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Harris BA, Stevens DR, Mathis KA. The effect of urbanization and temperature on thermal tolerance, foraging performance, and competition in cavity-dwelling ants. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10923. [PMID: 38384820 PMCID: PMC10880040 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10923] [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: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Human disturbance including rapid urbanization and increased temperatures can have profound effects on the ecology of local populations. Eusocial insects, such as ants, have adapted to stressors of increasing temperature and urbanization; however, these evolutionary responses are not consistent among populations across geographic space. Here we asked how urbanization and incubation temperature influence critical thermal maximum (CTmax) and various ecologically relevant behaviors in three ant species in urban and rural locations in Worcester, MA, USA. We did this by incubating colonies of three species of cavity dwelling ant (Aphaenogaster picea, Tapinoma sessile, and Temnothorax longispinosus) from 2 habitat types (Rural and Urban), for 60-days at multiple temperatures. We found that incubation temperature, urbanization, and species of ant all significantly affected overall colony critical thermal maximum. We also found that recruitment time, colonization time, and defense response were significantly affected by incubation temperature and varied between species of ant, while recruitment and colonization time were additionally affected by urbanization. These variable changes in performance and competitive traits across species suggest that responses to urbanization and shifting temperatures are not universal across species. Changes in behavioral responses caused by urbanization may disrupt biodiversity, creating unusual competitive environments as a consequence of natural adaptations and cause both direct and indirect mechanisms for which human disturbance can lead to local species extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dale R. Stevens
- Clark UniversityWorcesterMassachusettsUSA
- Bucknell UniversityLewisburgPennsylvaniaUSA
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Zheng HY, Qin PH, Yang K, Liu TX, Zhang YJ, Chu D. Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of the Heat-Shock Protein Gene Superfamily in Bemisia tabaci and Expression Pattern Analysis under Heat Shock. INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13070570. [PMID: 35886746 PMCID: PMC9319060 DOI: 10.3390/insects13070570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Simple Summary Bemisia tabaci MED is an invasive pest that had caused considerable economic damage in the past decades. Its successful colonization is closely related to heat-shock proteins (HSPs), which are related to heat resistance. In this study, 33 BtaHsps were identified based on the sequenced genome of B. tabaci MED belonging to six HSP families, among which 22 BtaHsps were newly identified. Analysis of the secondary structure and evolutionary relationship showed that they were all closely related. In addition, BtaHsp90A3 of the HSP90 family was screened by analyzing the expression level changes of these genes under 42 °C heat shock and RNAi was performed on the BtaHsp90A3. The results showed that the silencing of BtaHsp90A3 is closely related to the heat resistance of B. tabaci MED. Taken together, this study conducted an in-depth identification of BtaHsps that clarifies their evolutionary relationships and their response to thermal stress in B. tabaci MED. Abstract The thermal tolerance of Bemisia tabaci MED, an invasive whitefly species with worldwide distribution, plays an important role in its ecological adaptation during the invasion process. Heat-shock proteins (HSPs) are closely related to heat resistance. In this study, 33 Hsps (BtaHsps) were identified based on sequenced genome of B. tabaci MED belonging to six HSP families, among which 22 Hsps were newly identified. The secondary structures of a further 22 BtaHsps were also predicted. The results of RT-qPCR showed that heat shock could affect the expression of 14 of the 22 Hsps newly identified in this study. Among them, the expression level of six Hsps increased under 42 °C treatment. As the unstudied gene, BtaHsp90A3 had the highest increase rate. Therefore, BtaHsp90A3 was chosen for the RNAi test, and silencing BtaHsp90A3 by RNAi decreased the survival rate of adult B. tabaci at 42 °C. The results indicated that only a few Hsps were involved in the thermal tolerance of host whitefly although many Hsps would response under heat stress. This study conducted a more in-depth and comprehensive identification that demonstrates the evolutionary relationship of BtaHsps and illustrates the response of BtaHsps under the influence of thermal stress in B. tabaci MED.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao-Yuan Zheng
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-Friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (H.-Y.Z.); (P.-H.Q.); (K.Y.); (T.-X.L.)
| | - Peng-Hao Qin
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-Friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (H.-Y.Z.); (P.-H.Q.); (K.Y.); (T.-X.L.)
| | - Kun Yang
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-Friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (H.-Y.Z.); (P.-H.Q.); (K.Y.); (T.-X.L.)
| | - Tong-Xian Liu
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-Friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (H.-Y.Z.); (P.-H.Q.); (K.Y.); (T.-X.L.)
