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Mikhailova AA, Rinke S, Harrison MC. Genomic signatures of eusocial evolution in insects. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2024; 61:101136. [PMID: 37922983 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2023.101136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
The genomes of eusocial insects allow the production and regulation of highly distinct phenotypes, largely independent of genotype. Although rare, eusociality has evolved convergently in at least three insect orders (Hymenoptera, Blattodea and Coleoptera). Despite such disparate origins, eusocial phenotypes show remarkable similarity, exhibiting long-lived reproductives and short-lived sterile workers and soldiers. In this article, we review current knowledge on genomic signatures of eusocial evolution. We confirm that especially an increased regulatory complexity and the adaptive evolution of chemical communication are common to several origins of eusociality. Furthermore, colony life itself can shape genomes of divergent taxa in a similar manner. Future research should be geared towards generating more high-quality genomic resources, especially in hitherto understudied clades, such as ambrosia beetles and termites. The application of more sophisticated tools such as machine learning techniques may allow the detection of more subtle convergent genomic footprints of eusociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina A Mikhailova
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Hüfferstrasße 1, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Sarah Rinke
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Hüfferstrasße 1, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Mark C Harrison
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Hüfferstrasße 1, 48149 Münster, Germany.
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2
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Taylor BA, Taylor D, Bodrug‐Schepers A, Câmara Ferreira F, Stralis‐Pavese N, Himmelbauer H, Guigó R, Reuter M, Sumner S. Molecular signatures of alternative reproductive strategies in a facultatively social hover wasp. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17217. [PMID: 38014715 PMCID: PMC10953455 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17217] [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: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Social insect reproductives and non-reproductives represent ideal models with which to understand the expression and regulation of alternative phenotypes. Most research in this area has focused on the developmental regulation of reproductive phenotypes in obligately social taxa such as honey bees, while relatively few studies have addressed the molecular correlates of reproductive differentiation in species in which the division of reproductive labour is established only in plastic dominance hierarchies. To address this knowledge gap, we generate the first genome for any stenogastrine wasp and analyse brain transcriptomic data for non-reproductives and reproductives of the facultatively social species Liostenogaster flavolineata, a representative of one of the simplest forms of social living. By experimentally manipulating the reproductive 'queues' exhibited by social colonies of this species, we show that reproductive division of labour in this species is associated with transcriptomic signatures that are more subtle and variable than those observed in social taxa in which colony living has become obligate; that variation in gene expression among non-reproductives reflects their investment into foraging effort more than their social rank; and that genes associated with reproductive division of labour overlap to some extent with those underlying division of labour in the separate polistine origin of wasp sociality but only explain a small portion of overall variation in this trait. These results indicate that broad patterns of within-colony transcriptomic differentiation in this species are similar to those in Polistinae but offer little support for the existence of a strongly conserved 'toolkit' for sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin A. Taylor
- Centre for Biodiversity & Environment ResearchUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution & EnvironmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Daisy Taylor
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | | | | | - Nancy Stralis‐Pavese
- Department of BiotechnologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Heinz Himmelbauer
- Department of BiotechnologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Roderic Guigó
- Centre for Genomic RegulationBarcelona Institute of Science and TechnologyBarcelonaSpain
- Universitat Pompeu FabraBarcelonaSpain
| | - Max Reuter
- Department of Genetics, Evolution & EnvironmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Centre for Life's Origins and EvolutionUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Seirian Sumner
- Centre for Biodiversity & Environment ResearchUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution & EnvironmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
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3
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Everitt T, Wallberg A, Christmas MJ, Olsson A, Hoffmann W, Neumann P, Webster MT. The Genomic Basis of Adaptation to High Elevations in Africanized Honey Bees. Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:evad157. [PMID: 37625795 PMCID: PMC10484329 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
A range of different genetic architectures underpin local adaptation in nature. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) in the Eastern African Mountains harbor high frequencies of two chromosomal inversions that likely govern adaptation to this high-elevation habitat. In the Americas, honey bees are hybrids of European and African ancestries and adaptation to latitudinal variation in climate correlates with the proportion of these ancestries across the genome. It is unknown which, if either, of these forms of genetic variation governs adaptation in honey bees living at high elevations in the Americas. Here, we performed whole-genome sequencing of 29 honey bees from both high- and low-elevation populations in Colombia. Analysis of genetic ancestry indicated that both populations were predominantly of African ancestry, but the East African inversions were not detected. However, individuals in the higher elevation population had significantly higher proportions of European ancestry, likely reflecting local adaptation. Several genomic regions exhibited particularly high differentiation between highland and lowland bees, containing candidate loci for local adaptation. Genes that were highly differentiated between highland and lowland populations were enriched for functions related to reproduction and sperm competition. Furthermore, variation in levels of European ancestry across the genome was correlated between populations of honey bees in the highland population and populations at higher latitudes in South America. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that adaptation to both latitude and elevation in these hybrid honey bees are mediated by variation in ancestry at many loci across the genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Turid Everitt
- Department Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Andreas Wallberg
- Department Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Matthew J Christmas
- Department Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anna Olsson
- Department Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Wolfgang Hoffmann
- Grupo de Biocalorimetría, Universidad de Pamplona, Pamplona, Colombia
| | - Peter Neumann
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern and Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Matthew T Webster
- Department Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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4
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Zarate D, Mukogawa B, Kohn J, Nieh JC. Seasonal variation in defense behavior in European and scutellata-hybrid honey bees (Apis mellifera) in Southern California. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12790. [PMID: 37550348 PMCID: PMC10406949 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38153-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Nest defense in the honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a complex collective behavior modulated by various interacting social, environmental, and genetic factors. Scutellata-hybrid ("Africanized") honey bees are usually considered to be far more defensive than European honey bees which are therefore preferred for commercial and hobbyist beekeeping. In the most recent zone of scutellata hybridization, the southern USA, the degree to which this defensiveness differs among current strains, and the extent to which defensiveness varies across a season has not been measured. We quantified the levels of A. m. scutellata ancestry in colonies and conducted a seasonal assessment (May through November) of colony nest defensiveness in feral scutellata-hybrid and a popular lineage of European honey bee commonly used in managed environments (sold as A. mellifera ligustica) hives at two apiaries in Southern California. Standard measures of defensiveness were low in both scutellata-hybrid and European colonies during May. Defensiveness increased during the later months of the study in scutellata-hybrid colonies. Most measures of defensiveness did not increase in managed colonies. Defensiveness in the scutellata-hybrids appears lower than what has been previously documented in Brazil and Mexico, possibly due to their lower proportion of A. m. scutellata ancestry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Zarate
- Department of Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., MC 0116, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0116, USA.
| | - Brandon Mukogawa
- Department of Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., MC 0116, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0116, USA
| | - Joshua Kohn
- Department of Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., MC 0116, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0116, USA
| | - James C Nieh
- Department of Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., MC 0116, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0116, USA
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5
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Samad‐zada F, Kelemen EP, Rehan SM. The impact of geography and climate on the population structure and local adaptation in a wild bee. Evol Appl 2023; 16:1154-1168. [PMID: 37360027 PMCID: PMC10286232 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13558] [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: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Deciphering processes that contribute to genetic differentiation and divergent selection of natural populations is useful for evaluating the adaptive potential and resilience of organisms faced with various anthropogenic stressors. Insect pollinator species, including wild bees, provide critical ecosystem services but are highly susceptible to biodiversity declines. Here, we use population genomics to infer the genetic structure and test for evidence of local adaptation in an economically important native pollinator, the small carpenter bee (Ceratina calcarata). Using genome-wide SNP data (n = 8302), collected from specimens across the species' entire distribution, we evaluated population differentiation and genetic diversity and identified putative signatures of selection in the context of geographic and environmental variation. Results of the analyses of principal component and Bayesian clustering were concordant with the presence of two to three genetic clusters, associated with landscape features and inferred phylogeography of the species. All populations examined in our study demonstrated a heterozygote deficit, along with significant levels of inbreeding. We identified 250 robust outlier SNPs, corresponding to 85 annotated genes with known functional relevance to thermoregulation, photoperiod, and responses to various abiotic and biotic stressors. Taken together, these data provide evidence for local adaptation in a wild bee and highlight genetic responses of native pollinators to landscape and climate features.
