyses of conserved gene groups (more than 1,200 manually annotated genes to date) suggest a high-quality assembly and annotation comparable to recently sequenced insect genomes using Sanger sequencing. The red harvester ant is a model for studying reproductive division of labor, phenotypic plasticity, and sociogenomics. Although the genome of P. barbatus is similar to other sequenced hymenopterans (Apis mellifera and Nasonia vitripennis) in GC content and compositional organization, and possesses a complete CpG methylation toolkit, its predicted genomic CpG content differs markedly from the other hymenopterans. Gene networks involved in generating key differences between the queen and worker castes (e.g., wings and ovaries) show signatures of increased methylation and suggest that ants and bees may have independently co-opted the same gene regulatory mechanisms for reproductive division of labor. Gene family expansions (e.g., 344 functional odorant receptors) and pseudogene accumulation in chemoreception and P450 genes compared with A. mellifera and N. vitripennis are consistent with major life-history changes during the adaptive radiation of Pogonomyrmex spp., perhaps in parallel with the development of the North American deserts.
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Gotzek D, Robertson HM, Wurm Y, Shoemaker D. Odorant binding proteins of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta: an example of the problems facing the analysis of widely divergent proteins. PLoS One 2011; 6:e16289. [PMID: 21305009 PMCID: PMC3031547 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0016289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2010] [Accepted: 12/10/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe the odorant binding proteins (OBPs) of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, obtained from analyses of an EST library and separate 454 sequencing runs of two normalized cDNA libraries. We identified a total of 18 putative functional OBPs in this ant. A third of the fire ant OBPs are orthologs to honey bee OBPs. Another third of the OBPs belong to a lineage-specific expansion, which is a common feature of insect OBP evolution. Like other OBPs, the different fire ant OBPs share little sequence similarity (∼ 20%), rendering evolutionary analyses difficult. We discuss the resulting problems with sequence alignment, phylogenetic analysis, and tests of selection. As previously suggested, our results underscore the importance for careful exploration of the sensitivity to the effects of alignment methods for data comprising widely divergent sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dietrich Gotzek
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Sirviö A, Pamilo P, Johnson RA, Page RE, Gadau J. Origin and evolution of the dependent lineages in the genetic caste determination system of Pogonomyrmex ants. Evolution 2010; 65:869-84. [PMID: 21083661 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.01170.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Hybridizing harvester ants of the Pogonomyrmex barbatus/rugosus complex have an exceptional genetic caste determination (GCD) mechanism. We combined computer simulations, population genomics, and linkage mapping using >1000 nuclear AFLP markers and a partial mtDNA sequence to explore the genetic architecture and origin of the dependent lineages. Our samples included two pairs of hybridizing lineages, and the mitochondrial and nuclear data showed contradicting affinities between them. Clustering of individual genotypes based on nuclear markers indicated some exceptions to the general GCD system, that is, interlineage hybrid genes as well as some pure-line workers. A genetic linkage map of P. rugosus showed one of the highest recombination rates ever measured in insects (14.0 cM/Mb), supporting the view that social insects are characterized by high recombination rates. The population data had 165 markers in which sibling pairs showed a significant genetic difference depending on the caste. The differences were scattered in the genome; 13 linkage groups had loci with F(ST)>0.9 between the hybridizing lineages J1 and J2.The mapping results and the population data indicate that the dependent lineages have been initially formed through hybridization at different points in time but the role of introgression has been insignificant in their later evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anu Sirviö
- Department of Biology, University of Oulu 90014, Linnanmaa P.O. Box 3000, Finland.
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