| | - You-Jun Zhang
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China;
| | - Dong Chu
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-Friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (H.-Y.Z.); (P.-H.Q.); (K.Y.); (T.-X.L.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-58957712
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do Nascimento Neto JF, da Mota AJ, Roque RA, Heinrichs-Caldas W, Tadei WP. Analysis of the transcription of genes encoding heat shock proteins (hsp) in Aedes aegypti Linnaeus, 1762 (Diptera: Culicidae), maintained under climatic conditions provided by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change) for the year 2100. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2020; 86:104626. [PMID: 33166684 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Human actions intensify the greenhouse effect, aggravating climate changes in the Amazon and elsewhere in the world. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) foresees a global increase of up to 4.5 °C and 850 ppm CO2 (above current levels) by 2100. This will impact the biology of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, vector of Dengue, Zika, urban Yellow Fever and Chikungunya. Heat shock proteins are associated with adaptations to anthropic environments and the interaction of some viruses with the vector. The transcription of the hsp26, hsp83 and hsc70 genes of an A. aegypti population, maintained for more than forty-eight generations, in the Current, Intermediate and Extreme climatic scenario predicted by the IPCC was evaluated with qPCR. In females, highest levels of hsp26, hsp83 and hsc70 expression occurred in the Intermediate scenario, while in males, levels were high only for hsp26 gene in Current and Extreme scenarios. Expression of hsp83 and hsc70 genes in males was low under all climatic scenarios, while in the Extreme scenario females had lower expression than in the Current scenario. The data suggest compensatory or adaptive processes acting on heat shock proteins, which can lead to changes in the mosquito's biology, altering vectorial competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joaquim Ferreira do Nascimento Neto
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Conservação e Biologia Evolutiva - GCBEv, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil; Laboratório de Malária e Dengue - LMD, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.
| | - Adolfo José da Mota
- Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias - FCA, Universidade Federal do Amazonas - UFAM, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.
| | - Rosemary Aparecida Roque
- Laboratório de Malária e Dengue - LMD, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Waldir Heinrichs-Caldas
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Conservação e Biologia Evolutiva - GCBEv, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil; Laboratório de Ecofisiologia e Evolução Molecular - LEEM, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Wanderli Pedro Tadei
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Conservação e Biologia Evolutiva - GCBEv, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil; Laboratório de Malária e Dengue - LMD, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
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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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Johnson DJ, Stahlschmidt ZR. City limits: Heat tolerance is influenced by body size and hydration state in an urban ant community. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:4944-4955. [PMID: 32551072 PMCID: PMC7297767 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cities are rapidly expanding, and global warming is intensified in urban environments due to the urban heat island effect. Therefore, urban animals may be particularly susceptible to warming associated with ongoing climate change. We used a comparative and manipulative approach to test three related hypotheses about the determinants of heat tolerance or critical thermal maximum (CT max) in urban ants-specifically, that (a) body size, (b) hydration status, and (c) chosen microenvironments influence CT max. We further tested a fourth hypothesis that native species are particularly physiologically vulnerable in urban environments. We manipulated water access and determined CT max for 11 species common to cities in California's Central Valley that exhibit nearly 300-fold variation in body size. There was a moderate phylogenetic signal influencing CT max, and inter (but not intra) specific variation in body size influenced CT max where larger species had higher CT max. The sensitivity of ants' CT max to water availability exhibited species-specific thresholds where short-term water limitation (8 hr) reduced CT max and body water content in some species while longer-term water limitation (32 hr) was required to reduce these traits in other species. However, CT max was not related to the temperatures chosen by ants during activity. Further, we found support for our fourth hypothesis because CT max and estimates of thermal safety margin in native species were more sensitive to water availability relative to non-native species. In sum, we provide evidence of links between heat tolerance and water availability, which will become critically important in an increasingly warm, dry, and urbanized world that others have shown may be selecting for smaller (not larger) body size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin J. Johnson
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of the PacificStocktonCalifornia
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6