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Lin Z, Zhu Z, Zhuang M, Wang Z, Zhang Y, Gao F, Niu Q, Ji T. Effects of local domestication warrant attention in honey bee population genetics. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade7917. [PMID: 37134176 PMCID: PMC10156114 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade7917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Honey bees, Apis mellifera, have for millennia been managed and exploited by humans and introduced into most suitable regions worldwide. However, given the lack of records for many introduction events, treating A. mellifera populations as native would predictably bias genetic studies regarding origin and evolution. Here, we used the Dongbei bee, a well-documented population, introduced beyond the natural distribution range approximately 100 years ago, to elucidate the effects of local domestication on animal population genetic analyses. Strong domestication pressure was detected in this population, and the genetic divergence between Dongbei bee and its ancestral subspecies was found to have occurred at the lineage level. Results of phylogenetic and time divergence analyses could consequently be misinterpreted. Proposing new subspecies or lineages and performing analyses of origin should thus strive to eliminate anthropogenic effects. We highlight the need for definitions of landrace and breed in honey bee sciences and make preliminary suggestions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheguang Lin
- Apicultural Research Institute, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Zhongxu Zhu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Mingliang Zhuang
- Apiculture Science Institute of Jilin Province, Jilin 132108, China
| | - Zhi Wang
- Apiculture Science Institute of Jilin Province, Jilin 132108, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Apicultural Research Institute, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Fuchao Gao
- Mudanjiang Branch of Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Mudanjiang 157043, China
| | - Qingsheng Niu
- Apiculture Science Institute of Jilin Province, Jilin 132108, China
| | - Ting Ji
- Apicultural Research Institute, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
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7
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Cao L, Dai Z, Tan H, Zheng H, Wang Y, Chen J, Kuang H, Chong RA, Han M, Hu F, Sun W, Sun C, Zhang Z. Population Structure, Demographic History, and Adaptation of Giant Honeybees in China Revealed by Population Genomic Data. Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:7044694. [PMID: 36799935 PMCID: PMC9991589 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Revised: 02/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
There have been many population-based genomic studies on human-managed honeybees (Apis mellifera and Apis cerana), but there has been a notable lack of analysis with regard to wild honeybees, particularly in relation to their evolutionary history. Nevertheless, giant honeybees have been found to occupy distinct habitats and display remarkable characteristics, which are attracting an increased amount of attention. In this study, we de novo sequenced and then assembled the draft genome sequence of the Himalayan giant honeybee, Apis laboriosa. Phylogenetic analysis based on genomic information indicated that A. laboriosa and its tropical sister species Apis dorsata diverged ∼2.61 Ma, which supports the speciation hypothesis that links A. laboriosa to geological changes throughout history. Furthermore, we re-sequenced A. laboriosa and A. dorsata samples from five and six regions, respectively, across their population ranges in China. These analyses highlighted major genetic differences for Tibetan A. laboriosa as well as the Hainan Island A. dorsata. The demographic history of most giant honeybee populations has mirrored glacial cycles. More importantly, contrary to what has occurred among human-managed honeybees, the demographic history of these two wild honeybee species indicates a rapid decline in effective population size in the recent past, reflecting their differences in evolutionary histories. Several genes were found to be subject to selection, which may help giant honeybees to adapt to specific local conditions. In summary, our study sheds light on the evolutionary and adaptational characteristics of two wild giant honeybee species, which was useful for giant honeybee conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lianfei Cao
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhijun Dai
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hongwei Tan
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing General Station of Animal Husbandry Technology Extension, Chongqing, China
| | - Huoqing Zheng
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yun Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jie Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Haiou Kuang
- Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
| | - Rebecca A Chong
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA
| | - Minjin Han
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Fuliang Hu
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wei Sun
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Cheng Sun
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Ze Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
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8
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Wyatt CDR, Bentley MA, Taylor D, Favreau E, Brock RE, Taylor BA, Bell E, Leadbeater E, Sumner S. Social complexity, life-history and lineage influence the molecular basis of castes in vespid wasps. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1046. [PMID: 36828829 PMCID: PMC9958023 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36456-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
A key mechanistic hypothesis for the evolution of division of labour in social insects is that a shared set of genes co-opted from a common solitary ancestral ground plan (a genetic toolkit for sociality) regulates caste differentiation across levels of social complexity. Using brain transcriptome data from nine species of vespid wasps, we test for overlap in differentially expressed caste genes and use machine learning models to predict castes using different gene sets. We find evidence of a shared genetic toolkit across species representing different levels of social complexity. We also find evidence of additional fine-scale differences in predictive gene sets, functional enrichment and rates of gene evolution that are related to level of social complexity, lineage and of colony founding. These results suggest that the concept of a shared genetic toolkit for sociality may be too simplistic to fully describe the process of the major transition to sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Douglas Robert Wyatt
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Dept Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Michael Andrew Bentley
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Dept Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Daisy Taylor
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Emeline Favreau
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Dept Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Ryan Edward Brock
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
- Department of Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Benjamin Aaron Taylor
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Dept Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Emily Bell
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Ellouise Leadbeater
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Seirian Sumner
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Dept Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
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9
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Tsvetkov N, Bahia S, Calla B, Berenbaum MR, Zayed A. Genetics of tolerance in honeybees to the neonicotinoid clothianidin. iScience 2023; 26:106084. [PMID: 36843853 PMCID: PMC9947305 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The effects of neonicotinoid insecticides (NNIs) on honeybee health are intensely debated, with numerous studies showing negative effects of exposure, while others report no such effects. We carried out experiments to study the genetic and molecular basis of NNI tolerance in honeybees, which may underlie the discrepancies observed in the literature. We discovered that worker survival post-exposure to an acute oral dose of clothianidin is heritable (H 2 = 37.8%). Tolerance to clothianidin was not associated with differences in the expression of detoxification enzymes in our experiments. Instead, mutations in the primary neonicotinoid detoxification genes CYP9Q1 and CYP9Q3 were strongly associated with worker survival post-clothianidin exposure. In some instances, the strong association between CYP9Q haplotypes and worker survival was associated with the protein's predicted binding affinity for clothianidin. Our findings have implications regarding future toxicological studies utilizing honeybees as a model pollinator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadejda Tsvetkov
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Simran Bahia
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Bernarda Calla
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - May R. Berenbaum
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Amro Zayed
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada,Corresponding author
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10
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Wragg D, Eynard SE, Basso B, Canale‐Tabet K, Labarthe E, Bouchez O, Bienefeld K, Bieńkowska M, Costa C, Gregorc A, Kryger P, Parejo M, Pinto MA, Bidanel J, Servin B, Le Conte Y, Vignal A. Complex population structure and haplotype patterns in the Western European honey bee from sequencing a large panel of haploid drones. Mol Ecol Resour 2022; 22:3068-3086. [PMID: 35689802 PMCID: PMC9796960 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Honey bee subspecies originate from specific geographical areas in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, and beekeepers interested in specific phenotypes have imported genetic material to regions outside of the bees' original range for use either in pure lines or controlled crosses. Moreover, imported drones are present in the environment and mate naturally with queens from the local subspecies. The resulting admixture complicates population genetics analyses, and population stratification can be a major problem for association studies. To better understand Western European honey bee populations, we produced a whole genome sequence and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype data set from 870 haploid drones and demonstrate its utility for the identification of nine genetic backgrounds and various degrees of admixture in a subset of 629 samples. Five backgrounds identified correspond to subspecies, two to isolated populations on islands and two to managed populations. We also highlight several large haplotype blocks, some of which coincide with the position of centromeres. The largest is 3.6 Mb long and represents 21% of chromosome 11, with two major haplotypes corresponding to the two dominant genetic backgrounds identified. This large naturally phased data set is available as a single vcf file that can now serve as a reference for subsequent populations genomics studies in the honey bee, such as (i) selecting individuals of verified homogeneous genetic backgrounds as references, (ii) imputing genotypes from a lower-density data set generated by an SNP-chip or by low-pass sequencing, or (iii) selecting SNPs compatible with the requirements of genotyping chips.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Wragg
- GenPhySEUniversité de Toulouse, INRAE, INPT, INP‐ENVTCastanet TolosanFrance,Roslin InstituteUniversity of EdinburghMidlothianUK
| | - Sonia E. Eynard
- GenPhySEUniversité de Toulouse, INRAE, INPT, INP‐ENVTCastanet TolosanFrance
| | - Benjamin Basso
- Institut de l'abeille (ITSAP), UMT PrADEAvignonFrance,INRAE, UR 406 Abeilles et Environment, UMT PrADEAvignonFrance
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Cecilia Costa
- CREA Research Centre for Agriculture and EnvironmentBolognaItaly
| | - Aleš Gregorc
- Faculty of Agriculture and Life SciencesUniversity of MariborPivolaSlovenia
| | - Per Kryger
- Department of Agroecology, Science and TechnologyAarhus UniversitySlagelseDenmark
| | - Melanie Parejo
- Agroscope, Swiss Bee Research CentreBernSwitzerland,Applied Genomics and Bioinformatics, Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal PhysiologyUniversity of the Basque CountryLeioaSpain
| | - M. Alice Pinto
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO)Instituto Politécnico de BragançaBragançaPortugal
| | | | - Bertrand Servin
- GenPhySEUniversité de Toulouse, INRAE, INPT, INP‐ENVTCastanet TolosanFrance
| | - Yves Le Conte
- INRAE, UR 406 Abeilles et Environment, UMT PrADEAvignonFrance
| | - Alain Vignal
- GenPhySEUniversité de Toulouse, INRAE, INPT, INP‐ENVTCastanet TolosanFrance
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11
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Comparisons of chemosensory gene repertoires in human and non-human feeding Anopheles mosquitoes link olfactory genes to anthropophily. iScience 2022; 25:104521. [PMID: 35754720 PMCID: PMC9213756 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104521] [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: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigate the genetic basis of anthropophily (human host use) in a non-model mosquito species group, the Anopheles farauti complex from the southwest Pacific. This complex has experienced multiple transitions from anthropophily to zoophily, contrasting with well-studied systems (the global species Aedes aegypti and the African Anopheles gambiae complex) that have evolved to be specialist anthropophiles. By performing tests of selection and assessing evolutionary patterns for >200 olfactory genes from nine genomes, we identify several candidate genes associated with differences in anthropophily in this complex. Based on evolutionary patterns (phylogenetic relationships, fixed amino acid differences, and structural differences) as well as results from selection analyses, we identify numerous genes that are likely to play an important role in mosquitoes’ ability to detect humans as hosts. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the evolution of insect olfactory gene families and mosquito host preference as well as having potential applied outcomes. Genomes of Anopheles mosquitoes with differing host preferences were sequenced Evolutionary comparisons were performed on >200 insect chemosensory genes These comparisons revealed candidate genes involved in human feeding Two of the main candidates identified were co-receptor Ir8a and Or75