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Villalta I, Oms CS, Angulo E, Molinas-González CR, Devers S, Cerdá X, Boulay R. Does social thermal regulation constrain individual thermal tolerance in an ant species? J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2063-2076. [PMID: 32445419 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In ants, social thermal regulation is the collective maintenance of a nest temperature that is optimal for individual colony members. In the thermophilic ant Aphaenogaster iberica, two key behaviours regulate nest temperature: seasonal nest relocation and variable nest depth. Outside the nest, foragers must adapt their activity to avoid temperatures that exceed their thermal limits. It has been suggested that social thermal regulation constrains physiological and morphological thermal adaptations at the individual level. We tested this hypothesis by examining the foraging rhythms of six populations of A. iberica, which were found at different elevations (from 100 to 2,000 m) in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of southern Spain. We tested the thermal resistance of individuals from these populations under controlled conditions. Janzen's climatic variability hypothesis (CVH) states that greater climatic variability should select for organisms with broader temperature tolerances. We found that the A. iberica population at 1,300 m experienced the most extreme temperatures and that ants from this population had the highest heat tolerance (LT50 = 57.55°C). These results support CVH's validity at microclimatic scales, such as the one represented by the elevational gradient in this study. Aphaenogaster iberica maintains colony food intake levels across different elevations and mean daily temperatures by shifting its rhythm of activity. This efficient colony-level thermal regulation and the significant differences in individual heat tolerance that we observed among the populations suggest that behaviourally controlled thermal regulation does not constrain individual physiological adaptations for coping with extreme temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Villalta
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, Université de Tours, Parc de Grandmont, Tours, France.,Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Cristela Sánchez Oms
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, Université de Tours, Parc de Grandmont, Tours, France.,Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Elena Angulo
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
| | | | - Séverine Devers
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, Université de Tours, Parc de Grandmont, Tours, France
| | - Xim Cerdá
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Raphaël Boulay
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, Université de Tours, Parc de Grandmont, Tours, France
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7
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Lau MK, Ellison AM, Nguyen A, Penick C, DeMarco B, Gotelli NJ, Sanders NJ, Dunn RR, Helms Cahan S. Draft Aphaenogaster genomes expand our view of ant genome size variation across climate gradients. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6447. [PMID: 30881761 PMCID: PMC6417409 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Given the abundance, broad distribution, and diversity of roles that ants play in many ecosystems, they are an ideal group to serve as ecosystem indicators of climatic change. At present, only a few whole-genome sequences of ants are available (19 of >16,000 species), mostly from tropical and sub-tropical species. To address this limited sampling, we sequenced genomes of temperate-latitude species from the genus Aphaenogaster, a genus with important seed dispersers. In total, we sampled seven colonies of six species: Aphaenogaster ashmeadi, Aphaenogaster floridana, Aphaenogaster fulva, Aphaenogaster miamiana, Aphaenogaster picea, and Aphaenogaster rudis. The geographic ranges of these species collectively span eastern North America from southern Florida to southern Canada, which encompasses a latitudinal gradient in which many climatic variables are changing rapidly. For the six genomes, we assembled an average of 271,039 contigs into 47,337 scaffolds. The Aphaenogaster genomes displayed high levels of completeness with 96.1% to 97.6% of Hymenoptera BUSCOs completely represented, relative to currently sequenced ant genomes which ranged from 88.2% to 98.5%. Additionally, the mean genome size was 370.5 Mb, ranging from 310.3 to 429.7, which is comparable to that of other sequenced ant genomes (212.8-396.0 Mb) and flow cytometry estimates (210.7-690.4 Mb). In an analysis of currently sequenced ant genomes and the new Aphaenogaster sequences, we found that after controlling for both spatial autocorrelation and phylogenetics ant genome size was marginally correlated with sample site climate similarity. Of all examined climate variables, minimum temperature, and annual precipitation had the strongest correlations with genome size, with ants from locations with colder minimum temperatures and higher levels of precipitation having larger genomes. These results suggest that climate extremes could be a selective force acting on ant genomes and point to the need for more extensive sequencing of ant genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Andrew Nguyen
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Clint Penick
- The Biomimicry Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | | | | | - Nathan J. Sanders
- Environmental Program, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Robert R. Dunn
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Sara Helms Cahan
- Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
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Elayadeth‐Meethal M, Thazhathu Veettil A, Maloney SK, Hawkins N, Misselbrook TH, Sejian V, Rivero MJ, Lee MRF. Size does matter: Parallel evolution of adaptive thermal tolerance and body size facilitates adaptation to climate change in domestic cattle. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:10608-10620. [PMID: 30464832 PMCID: PMC6238145 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Revised: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The adaptive potential of livestock under a warming climate is increasingly relevant in relation to the growing pressure of global food security. Studies on heat tolerance demonstrate the interplay of adaptation and acclimatization in functional traits, for example, a reduction in body size and enhanced tolerance in response to a warming climate. However, current lack of understanding of functional traits and phylogenetic history among phenotypically distinct populations constrains predictions of climate change impact. Here, we demonstrate evidence of parallel evolution in adaptive tolerance to heat stress in dwarf cattle breeds (DCB, Bos taurus indicus) and compare their thermoregulatory responses with those in standard size cattle breeds (SCB, crossbred, Bos taurus indicus × Bos taurus taurus). We measured vital physiological, hematological, biochemical, and gene expression changes in DCB and SCB and compared the molecular phylogeny using mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) analysis. Our results show that SCB can acclimatize in the short term to higher temperatures but reach their tolerance limit under prevailing tropical conditions, while DCB is adapted to the warmer climate. Increased hemoglobin concentration, reduced cellular size, and smaller body size enhance thermal tolerance. Mitogenome analysis revealed that different lineages of DCB have evolved reduced size independently, as a parallel adaptation to heat stress. The results illustrate mechanistic ways of dwarfing, body size-dependent tolerance, and differential fitness in a large mammal species under harsh field conditions, providing a background for comparing similar populations during global climate change. These demonstrate the value of studies combining functional, physiological, and evolutionary approaches to delineate adaptive potential and plasticity in domestic species. We thus highlight the value of locally adapted breeds as a reservoir of genetic variation contributing to the global domestic genetic resource pool that will become increasingly important for livestock production systems under a warming climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammed Elayadeth‐Meethal
- Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences UniversityWayanadIndia
- School of Human SciencesUniversity of Western AustraliaCrawleyAustralia
- Rothamsted ResearchNorth WykeUK
| | | | - Shane K. Maloney
- School of Human SciencesUniversity of Western AustraliaCrawleyAustralia
| | | | | | - Veerasamy Sejian
- ICAR‐National Institute of Animal Nutrition and PhysiologyBangaloreIndia
| | | | - Michael R. F. Lee
- Rothamsted ResearchNorth WykeUK
- Bristol Veterinary SchoolUniversity of BristolLangfordUK
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Willot Q, Mardulyn P, Defrance M, Gueydan C, Aron S. Molecular chaperoning helps safeguarding mitochondrial integrity and motor functions in the Sahara silver ant Cataglyphis bombycina. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9220. [PMID: 29907755 PMCID: PMC6003908 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-27628-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The Sahara silver ant Cataglyphis bombycina is one of the world's most thermotolerant animals. Workers forage for heat-stricken arthropods during the hottest part of the day, when temperatures exceed 50 °C. However, the physiological adaptations needed to cope with such harsh conditions remain poorly studied in this desert species. Using transcriptomics, we screened for the most heat-responsive transcripts of C. bombycina with aim to better characterize the molecular mechanisms involved with macromolecular stability and cell survival to heat-stress. We identified 67 strongly and consistently expressed transcripts, and we show evidences of both evolutionary selection and specific heat-induction of mitochondrial-related molecular chaperones that have not been documented in Formicidae so far. This indicates clear focus of the silver ant's heat-shock response in preserving mitochondrial integrity and energy production. The joined induction of small heat-shock proteins likely depicts the higher requirement of this insect for proper motor function in response to extreme burst of heat-stresses. We discuss how those physiological adaptations may effectively help workers resist and survive the scorching heat and burning ground of the midday Sahara Desert.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Willot
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, CP 160/12, Av. F.D. Roosevelt, 50, Brussels, 1050, Belgium.
| | - Patrick Mardulyn
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, CP 160/12, Av. F.D. Roosevelt, 50, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Matthieu Defrance
- Interuniversity Institute of Bioinformatics in Brussels, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Boulevard du Triomphe, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Cyril Gueydan
- Molecular Biology of the Gene, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Rue des Profs. Jeener et Brachet, 12, Gosselies, 6041, Belgium
| | - Serge Aron
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, CP 160/12, Av. F.D. Roosevelt, 50, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
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10
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Ju RT, Luo QQ, Gao L, Yang J, Li B. Identification of HSP70 gene in Corythucha ciliata and its expression profiles under laboratory and field thermal conditions. Cell Stress Chaperones 2018; 23:195-201. [PMID: 28884419 PMCID: PMC5823808 DOI: 10.1007/s12192-017-0840-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Revised: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous laboratory studies have demonstrated that insects can tolerate high temperatures by expressing inducible heat shock proteins (HSPs). This HSP-based tolerance, however, has seldom been studied under field conditions. Here, we cloned the HSP70 gene of Corythucha ciliata (Cchsp70), an invasive insect species with substantial thermal tolerance in subtropical China. We also compared the relative mRNA expression levels of Cchsp70 in response to controlled temperature treatments (2 h at 33-43 °C at 2 °C intervals in the laboratory) and to natural increases in temperature (08:00-14:00 at 2-h intervals, 29.7-37.2 °C) on a hot summer day in the field. The complete cDNA of Cchsp70 is 2256 bp long and has a 1917 bp open reading frame that encodes a protein (CcHSP70) with 639 amino acids. The expression levels of Cchsp70 significantly increased in response to high temperatures in both laboratory and field. At similar temperatures, however, the expression levels were much higher in the field than in the laboratory. These results suggest that CcHSP70 contributes to the thermal tolerance of C. ciliata and that factors in addition to thermal stress may induce Cchsp70 expression in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui-Ting Ju
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, People's Republic of China.