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12
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Shell WA, Rehan SM. Social divergence: molecular pathways underlying castes and longevity in a facultatively eusocial small carpenter bee. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212663. [PMID: 35317677 PMCID: PMC8941392 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Unravelling the evolutionary origins of eusocial life is a longstanding endeavour in the field of evolutionary-developmental biology. Descended from solitary ancestors, eusocial insects such as honeybees have evolved ontogenetic division of labour in which short-lived workers perform age-associated tasks, while a long-lived queen produces brood. It is hypothesized that (i) eusocial caste systems evolved through the co-option of deeply conserved genes and (ii) longevity may be tied to oxidative damage mitigation capacity. To date, however, these hypotheses have been examined primarily among only obligately eusocial corbiculate bees. We present brain transcriptomic data from a Japanese small carpenter bee, Ceratina japonica (Apidae: Xylocopinae), which demonstrates both solitary and eusocial nesting in sympatry and lives 2 or more years in the wild. Our dataset captures gene expression patterns underlying first- and second-year solitary females, queens and workers, providing an unprecedented opportunity to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying caste-antecedent phenotypes in a long-lived and facultatively eusocial bee. We find that C. japonica's queens and workers are underpinned by divergent gene regulatory pathways, involving many differentially expressed genes well-conserved among other primitively eusocial bee lineages. We also find support for oxidative damage reduction as a proximate mechanism of longevity in C. japonica.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wyatt A. Shell
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3
| | - Sandra M. Rehan
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3
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13
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Colgan TJ, Arce AN, Gill RJ, Ramos Rodrigues A, Kanteh A, Duncan EJ, Li L, Chittka L, Wurm Y. Genomic signatures of recent adaptation in a wild bumblebee. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6521030. [PMID: 35134226 PMCID: PMC8845123 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental changes threaten insect pollinators, creating risks for agriculture and ecosystem stability. Despite their importance, we know little about how wild insects respond to environmental pressures. To understand the genomic bases of adaptation in an ecologically important pollinator, we analyzed genomes of Bombus terrestris bumblebees collected across Great Britain. We reveal extensive genetic diversity within this population, and strong signatures of recent adaptation throughout the genome affecting key processes including neurobiology and wing development. We also discover unusual features of the genome, including a region containing 53 genes that lacks genetic diversity in many bee species, and a horizontal gene transfer from a Wolbachia bacteria. Overall, the genetic diversity we observe and how it is distributed throughout the genome and the population should support the resilience of this important pollinator species to ongoing and future selective pressures. Applying our approach to more species should help understand how they can differ in their adaptive potential, and to develop conservation strategies for those most at risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Colgan
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Andres N Arce
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7QN, United Kingdom.,School of Engineering, Arts, Science & Technology, University of Suffolk, Ipswich, IP3 0FS, United KingdomCurrent Address
| | - Richard J Gill
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7QN, United Kingdom
| | - Ana Ramos Rodrigues
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7QN, United Kingdom
| | - Abdoulie Kanteh
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth J Duncan
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Li Li
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Lars Chittka
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Yannick Wurm
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom.,Alan Turing Institute, London, NW1 2DB, United Kingdom
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14
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Zárate D, Lima TG, Poole JD, Calfee E, Burton RS, Kohn JR. Admixture in Africanized honey bees ( Apis mellifera) from Panamá to San Diego, California (U.S.A.). Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8580. [PMID: 35222958 PMCID: PMC8844128 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The Africanized honey bee (AHB) is a New World amalgamation of several subspecies of the western honey bee (Apis mellifera), a diverse taxon historically grouped into four major biogeographic lineages: A (African), M (Western European), C (Eastern European), and O (Middle Eastern). In 1956, accidental release of experimentally bred "Africanized" hybrids from a research apiary in Sao Paulo, Brazil initiated a hybrid species expansion that now extends from northern Argentina to northern California (U.S.A.). Here, we assess nuclear admixture and mitochondrial ancestry in 60 bees from four countries (Panamá; Costa Rica, Mexico; U.S.A) across this expansive range to assess ancestry of AHB several decades following initial introduction and test the prediction that African ancestry decreases with increasing latitude. We find that AHB nuclear genomes from Central America and Mexico have predominately African genomes (76%-89%) with smaller contributions from Western and Eastern European lineages. Similarly, nearly all honey bees from Central America and Mexico possess mitochondrial ancestry from the African lineage with few individuals having European mitochondria. In contrast, AHB from San Diego (CA) shows markedly lower African ancestry (38%) with substantial genomic contributions from all four major honey bee lineages and mitochondrial ancestry from all four clades as well. Genetic diversity measures from all New World populations equal or exceed those of ancestral populations. Interestingly, the feral honey bee population of San Diego emerges as a reservoir of diverse admixture and high genetic diversity, making it a potentially rich source of genetic material for honey bee breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Zárate
- Section of Ecology, Behavior, and EvolutionDivision of Biological SciencesUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Thiago G. Lima
- Scripps Institute of OceanographyUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Jude D. Poole
- Division of Biological SciencesUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Erin Calfee
- Department of Evolution and Ecology and Center for Population BiologyUniversity of California, DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Ronald S. Burton
- Scripps Institute of OceanographyUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Joshua R. Kohn
- Section of Ecology, Behavior, and EvolutionDivision of Biological SciencesUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
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15
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Abstract
Many species have separate haploid and diploid phases. Theory predicts that each phase should experience the effects of evolutionary forces (like selection) differently. In the haploid phase, all fitness-affecting alleles are exposed to selection, whereas in the diploid phase, those same alleles can be masked by homologous alleles. This predicts that selection acting on genes expressed in haploids should be more effective than diploid-biased genes. Unfortunately, in arrhenotokous species, this prediction can be confounded with the effects of sex-specific expression, as haploids are usually reproductive males. Theory posits that, when accounting for ploidal- and sex-specific expression, selection should be equally efficient on haploid- and diploid-biased genes relative to constitutive genes. Here, we used a multiomic approach in honey bees to quantify the evolutionary rates of haploid-biased genes and test the relative effects of sexual- and haploid-expression on molecular evolution. We found that 16% of the honey bee’s protein-coding genome is highly expressed in haploid tissue. When accounting for ploidy and sex, haploid- and diploid-biased genes evolve at a lower rate than expected, indicating that they experience strong negative selection. However, the rate of molecular evolution of haploid-biased genes was higher than diploid-based genes. Genes associated with sperm storage are a clear exception to this trend with evidence of strong positive selection. Our results provide an important empirical test of theory outlining how selection acts on genes expressed in arrhenotokous species. We propose the haploid life history stage affects genome-wide patterns of diversity and divergence because of both sexual and haploid selection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amy L. Dapper
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, 219 Harned Hall, 295 Lee Blvd, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, USA
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16
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Dogantzis KA, Tiwari T, Conflitti IM, Dey A, Patch HM, Muli EM, Garnery L, Whitfield CW, Stolle E, Alqarni AS, Allsopp MH, Zayed A. Thrice out of Asia and the adaptive radiation of the western honey bee. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabj2151. [PMID: 34860547 PMCID: PMC8641936 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj2151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The origin of the western honey bee Apis mellifera has been intensely debated. Addressing this knowledge gap is essential for understanding the evolution and genetics of one of the world’s most important pollinators. By analyzing 251 genomes from 18 native subspecies, we found support for an Asian origin of honey bees with at least three expansions leading to African and European lineages. The adaptive radiation of honey bees involved selection on a few genomic “hotspots.” We found 145 genes with independent signatures of selection across all bee lineages, and these genes were highly associated with worker traits. Our results indicate that a core set of genes associated with worker and colony traits facilitated the adaptive radiation of honey bees across their vast distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen A. Dogantzis
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, M3J 1P3 Ontario, Canada
| | - Tanushree Tiwari
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, M3J 1P3 Ontario, Canada
| | - Ida M. Conflitti
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, M3J 1P3 Ontario, Canada
| | - Alivia Dey
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, M3J 1P3 Ontario, Canada
| | - Harland M. Patch
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Elliud M. Muli
- Department of Life Science, South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU), P.O. Box 170-90200, Kitui, Kenya
| | - Lionel Garnery
- Laboratoire Evolution Génome Comportement Ecologie (EGCE) UMR 9191, Gif sur-Yvette, France
| | - Charles W. Whitfield
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Eckart Stolle
- LIB–Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change Museum Koenig, Center of Molecular Biodiversity Research Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany
| | - Abdulaziz S. Alqarni
- Department of Plant Protection, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Michael H. Allsopp
- Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Council, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Amro Zayed
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, M3J 1P3 Ontario, Canada
- Corresponding author.
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17
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Tiwari T, Zayed A. Practical Applications of Genomics in Managing Honey bee Health. Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract 2021; 37:535-543. [PMID: 34689919 DOI: 10.1016/j.cvfa.2021.06.008] [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] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The honey bee Apis mellifera is a model organism for sociogenomics and one of the most important managed pollinators. High mortalities experienced by honey bee colonies over the past several decades are expected to have a substantive effect on crop pollination and global food security. These threats and the availability of a growing number of genomic resources for the honey bee have motivated research on how genetics and genomics can be practically applied to manage bee health. The authors review 3 such applications: (1) Certification of bee lineages using single-polymorphism markers; (2) breeding bees using marker-assisted selection; (3) diagnosing honey bee stressors using biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanushree Tiwari
- Department of Biology, York University, 208 Lumbers Building, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Amro Zayed
- Department of Biology, York University, 208 Lumbers Building, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada.
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18
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Fouks B, Brand P, Nguyen HN, Herman J, Camara F, Ence D, Hagen DE, Hoff KJ, Nachweide S, Romoth L, Walden KKO, Guigo R, Stanke M, Narzisi G, Yandell M, Robertson HM, Koeniger N, Chantawannakul P, Schatz MC, Worley KC, Robinson GE, Elsik CG, Rueppell O. The genomic basis of evolutionary differentiation among honey bees. Genome Res 2021; 31:1203-1215. [PMID: 33947700 PMCID: PMC8256857 DOI: 10.1101/gr.272310.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In contrast to the western honey bee, Apis mellifera, other honey bee species have been largely neglected despite their importance and diversity. The genetic basis of the evolutionary diversification of honey bees remains largely unknown. Here, we provide a genome-wide comparison of three honey bee species, each representing one of the three subgenera of honey bees, namely the dwarf (Apis florea), giant (A. dorsata), and cavity-nesting (A. mellifera) honey bees with bumblebees as an outgroup. Our analyses resolve the phylogeny of honey bees with the dwarf honey bees diverging first. We find that evolution of increased eusocial complexity in Apis proceeds via increases in the complexity of gene regulation, which is in agreement with previous studies. However, this process seems to be related to pathways other than transcriptional control. Positive selection patterns across Apis reveal a trade-off between maintaining genome stability and generating genetic diversity, with a rapidly evolving piRNA pathway leading to genomes depleted of transposable elements, and a rapidly evolving DNA repair pathway associated with high recombination rates in all Apis species. Diversification within Apis is accompanied by positive selection in several genes whose putative functions present candidate mechanisms for lineage-specific adaptations, such as migration, immunity, and nesting behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bertrand Fouks
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina 27403, USA
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Molecular Evolution and Bioinformatics, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Philipp Brand
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95161, USA
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Hung N Nguyen
- MU Institute for Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
| | - Jacob Herman
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina 27403, USA
| | - Francisco Camara
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Ence
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
| | - Darren E Hagen
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078, USA
| | - Katharina J Hoff
- University of Greifswald, Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science, Bioinformatics Group, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
- University of Greifswald, Center for Functional Genomics of Microbes, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Stefanie Nachweide
- University of Greifswald, Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science, Bioinformatics Group, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Lars Romoth
- University of Greifswald, Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science, Bioinformatics Group, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Kimberly K O Walden
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Roderic Guigo
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08002 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mario Stanke
- University of Greifswald, Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science, Bioinformatics Group, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
- University of Greifswald, Center for Functional Genomics of Microbes, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | | | - Mark Yandell
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
- Utah Center for Genetic Discovery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
| | - Hugh M Robertson
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Nikolaus Koeniger
- Department of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Panuwan Chantawannakul
- Environmental Science Research Center (ESRC) and Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Michael C Schatz
- Departments of Computer Science and Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Kim C Worley
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Gene E Robinson
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Christine G Elsik
- MU Institute for Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
- Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
| | - Olav Rueppell
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina 27403, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
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19
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Chak STC, Harris SE, Hultgren KM, Jeffery NW, Rubenstein DR. Eusociality in snapping shrimps is associated with larger genomes and an accumulation of transposable elements. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2025051118. [PMID: 34099551 PMCID: PMC8214670 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2025051118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite progress uncovering the genomic underpinnings of sociality, much less is known about how social living affects the genome. In different insect lineages, for example, eusocial species show both positive and negative associations between genome size and structure, highlighting the dynamic nature of the genome. Here, we explore the relationship between sociality and genome architecture in Synalpheus snapping shrimps that exhibit multiple origins of eusociality and extreme interspecific variation in genome size. Our goal is to determine whether eusociality leads to an accumulation of repetitive elements and an increase in genome size, presumably due to reduced effective population sizes resulting from a reproductive division of labor, or whether an initial accumulation of repetitive elements leads to larger genomes and independently promotes the evolution of eusociality through adaptive evolution. Using phylogenetically informed analyses, we find that eusocial species have larger genomes with more transposable elements (TEs) and microsatellite repeats than noneusocial species. Interestingly, different TE subclasses contribute to the accumulation in different species. Phylogenetic path analysis testing alternative causal relationships between sociality and genome architecture is most consistent with the hypothesis that TEs modulate the relationship between sociality and genome architecture. Although eusociality appears to influence TE accumulation, ancestral state reconstruction suggests moderate TE abundances in ancestral species could have fueled the initial transitions to eusociality. Ultimately, we highlight a complex and dynamic relationship between genome and social evolution, demonstrating that sociality can influence the evolution of the genome, likely through changes in demography related to patterns of reproductive skew.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solomon T C Chak
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027;
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York College at Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY 11568
| | - Stephen E Harris
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027
- Department of Biology, State University of New York Purchase College, Purchase, NY 10577
| | | | - Nicholas W Jeffery
- Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4A2, Canada
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Dustin R Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027
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20
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Kükrer M, Kence M, Kence A. Honey Bee Diversity Is Swayed by Migratory Beekeeping and Trade Despite Conservation Practices: Genetic Evidence for the Impact of Anthropogenic Factors on Population Structure. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.556816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The intense admixture of honey bee (Apis melliferaL.) populations at a global scale is mostly attributed to the widespread migratory beekeeping practices and replacement of queens and colonies with non-native races or hybrids of different subspecies. These practices are also common in Anatolia and Thrace, but their influence on the genetic make-up of the five native subspecies of honey bees has not been explored. Here, we present an analysis of 30 microsatellite markers from honey bees from six different regions in Anatolia and Thrace (N= 250 samples), with the aim of comparing the impact of: (1) migratory beekeeping, (2) queen and colony trade, and (3) conservation efforts on the genetic structure of native populations. Populations exposed to migratory beekeeping showed less allegiance than stationary ones. We found genetic evidence for migratory colonies, acting as a hybrid zone mobile in space and time, becoming vectors of otherwise local gene combinations. The effect of honey bee trade leaves very high introgression levels in native honey bees. Despite their narrow geographic range, introgression occurs mainly with the highly commercial Caucasian bees. We also measured the direction and magnitude of gene flow associated with bee trade. A comparison between regions that are open and those closed to migratory beekeeping allowed the evaluation of conservation sites as centers with limited gene flow and demonstrated the importance of establishing such isolated regions. Despite evidence of gene flow, our findings confirm high levels of geographically structured genetic diversity in four subspecies of honey bees in Turkey and emphasize the need to develop policies to maintain this diversity. Our overall results are of interest to the wider scientific community studying anthropogenic effects on the population diversity of honey bees and other insects. Our findings on the effects of migratory beekeeping, replacement of queens and colonies have implications for the conservation of honey bees, other pollinators, and invertebrates, in general, and are informative for policy-makers and other stakeholders in Europe and beyond.
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21
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Cicconardi F, Krapf P, D'Annessa I, Gamisch A, Wagner HC, Nguyen AD, Economo EP, Mikheyev AS, Guénard B, Grabherr R, Andesner P, Wolfgang A, Di Marino D, Steiner FM, Schlick-Steiner BC. Genomic Signature of Shifts in Selection in a Subalpine Ant and Its Physiological Adaptations. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 37:2211-2227. [PMID: 32181804 PMCID: PMC7403626 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how organisms adapt to extreme environments is fundamental and can provide insightful case studies for both evolutionary biology and climate-change biology. Here, we take advantage of the vast diversity of lifestyles in ants to identify genomic signatures of adaptation to extreme habitats such as high altitude. We hypothesized two parallel patterns would occur in a genome adapting to an extreme habitat: 1) strong positive selection on genes related to adaptation and 2) a relaxation of previous purifying selection. We tested this hypothesis by sequencing the high-elevation specialist Tetramorium alpestre and four other phylogenetically related species. In support of our hypothesis, we recorded a strong shift of selective forces in T. alpestre, in particular a stronger magnitude of diversifying and relaxed selection when compared with all other ants. We further disentangled candidate molecular adaptations in both gene expression and protein-coding sequence that were identified by our genome-wide analyses. In particular, we demonstrate that T. alpestre has 1) a higher level of expression for stv and other heat-shock proteins in chill-shock tests and 2) enzymatic enhancement of Hex-T1, a rate-limiting regulatory enzyme that controls the entry of glucose into the glycolytic pathway. Together, our analyses highlight the adaptive molecular changes that support colonization of high-altitude environments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Patrick Krapf
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ilda D'Annessa
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta", CNR (SCITEC-CNR), Milan, Italy
| | - Alexander Gamisch
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.,Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Herbert C Wagner
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Andrew D Nguyen
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Evan P Economo
- Biodiversity & Biocomplexity Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology, Onna, Japan
| | - Alexander S Mikheyev
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology, Onna, Japan
| | - Benoit Guénard
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Reingard Grabherr
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Philipp Andesner
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Daniele Di Marino
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences - New York-Marche Structural Biology Center (NY-MaSBiC), Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
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22
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Harpur BA, Rehan SM. Connecting social polymorphism to single nucleotide polymorphism: population genomics of the small carpenter bee, Ceratina australensis. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
How do social insects expand and adapt to new ranges and how does sociality per se contribute to their success (or failure)? These questions can become tractable with the use of population genomics. We explored the population genomics of the socially polymorphic small carpenter bee, Ceratina australensis, across its range in eastern and southern Australia to search for evidence of selection and identify loci associated with social nesting. We sampled and sequenced fully the genomes of 54 socially and solitarily nesting C. australensis within Queensland, Victoria and South Australia, yielding 2 061 234 single nucleotide polymorphisms across the genome. We found strong evidence of population-specific selection and evidence of genetic variants associated with social nesting behaviour. Both the sets of associated loci and differentially expressed ‘social’ genes had evidence of positive selection, suggesting that alleles at genes associated with social nesting might provide different fitness benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brock A Harpur
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Sandra M Rehan
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
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23
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Sociality sculpts similar patterns of molecular evolution in two independently evolved lineages of eusocial bees. Commun Biol 2021; 4:253. [PMID: 33637860 PMCID: PMC7977082 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01770-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
While it is well known that the genome can affect social behavior, recent models posit that social lifestyles can, in turn, influence genome evolution. Here, we perform the most phylogenetically comprehensive comparative analysis of 16 bee genomes to date: incorporating two published and four new carpenter bee genomes (Apidae: Xylocopinae) for a first-ever genomic comparison with a monophyletic clade containing solitary through advanced eusocial taxa. We find that eusocial lineages have undergone more gene family expansions, feature more signatures of positive selection, and have higher counts of taxonomically restricted genes than solitary and weakly social lineages. Transcriptomic data reveal that caste-affiliated genes are deeply-conserved; gene regulatory and functional elements are more closely tied to social phenotype than phylogenetic lineage; and regulatory complexity increases steadily with social complexity. Overall, our study provides robust empirical evidence that social evolution can act as a major and surprisingly consistent driver of macroevolutionary genomic change.