| | - Qing-Quan Luo
- Institute of Plant Protection, Shanghai Academy of Landscape Architecture and Planning, Shanghai, 200232, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Gao
- Institute of Plant Protection, Shanghai Academy of Landscape Architecture and Planning, Shanghai, 200232, People's Republic of China
| | - Ji Yang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Bo Li
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, People's Republic of China.
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Stucki D, Freitak D, Sundström L. Survival and gene expression under different temperature and humidity regimes in ants. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0181137. [PMID: 28759608 PMCID: PMC5536355 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Short term variation in environmental conditions requires individuals to adapt via changes in behavior and/or physiology. In particular variation in temperature and humidity are common, and the physiological adaptation to changes in temperature and humidity often involves alterations in gene expression, in particular that of heat-shock proteins. However, not only traits involved in the resistance to environmental stresses, but also other traits, such as immune defenses, may be influenced indirectly by changes in temperature and humidity. Here we investigated the response of the ant F. exsecta to two temperature regimes (20°C & 25°C), and two humidity regimes (50% & 75%), for two populations. We measured the survival and the expression of six metabolism- and immunity-related genes, and furthermore compared the expression levels in each condition with the pre-experiment expression levels. Both populations survived equally well at the two humidities, but one population showed higher mortality at 25°C than 20°, at 50% humidity. Similarly, the two populations showed striking differences in their gene expression before the experiment, and in their responses to the environmental conditions. Surprisingly, instead of converging to similar expression levels in the same environmental conditions, gene expression diverged further apart. This indicates different reaction norms to both temperature and humidity for the two populations. Furthermore, our results suggest that also immune defenses are indirectly affected by environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitri Stucki
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions / Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, Hanko, Finland
- * E-mail:
| | - Dalial Freitak
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions / Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, Hanko, Finland
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Liselotte Sundström
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions / Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, Hanko, Finland
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Baudier KM, O'Donnell S. Weak links: how colonies counter the social costs of individual variation in thermal physiology. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2017; 22:85-91. [PMID: 28805644 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2017.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2017] [Revised: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 06/09/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Social insect nestmates often differ in thermal tolerance (the range of temperatures at which an individual functions). Worker thermal physiology can covary with body size, development, genetics and gene expression. Because colonies rely on the integration of diverse colony members, individual thermal tolerance differences can affect group performance. The weak link hypothesis states that if workers differ in thermal sensitivity, then in variable thermal environments colonies can incur performance costs due to thermal stress effects on the most thermally sensitive worker types. We discuss possible adaptive colony responses that ameliorate the costs of thermal weak links. Individual differences in thermal tolerance have profound implications for the effects of temperature variation and climate change on animal societies. Social implications of worker weak links potentially drive macroecological patterns in caste ergonomics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sean O'Donnell
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Penick CA, Diamond SE, Sanders NJ, Dunn RR. Beyond thermal limits: comprehensive metrics of performance identify key axes of thermal adaptation in ants. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Clint A. Penick
- Department of Applied Ecology and Keck Center for Behavioral Biology North Carolina State University Raleigh NC27695 USA
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Raleigh NC27601 USA
| | - Sarah E. Diamond
- Department of Biology Case Western Reserve University Cleveland OH44106 USA
| | - Nathan J. Sanders
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate Natural History Museum of Denmark University of Copenhagen DK‐2100 Copenhagen Denmark
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Vermont Burlington VT 05405 USA
| | - Robert R. Dunn
- Department of Applied Ecology and Keck Center for Behavioral Biology North Carolina State University Raleigh NC27695 USA
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate Natural History Museum of Denmark University of Copenhagen DK‐2100 Copenhagen Denmark
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