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24
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Jones BM, Rao VD, Gernat T, Jagla T, Cash-Ahmed AC, Rubin BER, Comi TJ, Bhogale S, Husain SS, Blatti C, Middendorf M, Sinha S, Chandrasekaran S, Robinson GE. Individual differences in honey bee behavior enabled by plasticity in brain gene regulatory networks. eLife 2020; 9:e62850. [PMID: 33350385 PMCID: PMC7755388 DOI: 10.7554/elife.62850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the regulatory architecture of phenotypic variation is a fundamental goal in biology, but connections between gene regulatory network (GRN) activity and individual differences in behavior are poorly understood. We characterized the molecular basis of behavioral plasticity in queenless honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies, where individuals engage in both reproductive and non-reproductive behaviors. Using high-throughput behavioral tracking, we discovered these colonies contain a continuum of phenotypes, with some individuals specialized for either egg-laying or foraging and 'generalists' that perform both. Brain gene expression and chromatin accessibility profiles were correlated with behavioral variation, with generalists intermediate in behavior and molecular profiles. Models of brain GRNs constructed for individuals revealed that transcription factor (TF) activity was highly predictive of behavior, and behavior-associated regulatory regions had more TF motifs. These results provide new insights into the important role played by brain GRN plasticity in the regulation of behavior, with implications for social evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beryl M Jones
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
| | - Vikyath D Rao
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana–ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
| | - Tim Gernat
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
- Swarm Intelligence and Complex Systems Group, Department of Computer Science, Leipzig UniversityLeipzigGermany
| | - Tobias Jagla
- Swarm Intelligence and Complex Systems Group, Department of Computer Science, Leipzig UniversityLeipzigGermany
| | - Amy C Cash-Ahmed
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
| | - Benjamin ER Rubin
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton UniversityPrincetonUnited States
| | - Troy J Comi
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton UniversityPrincetonUnited States
| | - Shounak Bhogale
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
| | - Syed S Husain
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Charles Blatti
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
| | - Martin Middendorf
- Swarm Intelligence and Complex Systems Group, Department of Computer Science, Leipzig UniversityLeipzigGermany
| | - Saurabh Sinha
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
| | - Sriram Chandrasekaran
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
- Center for Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Gene E Robinson
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana–ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana–ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
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25
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Harrison MC, Chernyshova AM, Thompson GJ. No obvious transcriptome-wide signature of indirect selection in termites. J Evol Biol 2020; 34:403-415. [PMID: 33290587 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of sterile helper castes in social insects implies selection on genes that underlie variation in this nonreproductive phenotype. These focal genes confer no direct fitness and are presumed to evolve through indirect fitness effects on the helper's reproducing relatives. This separation of a gene's phenotypic effect on one caste and its fitness effect on another suggests that genes for this and other forms of reproductive altruism are buffered from selection and will thus evolve closer to the neutral rate than genes directly selected for selfish reproduction. We test this hypothesis by comparing the strength of selection at loci associated in their expression with reproductive versus sterile castes in termites. Specifically, we gather caste-biased gene expression data from four termite transcriptomes and measure the global dN/dS ratio across gene sets and phylogenetic lineages. We find that the majority of examined orthologous gene groups show patterns of nucleotide substitution that are consistent with strong purifying selection and display little evidence for distinct signatures of direct versus indirect selection in reproductive and sterile castes. For one particular species (Reticulitermes flavipes), the strength of purifying selection is relaxed in a reproductive nymph-biased gene set, which opposes the nearly neutral idea. In other species, the synonymous rate (dS) alone was often found to be the highest in the sterile worker caste, suggesting a more subtle signature of indirect selection or an altogether different relationship between caste-biased expression and rates of molecular evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark C Harrison
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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26
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Ilyasov RA, Lee ML, Takahashi JI, Kwon HW, Nikolenko AG. A revision of subspecies structure of western honey bee Apis mellifera. Saudi J Biol Sci 2020; 27:3615-3621. [PMID: 33304172 PMCID: PMC7714978 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2020.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The taxonomy of honey bee A. mellifera contains a lot of issues due to the specificity of population structure, features of biology and resolutions of honey bee subspecies discrimination methods. There are a lot of transition zones between ranges of subspecies which led to the gradual changes of characteristics among neighbor subspecies. The modern taxonomic pattern of honey bee Apis mellifera is given in this paper. Thirty-three distinct honey bee subspecies are distributed across all Africa (11 subspecies), Western Asia and the Middle East (9 subspecies), and Europe (13 subspecies). All honey bee subspecies are subdivided into 5 evolutionary lineages: lineage A (10 subspecies) and its sublineage Z (3 subspecies), lineage M (3 subspecies), lineage C (10 subspecies), lineage O (3 subspecies), lineage Y (1 subspecies), lineage C or O (3 subspecies).
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Affiliation(s)
- Rustem A. Ilyasov
- Institute of Biochemistry and Genetics, Ufa Federal Research Centre of Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect Oktyabrya 71, Ufa 450054, Russia
- Division of Life Sciences, Major of Biological Sciences, and Convergence Research Center for Insect Vectors, Incheon National University, Academy-ro 119, Yeonsu-gu, Songdo-dong, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
| | - Myeong-lyeol Lee
- Division of Life Sciences, Major of Biological Sciences, and Convergence Research Center for Insect Vectors, Incheon National University, Academy-ro 119, Yeonsu-gu, Songdo-dong, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun-ichi Takahashi
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kamigamo Motoyama, Kita Ward, Kyoto 603-8555, Japan
| | - Hyung Wook Kwon
- Division of Life Sciences, Major of Biological Sciences, and Convergence Research Center for Insect Vectors, Incheon National University, Academy-ro 119, Yeonsu-gu, Songdo-dong, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
| | - Alexey G. Nikolenko
- Institute of Biochemistry and Genetics, Ufa Federal Research Centre of Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect Oktyabrya 71, Ufa 450054, Russia
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27
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Calfee E, Agra MN, Palacio MA, Ramírez SR, Coop G. Selection and hybridization shaped the rapid spread of African honey bee ancestry in the Americas. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1009038. [PMID: 33075065 PMCID: PMC7595643 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent biological invasions offer 'natural' laboratories to understand the genetics and ecology of adaptation, hybridization, and range limits. One of the most impressive and well-documented biological invasions of the 20th century began in 1957 when Apis mellifera scutellata honey bees swarmed out of managed experimental colonies in Brazil. This newly-imported subspecies, native to southern and eastern Africa, both hybridized with and out-competed previously-introduced European honey bee subspecies. Populations of scutellata-European hybrid honey bees rapidly expanded and spread across much of the Americas in less than 50 years. We use broad geographic sampling and whole genome sequencing of over 300 bees to map the distribution of scutellata ancestry where the northern and southern invasions have presently stalled, forming replicated hybrid zones with European bee populations in California and Argentina. California is much farther from Brazil, yet these hybrid zones occur at very similar latitudes, consistent with the invasion having reached a climate barrier. At these range limits, we observe genome-wide clines for scutellata ancestry, and parallel clines for wing length that span hundreds of kilometers, supporting a smooth transition from climates favoring scutellata-European hybrid bees to climates where they cannot survive winter. We find no large effect loci maintaining exceptionally steep ancestry transitions. Instead, we find most individual loci have concordant ancestry clines across South America, with a build-up of somewhat steeper clines in regions of the genome with low recombination rates, consistent with many loci of small effect contributing to climate-associated fitness trade-offs. Additionally, we find no substantial reductions in genetic diversity associated with rapid expansions nor complete dropout of scutellata ancestry at any individual loci on either continent, which suggests that the competitive fitness advantage of scutellata ancestry at lower latitudes has a polygenic basis and that scutellata-European hybrid bees maintained large population sizes during their invasion. To test for parallel selection across continents, we develop a null model that accounts for drift in ancestry frequencies during the rapid expansion. We identify several peaks within a larger genomic region where selection has pushed scutellata ancestry to high frequency hundreds of kilometers past the present cline centers in both North and South America and that may underlie high-fitness traits driving the invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Calfee
- Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | | | - María Alejandra Palacio
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Balcarce, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Mar del Plata, Balcarce, Argentina
| | - Santiago R. Ramírez
- Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Graham Coop
- Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
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28
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Sinha S, Jones BM, Traniello IM, Bukhari SA, Halfon MS, Hofmann HA, Huang S, Katz PS, Keagy J, Lynch VJ, Sokolowski MB, Stubbs LJ, Tabe-Bordbar S, Wolfner MF, Robinson GE. Behavior-related gene regulatory networks: A new level of organization in the brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:23270-23279. [PMID: 32661177 PMCID: PMC7519311 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1921625117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal networks are the standard heuristic model today for describing brain activity associated with animal behavior. Recent studies have revealed an extensive role for a completely distinct layer of networked activities in the brain-the gene regulatory network (GRN)-that orchestrates expression levels of hundreds to thousands of genes in a behavior-related manner. We examine emerging insights into the relationships between these two types of networks and discuss their interplay in spatial as well as temporal dimensions, across multiple scales of organization. We discuss properties expected of behavior-related GRNs by drawing inspiration from the rich literature on GRNs related to animal development, comparing and contrasting these two broad classes of GRNs as they relate to their respective phenotypic manifestations. Developmental GRNs also represent a third layer of network biology, playing out over a third timescale, which is believed to play a crucial mediatory role between neuronal networks and behavioral GRNs. We end with a special emphasis on social behavior, discuss whether unique GRN organization and cis-regulatory architecture underlies this special class of behavior, and review literature that suggests an affirmative answer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saurabh Sinha
- Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801;
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801
| | - Beryl M Jones
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
| | - Ian M Traniello
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801
| | - Syed A Bukhari
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801
- Informatics Program, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61820
| | - Marc S Halfon
- Department of Biochemistry, University at Buffalo-State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14203
| | - Hans A Hofmann
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712
- Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712
| | - Sui Huang
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Paul S Katz
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003
| | - Jason Keagy
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801
| | - Vincent J Lynch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo-State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260
| | - Marla B Sokolowski
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada
- Program in Child and Brain Development, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Lisa J Stubbs
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801
| | - Shayan Tabe-Bordbar
- Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801
| | - Mariana F Wolfner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850
| | - Gene E Robinson
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801;
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801
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29
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Kapun M, Barrón MG, Staubach F, Obbard DJ, Wiberg RAW, Vieira J, Goubert C, Rota-Stabelli O, Kankare M, Bogaerts-Márquez M, Haudry A, Waidele L, Kozeretska I, Pasyukova EG, Loeschcke V, Pascual M, Vieira CP, Serga S, Montchamp-Moreau C, Abbott J, Gibert P, Porcelli D, Posnien N, Sánchez-Gracia A, Grath S, Sucena É, Bergland AO, Guerreiro MPG, Onder BS, Argyridou E, Guio L, Schou MF, Deplancke B, Vieira C, Ritchie MG, Zwaan BJ, Tauber E, Orengo DJ, Puerma E, Aguadé M, Schmidt P, Parsch J, Betancourt AJ, Flatt T, González J. Genomic Analysis of European Drosophila melanogaster Populations Reveals Longitudinal Structure, Continent-Wide Selection, and Previously Unknown DNA Viruses. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 37:2661-2678. [PMID: 32413142 PMCID: PMC7475034 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic variation is the fuel of evolution, with standing genetic variation especially important for short-term evolution and local adaptation. To date, studies of spatiotemporal patterns of genetic variation in natural populations have been challenging, as comprehensive sampling is logistically difficult, and sequencing of entire populations costly. Here, we address these issues using a collaborative approach, sequencing 48 pooled population samples from 32 locations, and perform the first continent-wide genomic analysis of genetic variation in European Drosophila melanogaster. Our analyses uncover longitudinal population structure, provide evidence for continent-wide selective sweeps, identify candidate genes for local climate adaptation, and document clines in chromosomal inversion and transposable element frequencies. We also characterize variation among populations in the composition of the fly microbiome, and identify five new DNA viruses in our samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kapun
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Maite G Barrón
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Fabian Staubach
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Darren J Obbard
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - R Axel W Wiberg
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jorge Vieira
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (I3S), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Clément Goubert
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558, CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
| | - Omar Rota-Stabelli
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all’ Adige, Italy
| | - Maaria Kankare
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - María Bogaerts-Márquez
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Annabelle Haudry
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558, CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Lena Waidele
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Iryna Kozeretska
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- General and Medical Genetics Department, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine
- State Institution National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Elena G Pasyukova
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Laboratory of Genome Variation, Institute of Molecular Genetics of RAS, Moscow, Russia
| | - Volker Loeschcke
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Department of Bioscience—Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Marta Pascual
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristina P Vieira
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (I3S), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Svitlana Serga
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- General and Medical Genetics Department, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Catherine Montchamp-Moreau
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Jessica Abbott
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Section for Evolutionary Ecology, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Patricia Gibert
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558, CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Damiano Porcelli
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Nico Posnien
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut für Zoologie und Anthropologie, Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Alejandro Sánchez-Gracia
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sonja Grath
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg, Germany
| | - Élio Sucena
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Alan O Bergland
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Maria Pilar Garcia Guerreiro
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Departament de Genètica i Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Banu Sebnem Onder
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Eliza Argyridou
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg, Germany
| | - Lain Guio
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mads Fristrup Schou
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Department of Bioscience—Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Evolutionary Ecology, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Bart Deplancke
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Institute of Bio-engineering, School of Life Sciences, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Cristina Vieira
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558, CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Michael G Ritchie
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland
| | - Bas J Zwaan
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Eran Tauber
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Dorcas J Orengo
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eva Puerma
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Montserrat Aguadé
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Paul Schmidt
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - John Parsch
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg, Germany
| | - Andrea J Betancourt
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behaviour, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Flatt
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Josefa González
- The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU)
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
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30
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Imrit MA, Dogantzis KA, Harpur BA, Zayed A. Eusociality influences the strength of negative selection on insect genomes. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201512. [PMID: 32811314 PMCID: PMC7482261 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
While much of the focus of sociobiology concerns identifying genomic changes that influence social behaviour, we know little about the consequences of social behaviour on genome evolution. It has been hypothesized that social evolution can influence the strength of negative selection via two mechanisms. First, division of labour can influence the efficiency of negative selection in a caste-specific manner; indirect negative selection on worker traits is theoretically expected to be weaker than direct selection on queen traits. Second, increasing social complexity is expected to lead to relaxed negative selection because of its influence on effective population size. We tested these two hypotheses by estimating the strength of negative selection in honeybees, bumblebees, paper wasps, fire ants and six other insects that span the range of social complexity. We found no consistent evidence that negative selection was significantly stronger on queen-biased genes relative to worker-biased genes. However, we found strong evidence that increased social complexity reduced the efficiency of negative selection. Our study clearly illustrates how changes in behaviour can influence patterns of genome evolution by modulating the strength of natural selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad A. Imrit
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3 J 1P3
| | - Kathleen A. Dogantzis
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3 J 1P3
| | - Brock A. Harpur
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, 901 W State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Amro Zayed
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3 J 1P3
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Harpur BA, Kadri SM, Orsi RO, Whitfield CW, Zayed A. Defense Response in Brazilian Honey Bees (Apis mellifera scutellata × spp.) Is Underpinned by Complex Patterns of Admixture. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 12:1367-1377. [PMID: 32597950 PMCID: PMC7487160 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In 1957, an invasive and highly defensive honey bee began to spread across Brazil. In the previous year, Brazilian researchers hoped to produce a subtropical-adapted honey bee by crossing local commercial honey bees (of European origin) with a South African honey bee subspecies (Apis mellifera scutellata; an A-lineage honey bee subspecies). The resulting cross-African hybrid honey bees (AHBs)-escaped from their enclosure and spread through the Americas. Today, AHB is the most common honey bee from Northern Argentina to the Southern United States. AHBs are much more likely to sting nest intruders than managed European-derived honey bee colonies. Previous studies have explored how genetic variation contributes to differences in defense response between European-derived honey bee and AHB. Although this work demonstrated very strong genetic effects on defense response, they have yet to pinpoint which genes influence variation in defense response within AHBs, specifically. We quantified defense response for 116 colonies in Brazil and performed pooled sequencing on the most phenotypically divergent samples. We identified 65 loci containing 322 genes that were significantly associated with defense response. Loci were strongly associated with metabolic function, consistent with previous functional genomic analyses of this phenotype. Additionally, defense-associated loci had nonrandom and unexpected patterns of admixture. Defense response was not simply the product of more A-lineage honey bee ancestry as previously assumed, but rather an interaction between A-lineage and European alleles. Our results suggest that a combination of A-lineage and European alleles play roles in defensive behavior in AHBs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Samir M Kadri
- Departamento de Produção Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia de Botucatu, Univervidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ricardo O Orsi
- Departamento de Produção Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia de Botucatu, Univervidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Amro Zayed
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, York University, Toronto, Canada
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Kapheim KM, Jones BM, Søvik E, Stolle E, Waterhouse RM, Bloch G, Ben-Shahar Y. Brain microRNAs among social and solitary bees. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:200517. [PMID: 32874647 PMCID: PMC7428247 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.200517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Evolutionary transitions to a social lifestyle in insects are associated with lineage-specific changes in gene expression, but the key nodes that drive these regulatory changes are unknown. We examined the relationship between social organization and lineage-specific microRNAs (miRNAs). Genome scans across 12 bee species showed that miRNA copy-number is mostly conserved and not associated with sociality. However, deep sequencing of small RNAs in six bee species revealed a substantial proportion (20-35%) of detected miRNAs had lineage-specific expression in the brain, 24-72% of which did not have homologues in other species. Lineage-specific miRNAs disproportionately target lineage-specific genes, and have lower expression levels than shared miRNAs. The predicted targets of lineage-specific miRNAs are not enriched for genes with caste-biased expression or genes under positive selection in social species. Together, these results suggest that novel miRNAs may coevolve with novel genes, and thus contribute to lineage-specific patterns of evolution in bees, but do not appear to have significant influence on social evolution. Our analyses also support the hypothesis that many new miRNAs are purged by selection due to deleterious effects on mRNA targets, and suggest genome structure is not as influential in regulating bee miRNA evolution as has been shown for mammalian miRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen M. Kapheim
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
- Author for correspondence: Karen M. Kapheim e-mail:
| | - Beryl M. Jones
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Eirik Søvik
- Department of Science and Mathematics, Volda University College, 6100 Volda, Norway
| | - Eckart Stolle
- Centre of Molecular Biodiversity Research, Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany
| | - Robert M. Waterhouse
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Guy Bloch
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Yehuda Ben-Shahar
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
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Declining genetic diversity of European honeybees along the twentieth century. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10520. [PMID: 32601293 PMCID: PMC7324561 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67370-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The European honeybee (Apis mellifera) is a key pollinator and has in the last decades suffered significant population decline. A combination of factors, including decrease in genetic diversity and introduction of Varroa mites, have been suggested to be responsible for these losses, but no definitive cause has yet been appointed. In Europe not only have wild colonies been severely affected, but managed hives have had a massive decline in numbers. To test the hypothesis that honeybees’ genetic diversity has decreased in the recent past, we used reduced representation genome sequencing of 40 historical honeybee specimens collected in Natural History collections across Europe and compared them to genomic data from 40 individuals from extant populations (collected post 2006). Our results are consistent with the existence of five evolutionary lineages as previously described, and show a decrease in genetic diversity between historical and extant individuals of the same lineage, as well as high levels of admixture in historical specimens. Our data confirm that a loss of genetic diversity has occurred during the last century, potentially increasing honeybees’ vulnerability to contemporary ecological and anthropogenic stressors.
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A Single Gene Causes Thelytokous Parthenogenesis, the Defining Feature of the Cape Honeybee Apis mellifera capensis. Curr Biol 2020; 30:2248-2259.e6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.04.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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Developmental plasticity shapes social traits and selection in a facultatively eusocial bee. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:13615-13625. [PMID: 32471944 PMCID: PMC7306772 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2000344117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental processes are an important source of phenotypic variation, but the extent to which this variation contributes to evolutionary change is unknown. We used integrative genomic analyses to explore the relationship between developmental and social plasticity in a bee species that can adopt either a social or solitary lifestyle. We find genes regulating this social flexibility also regulate development, and positive selection on these genes is influenced by their function during development. This suggests that developmental plasticity may influence the evolution of sociality. Our additional finding of genetic variants linked to differences in social behavior sheds light on how phenotypic variation derived from development may become encoded into the genome, and thus contribute to evolutionary change. Developmental plasticity generates phenotypic variation, but how it contributes to evolutionary change is unclear. Phenotypes of individuals in caste-based (eusocial) societies are particularly sensitive to developmental processes, and the evolutionary origins of eusociality may be rooted in developmental plasticity of ancestral forms. We used an integrative genomics approach to evaluate the relationships among developmental plasticity, molecular evolution, and social behavior in a bee species (Megalopta genalis) that expresses flexible sociality, and thus provides a window into the factors that may have been important at the evolutionary origins of eusociality. We find that differences in social behavior are derived from genes that also regulate sex differentiation and metamorphosis. Positive selection on social traits is influenced by the function of these genes in development. We further identify evidence that social polyphenisms may become encoded in the genome via genetic changes in regulatory regions, specifically in transcription factor binding sites. Taken together, our results provide evidence that developmental plasticity provides the substrate for evolutionary novelty and shapes the selective landscape for molecular evolution in a major evolutionary innovation: Eusociality.
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Grozinger CM, Zayed A. Improving bee health through genomics. Nat Rev Genet 2020; 21:277-291. [DOI: 10.1038/s41576-020-0216-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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Rizwan M, Liang P, Ali H, Li Z, Nie H, Ahmed Saqib HS, Fiaz S, Raza MF, Hassanyar AK, Niu Q, Su S. Population genomics of honey bees reveals a selection signature indispensable for royal jelly production. Mol Cell Probes 2020; 52:101542. [PMID: 32105702 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcp.2020.101542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2019] [Revised: 02/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
In order to interpret the molecular mechanisms that modulating the organism variations and selection signatures to drive adaptive evolutionary changes are indispensable goals in the new evolutionary ecological genetics. Here, we identified the gene locus associated to royal jelly production through whole-genome sequencing of the DNA from eight populations of honeybees. The analysis of the samples was composed of 120 individuals and each pointed extremely opposite trait values for a given phenotype. We identified functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) candidate that might be essential in regulating the phenotypic traits of honeybee populations. Moreover, selection signatures were investigated using pooling sequencing of eight distinct honeybee populations, and the results provided the evidence of signatures of recent selection among populations under different selection objectives. Furthermore, gene ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses indicated that selected genes were potentially involved in several biological processes and molecular functioning, which could directly or indirectly influence the production of royal jelly. Our findings can be used to understand the genomic signatures, as well as implicate a profound glance on genomic regions that control the production trait of royal jelly in honey bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Rizwan
- College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China; College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China; Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Pingping Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Habib Ali
- Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Zhiguo Li
- College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Hongyi Nie
- College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Hafiz Sohaib Ahmed Saqib
- Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Haripur, Khyber Pkhtunkhwa, Pakistan; Apiculture Science Institute of Jilin Province, Jilin, 132108, China
| | - Sajid Fiaz
- Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Depalpur Campus, Okara, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Fahad Raza
- College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Aqai Kalan Hassanyar
- College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Qingsheng Niu
- Apiculture Science Institute of Jilin Province, Jilin, 132108, China
| | - Songkun Su
- College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
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Chen C, Wang H, Liu Z, Chen X, Tang J, Meng F, Shi W. Population Genomics Provide Insights into the Evolution and Adaptation of the Eastern Honey Bee (Apis cerana). Mol Biol Evol 2020; 35:2260-2271. [PMID: 29931308 PMCID: PMC6107058 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msy130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms by which organisms adapt to variable environments are a fundamental question in evolutionary biology and are important to protect important species in response to a changing climate. An interesting candidate to study this question is the honey bee Apis cerana, a keystone pollinator with a wide distribution throughout a large variety of climates, that exhibits rapid dispersal. Here, we resequenced the genome of 180 A. cerana individuals from 18 populations throughout China. Using a population genomics approach, we observed considerable genetic variation in A. cerana. Patterns of genetic differentiation indicate high divergence at the subspecies level, and physical barriers rather than distance are the driving force for population divergence. Estimations of divergence time suggested that the main branches diverged between 300 and 500 Ka. Analyses of the population history revealed a substantial influence of the Earth's climate on the effective population size of A. cerana, as increased population sizes were observed during warmer periods. Further analyses identified candidate genes under natural selection that are potentially related to honey bee cognition, temperature adaptation, and olfactory. Based on our results, A. cerana may have great potential in response to climate change. Our study provides fundamental knowledge of the evolution and adaptation of A. cerana.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Chen
- Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Huihua Wang
- Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiguang Liu
- Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao Chen
- Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiao Tang
- Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fanming Meng
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Wei Shi
- Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, China
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DeLory T, Funderburk K, Miller K, Smith WZ, McPherson S, Pirk CW, Costa C, Teixeira ÉW, Dahle B, Rueppell O. Local Variation in Recombination Rates of the Honey Bee ( Apis mellifera) Genome among Samples from Six Disparate Populations. INSECTES SOCIAUX 2020; 67:127-138. [PMID: 33311731 PMCID: PMC7732154 DOI: 10.1007/s00040-019-00736-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Meiotic recombination is an essential component of eukaryotic sexual reproduction but its frequency varies within and between genomes. Although it is well-established that honey bees have a high recombination rate with about 20 cM/Mbp, the proximate and ultimate causes of this exceptional rate are poorly understood. Here, we describe six linkage maps of the Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera that were produced with consistent methodology from samples from distinct parts of the species' near global distribution. We compared the genome-wide rates and distribution of meiotic crossovers among the six maps and found considerable differences. Overall similarity of local recombination rates among our samples was unrelated to geographic or phylogenetic distance of the populations that our samples were derived from. However, the limited sampling constrains the interpretation of our results because it is unclear how representative these samples are. In contrast to previous studies, we found only in two datasets a significant relation between local recombination rate and GC content. Focusing on regions of particularly increased or decreased recombination in specific maps, we identified several enriched gene ontologies in these regions and speculate about their local adaptive relevance. These data are contributing to an increasing comparative effort to gain an understanding of the intra-specific variability of recombination rates and their evolutionary role in honey bees and other social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy DeLory
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA
- Current address: Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Karen Funderburk
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA
- Current address: Applied Mathematics for the Life & Social Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Katelyn Miller
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA
| | | | - Samantha McPherson
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA
- Current address: Current address: NCSU Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, Campus Box 7613, 100 Derieux Place, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Christian W. Pirk
- Social Insects Research Group, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Cecilia Costa
- Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricolturae l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Via Po, 14 - 00198 Rome, Italy
| | - Érica Weinstein Teixeira
- Honey Bee Health Specialized Laboratory, Biological Institute, São Paulo State Agribusiness Technology Agency, Av. Prof. Manoel César Ribeiro, 1920, Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo 12411-010, Brazil
| | - Bjørn Dahle
- Norwegian Beekeepers Association, Kløfta, Norway
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Olav Rueppell
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA
- Corresponding author: 312 Eberhart Bldg, 321 McIver Street, Greensboro NC 27403, USA. Phone: (+1) 336-2562591,
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40
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Shell WA, Rehan SM. Social modularity: conserved genes and regulatory elements underlie caste-antecedent behavioural states in an incipiently social bee. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191815. [PMID: 31771475 PMCID: PMC6939254 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolutionary origins of advanced eusociality, one of the most complex forms of phenotypic plasticity in nature, have long been a focus within the field of sociobiology. Although eusocial insects are known to have evolved from solitary ancestors, sociogenomic research among incipiently social taxa has only recently provided empirical evidence supporting theories that modular regulation and deeply conserved genes may play important roles in both the evolutionary emergence and elaboration of insect sociality. There remains, however, a paucity of data to further test the biological reality of these and other evolutionary theories among taxa in the earliest stages of social evolution. Here, we present brain transcriptomic data from the incipiently social small carpenter bee, Ceratina calcarata, which captures patterns of cis-regulation and gene expression associated with female maturation, and underlying two well-defined behavioural states, foraging and guarding, concurrently demonstrated by mothers and daughters during early autumn. We find that an incipiently social nest environment may dramatically affect gene expression. We further reveal foraging and guarding behaviours to be putatively caste-antecedent states in C. calcarata, and offer strong empirical support for the operation of modular regulation, involving deeply conserved and differentially expressed genes in the expression of early social forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wyatt A. Shell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 38 Academic Way, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Sandra M. Rehan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 38 Academic Way, Durham, NH 03824, USA
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaM3 J 1P3
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41
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Yancan L, Tianle C, Yunhan F, Delong L, Guizhi W. Population genomics and morphological features underlying the adaptive evolution of the eastern honey bee (Apis cerana). BMC Genomics 2019; 20:869. [PMID: 31730443 PMCID: PMC6858728 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6246-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The adaptation of organisms to changing environments is self-evident, with the adaptive evolution of organisms to environmental changes being a fundamental problem in evolutionary biology. Bees can pollinate in various environments and climates and play important roles in maintaining the ecological balance of the earth. Results We performed an analysis of 462 Apis cerana (A. cerana) specimens from 31 populations in 11 regions and obtained 39 representative morphological features. We selected 8 A. cerana samples from each population and performed 2b-RAD simplified genome sequencing. A total of 11,506 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci were obtained. For these SNPs, the minor allele frequency (MAF) was > 1%, the average number of unique labels for each sample was 49,055, and the average depth was 72.61x. The ratios of the unique labels of all samples were 64.27–86.33%. Conclusions Using 39 morphological characteristics as the data set, we proposed a method for the rapid classification of A. cerana. Using genomics to assess population structure and genetic diversity, we found that A. cerana has a large genetic difference at the ecotype level. A comparison of A. cerana in North China revealed that some physical obstacles, especially the overurbanization of the plains, have isolated the populations of this species. We identified several migration events in North China and Central China. By comparing the differences in the environmental changes in different regions, we found that A. cerana has strong potential for climate change and provides a theoretical basis for investigating and protecting A. cerana.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Yancan
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Street, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Chao Tianle
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Street, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Fan Yunhan
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Street, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Lou Delong
- Shandong Apiculture Breeding of Improved Varieties and Extension Center, 186 Wuma Street, Tai'an, 271000, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Wang Guizhi
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Street, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China.
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42
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Yunusbaev UB, Kaskinova MD, Ilyasov RA, Gaifullina LR, Saltykova ES, Nikolenko AG. The Role of Whole-Genome Studies in the Investigation of Honey Bee Biology. RUSS J GENET+ 2019. [DOI: 10.1134/s102279541906019x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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43
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Steffen MA, Rehan SM. Genetic signatures of dominance hierarchies reveal conserved cis-regulatory and brain gene expression underlying aggression in a facultatively social bee. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2019; 19:e12597. [PMID: 31264771 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Agonistic interactions among individuals can result in the formation of dominance hierarches that can reinforce individual behavior and social status. Such dominance hierarches precede the establishment of reproductive dominance, division of labor and caste formation in highly social insect taxa. As such, deciphering the molecular basis of aggression is fundamental in understanding the mechanisms of social evolution. Assessing the proximate mechanisms of aggression in incipiently social bees can provide insights into the foundations of genomic mechanisms of social behavior. Here, we measured the effects of aggression on brain gene expression in the incipiently social bee, Ceratina australensis. We examine the brain transcriptomic differences between individuals who have experienced recurrent winning, losing, or a change in rank during repeated encounters. Using comparative analyses across taxa, we identify deeply conserved candidate genes, pathways, and regulatory networks for the formation of social hierarchies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Steffen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire
| | - Sandra M Rehan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire
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44
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Harpur BA, Guarna MM, Huxter E, Higo H, Moon KM, Hoover SE, Ibrahim A, Melathopoulos AP, Desai S, Currie RW, Pernal SF, Foster LJ, Zayed A. Integrative Genomics Reveals the Genetics and Evolution of the Honey Bee's Social Immune System. Genome Biol Evol 2019; 11:937-948. [PMID: 30768172 PMCID: PMC6447389 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evz018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Social organisms combat pathogens through individual innate immune responses or through social immunity—behaviors among individuals that limit pathogen transmission within groups. Although we have a relatively detailed understanding of the genetics and evolution of the innate immune system of animals, we know little about social immunity. Addressing this knowledge gap is crucial for understanding how life-history traits influence immunity, and identifying if trade-offs exist between innate and social immunity. Hygienic behavior in the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, provides an excellent model for investigating the genetics and evolution of social immunity in animals. This heritable, colony-level behavior is performed by nurse bees when they detect and remove infected or dead brood from the colony. We sequenced 125 haploid genomes from two artificially selected highly hygienic populations and a baseline unselected population. Genomic contrasts allowed us to identify a minimum of 73 genes tentatively associated with hygienic behavior. Many genes were within previously discovered QTLs associated with hygienic behavior and were predictive of hygienic behavior within the unselected population. These genes were often involved in neuronal development and sensory perception in solitary insects. We found that genes associated with hygienic behavior have evidence of positive selection within honey bees (Apis), supporting the hypothesis that social immunity contributes to fitness. Our results indicate that genes influencing developmental neurobiology and behavior in solitary insects may have been co-opted to give rise to a novel and adaptive social immune phenotype in honey bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brock A Harpur
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University.,Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Maria Marta Guarna
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Beaverlodge Research Farm, Beaverlodge, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Heather Higo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kyung-Mee Moon
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Shelley E Hoover
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Beaverlodge Research Farm, Beaverlodge, Alberta, Canada.,Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Agriculture Centre, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Abdullah Ibrahim
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Beaverlodge Research Farm, Beaverlodge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Andony P Melathopoulos
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Beaverlodge Research Farm, Beaverlodge, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Horticulture, College of Agricultural Sciences, Oregon State University
| | - Suresh Desai
- Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Robert W Currie
- Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Stephen F Pernal
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Beaverlodge Research Farm, Beaverlodge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Leonard J Foster
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Amro Zayed
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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45
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Warner MR, Qiu L, Holmes MJ, Mikheyev AS, Linksvayer TA. Convergent eusocial evolution is based on a shared reproductive groundplan plus lineage-specific plastic genes. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2651. [PMID: 31201311 PMCID: PMC6570765 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10546-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Eusociality has convergently evolved multiple times, but the genomic basis of caste-based division of labor and degree to which independent origins of eusociality have utilized common genes remain largely unknown. Here we characterize caste-specific transcriptomic profiles across development and adult body segments from pharaoh ants (Monomorium pharaonis) and honey bees (Apis mellifera), representing two independent origins of eusociality. We identify a substantial shared core of genes upregulated in the abdomens of queen ants and honey bees that also tends to be upregulated in mated female flies, suggesting that these genes are part of a conserved insect reproductive groundplan. Outside of this shared groundplan, few genes are differentially expressed in common. Instead, the majority of the thousands of caste-associated genes are plastically expressed, rapidly evolving, and relatively evolutionarily young. These results emphasize that the recruitment of both highly conserved and lineage-specific genes underlie the convergent evolution of novel traits such as eusociality. Eusocial caste systems have evolved independently multiple times. Here, Warner et al. investigate the amount of shared vs. lineage-specific genes involved in the evolution of caste in pharaoh ants and honey bees by comparing transcriptomes across tissues, developmental stages, and castes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lijun Qiu
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
| | - Michael J Holmes
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan.,School of Life and Environmental Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, 2006, Australia
| | - Alexander S Mikheyev
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan.,Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, 0200, Australia
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46
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Warner MR, Mikheyev AS, Linksvayer TA. Transcriptomic basis and evolution of the ant nurse-larval social interactome. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1008156. [PMID: 31107868 DOI: 10.1101/514356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Development is often strongly regulated by interactions among close relatives, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. In eusocial insects, interactions between caregiving worker nurses and larvae regulate larval development and resultant adult phenotypes. Here, we begin to characterize the social interactome regulating ant larval development by collecting and sequencing the transcriptomes of interacting nurses and larvae across time. We find that the majority of nurse and larval transcriptomes exhibit parallel expression dynamics across larval development. We leverage this widespread nurse-larva gene co-expression to infer putative social gene regulatory networks acting between nurses and larvae. Genes with the strongest inferred social effects tend to be peripheral elements of within-tissue regulatory networks and are often known to encode secreted proteins. This includes interesting candidates such as the nurse-expressed giant-lens, which may influence larval epidermal growth factor signaling, a pathway known to influence various aspects of insect development. Finally, we find that genes with the strongest signatures of social regulation tend to experience relaxed selective constraint and are evolutionarily young. Overall, our study provides a first glimpse into the molecular and evolutionary features of the social mechanisms that regulate all aspects of social life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael R Warner
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Alexander S Mikheyev
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Timothy A Linksvayer
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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47
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Warner MR, Mikheyev AS, Linksvayer TA. Transcriptomic basis and evolution of the ant nurse-larval social interactome. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1008156. [PMID: 31107868 PMCID: PMC6544314 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Development is often strongly regulated by interactions among close relatives, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. In eusocial insects, interactions between caregiving worker nurses and larvae regulate larval development and resultant adult phenotypes. Here, we begin to characterize the social interactome regulating ant larval development by collecting and sequencing the transcriptomes of interacting nurses and larvae across time. We find that the majority of nurse and larval transcriptomes exhibit parallel expression dynamics across larval development. We leverage this widespread nurse-larva gene co-expression to infer putative social gene regulatory networks acting between nurses and larvae. Genes with the strongest inferred social effects tend to be peripheral elements of within-tissue regulatory networks and are often known to encode secreted proteins. This includes interesting candidates such as the nurse-expressed giant-lens, which may influence larval epidermal growth factor signaling, a pathway known to influence various aspects of insect development. Finally, we find that genes with the strongest signatures of social regulation tend to experience relaxed selective constraint and are evolutionarily young. Overall, our study provides a first glimpse into the molecular and evolutionary features of the social mechanisms that regulate all aspects of social life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael R. Warner
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Alexander S. Mikheyev
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Timothy A. Linksvayer
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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48
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Comparative transcriptomics of social insect queen pheromones. Nat Commun 2019; 10:1593. [PMID: 30962449 PMCID: PMC6453924 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09567-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Queen pheromones are chemical signals that mediate reproductive division of labor in eusocial animals. Remarkably, queen pheromones are composed of identical or chemically similar compounds in some ants, wasps and bees, even though these taxa diverged >150MYA and evolved queens and workers independently. Here, we measure the transcriptomic consequences of experimental exposure to queen pheromones in workers from two ant and two bee species (genera: Lasius, Apis, Bombus), and test whether they are similar across species. Queen pheromone exposure affected transcription and splicing at many loci. Many genes responded consistently in multiple species, and the set of pheromone-sensitive genes was enriched for functions relating to lipid biosynthesis and transport, olfaction, production of cuticle, oogenesis, and histone (de)acetylation. Pheromone-sensitive genes tend to be evolutionarily ancient, positively selected, peripheral in the gene coexpression network, hypomethylated, and caste-specific in their expression. Our results reveal how queen pheromones achieve their effects, and suggest that ants and bees use similar genetic modules to achieve reproductive division of labor.
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49
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Draft Genome Assembly and Population Genetics of an Agricultural Pollinator, the Solitary Alkali Bee (Halictidae: Nomia melanderi). G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2019; 9:625-634. [PMID: 30642875 PMCID: PMC6404593 DOI: 10.1534/g3.118.200865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Alkali bees (Nomia melanderi) are solitary relatives of the halictine bees, which have become an important model for the evolution of social behavior, but for which few solitary comparisons exist. These ground-nesting bees defend their developing offspring against pathogens and predators, and thus exhibit some of the key traits that preceded insect sociality. Alkali bees are also efficient native pollinators of alfalfa seed, which is a crop of major economic value in the United States. We sequenced, assembled, and annotated a high-quality draft genome of 299.6 Mbp for this species. Repetitive content makes up more than one-third of this genome, and previously uncharacterized transposable elements are the most abundant type of repetitive DNA. We predicted 10,847 protein coding genes, and identify 479 of these undergoing positive directional selection with the use of population genetic analysis based on low-coverage whole genome sequencing of 19 individuals. We found evidence of recent population bottlenecks, but no significant evidence of population structure. We also identify 45 genes enriched for protein translation and folding, transcriptional regulation, and triglyceride metabolism evolving slower in alkali bees compared to other halictid bees. These resources will be useful for future studies of bee comparative genomics and pollinator health research.
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50
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Aumer D, Stolle E, Allsopp M, Mumoki F, Pirk CWW, Moritz RFA. A Single SNP Turns a Social Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Worker into a Selfish Parasite. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 36:516-526. [PMID: 30624681 PMCID: PMC6389321 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msy232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of altruism in complex insect societies is arguably one of the major transitions in evolution and inclusive fitness theory plausibly explains why this is an evolutionary stable strategy. Yet, workers of the South African Cape honey bee (Apis mellifera capensis) can reverse to selfish behavior by becoming social parasites and parthenogenetically producing female offspring (thelytoky). Using a joint mapping and population genomics approach, in combination with a time-course transcript abundance dynamics analysis, we show that a single nucleotide polymorphism at the mapped thelytoky locus (Th) is associated with the iconic thelytokous phenotype. Th forms a linkage group with the ecdysis-triggering hormone receptor (Ethr) within a nonrecombining region under strong selection in the genome. A balanced detrimental allele system plausibly explains why the trait is specific to A. m. capensis and cannot easily establish itself into genomes of other honey bee subspecies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Aumer
- Institute of Biology, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Saale, Germany
| | - Eckart Stolle
- Institute of Biology, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Saale, Germany
| | - Michael Allsopp
- Honey Bee Research Section, ARC Plant Protection Research Institute, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Fiona Mumoki
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Christian W W Pirk
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Robin F A Moritz
- Institute of Biology, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Saale, Germany
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- Department of Sericulture and Apiculture, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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