1
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Pyenson BC, Rehan SM. Gene regulation supporting sociality shared across lineages and variation in complexity. Genome 2024; 67:99-108. [PMID: 38096504 DOI: 10.1139/gen-2023-0054] [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: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Across evolutionary lineages, insects vary in social complexity, from those that exhibit extended parental care to those with elaborate divisions of labor. Here, we synthesize the sociogenomic resources from hundreds of species to describe common gene regulatory mechanisms in insects that regulate social organization across phylogeny and levels of social complexity. Different social phenotypes expressed by insects can be linked to the organization of co-expressing gene networks and features of the epigenetic landscape. Insect sociality also stems from processes like the emergence of parental care and the decoupling of ancestral genetic programs. One underexplored avenue is how variation in a group's social environment affects the gene expression of individuals. Additionally, an experimental reduction of gene expression would demonstrate how the activity of specific genes contributes to insect social phenotypes. While tissue specificity provides greater localization of the gene expression underlying social complexity, emerging transcriptomic analysis of insect brains at the cellular level provides even greater resolution to understand the molecular basis of social insect evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sandra M Rehan
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
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2
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Corona M, Branchiccela B, Alburaki M, Palmer-Young EC, Madella S, Chen Y, Evans JD. Decoupling the effects of nutrition, age, and behavioral caste on honey bee physiology, immunity, and colony health. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1149840. [PMID: 36994419 PMCID: PMC10040860 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1149840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Nutritional stress, especially a dearth of pollen, has been linked to honey bee colony losses. Colony-level experiments are critical for understanding the mechanisms by which nutritional stress affects individual honey bee physiology and pushes honey bee colonies to collapse. In this study, we investigated the impact of pollen restriction on key markers of honey bee physiology, main elements of the immune system, and predominant honey bee viruses. To achieve this objective, we uncoupled the effects of behavior, age, and nutritional conditions using a new colony establishment technique designed to control size, demography, and genetic background. Our results showed that the expression of storage proteins, including vitellogenin (vg) and royal jelly major protein 1 (mrjp1), were significantly associated with nursing, pollen ingestion, and older age. On the other hand, genes involved in hormonal regulation including insulin-like peptides (ilp1 and ilp2) and methyl farnesoate epoxidase (mfe), exhibited higher expression levels in young foragers from colonies not experiencing pollen restriction. In contrast, pollen restriction induced higher levels of insulin-like peptides in old nurses. On the other hand, we found a strong effect of behavior on the expression of all immune genes, with higher expression levels in foragers. In contrast, the effects of nutrition and age were significant only the expression of the regulatory gene dorsal. We also found multiple interactions of the experimental variables on viral titers, including higher Deformed wing virus (DWV) titers associated with foraging and age-related decline. In addition, nutrition significantly affected DWV titers in young nurses, with higher titers induced by pollen ingestion. In contrast, higher levels of Black queen cell virus (BQCV) were associated with pollen restriction. Finally, correlation, PCA, and NMDS analyses proved that behavior had had the strongest effect on gene expression and viral titers, followed by age and nutrition. These analyses also support multiple interactions among genes and virus analyzed, including negative correlations between the expression of genes encoding storage proteins associated with pollen ingestion and nursing (vg and mrjp1) with the expression of immune genes and DWV titers. Our results provide new insights into the proximal mechanisms by which nutritional stress is associated with changes in honey bee physiology, immunity, and viral titers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Corona
- Bee Research Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Miguel Corona,
| | - Belen Branchiccela
- Sección Apicultura, Programa de Producción Familiar, Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA) Colonia, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Mohamed Alburaki
- Bee Research Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, United States
| | - Evan C. Palmer-Young
- Bee Research Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, United States
| | - Shayne Madella
- Bee Research Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, United States
| | - Yanping Chen
- Bee Research Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, United States
| | - Jay D. Evans
- Bee Research Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, United States
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3
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Aamidor SE, Cardoso-Júnior CAM, Harianto J, Nowell CJ, Cole L, Oldroyd BP, Ronai I. Reproductive plasticity and oogenesis in the queen honey bee (Apis mellifera). JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 136:104347. [PMID: 34902433 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2021.104347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In the honey bee (Apis mellifera), queen and worker castes originate from identical genetic templates but develop into different phenotypes. Queens lay up to 2000 eggs daily whereas workers are sterile in the queen's presence. Periodically queens stop laying: during swarming, when resources are scarce in winter, and when they are confined to a cage by beekeepers. We used confocal microscopy and gene expression assays to investigate the control of oogenesis in the ovaries of honey bee queens that were caged inside and outside the colony. We find evidence that queens use a different combination of 'checkpoints' to regulate oogenesis compared to honey bee workers and other insect species. However, both queen and worker castes likely use the same programmed cell death pathways to terminate oocyte development at their caste-specific checkpoints. Our results also suggest that a key factor driving the termination of oogenesis in queens is nutritional stress. Thus, queens may regulate oogenesis via the same regulatory pathways that were utilised by ancestral solitary species but likely have adjusted physiological checkpoints to suit their highly-derived life history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Aamidor
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, Ecology and Evolution, School of Life and Environmental Science, Macleay Building A12, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
| | - Carlos A M Cardoso-Júnior
- Departamento de Biologia Celulare Bioagentes Patogênicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirao Preto, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil
| | - Januar Harianto
- School of Life and Environmental Science, Macleay Building A12, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Cameron J Nowell
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - Louise Cole
- Microbial Imaging Facility, I3 Institute, Faculty of Science, The University of Technology Sydney, Australia
| | - Benjamin P Oldroyd
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, Ecology and Evolution, School of Life and Environmental Science, Macleay Building A12, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Isobel Ronai
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, Ecology and Evolution, School of Life and Environmental Science, Macleay Building A12, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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4
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Awde DN, Skandalis A, Richards MH. Foraging gene expression patterns in queens, workers, and males in a eusocial insect. CAN J ZOOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2021-0124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Reproductive division of labour is based on biased expression of complementary parental behaviours, brood production (egg-laying) by queens and brood care (in particular, brood-provisioning) by workers. In many social insect species, queens provision brood when establishing colonies at the beginning of a breeding season and reproductive division of labour begins with the emergence of workers. In many social insect species, the expression of foraging (for) mRNA is associated with the intensity of foraging behaviour and therefore brood-provisioning. However, only two studies have compared queen and worker for expression levels and neither accounted for transcript splice variation. In this study, we compare the expression level of the for-α transcript variant across four life stages of the queen caste, two behavioural groups of workers, and males of a eusocial sweat bee Lasioglossum laevissimum (Smith, 1853). Foundresses collected prior to the onset of the foraging season and males had the highest for-α expression levels. All active (post-hibernatory) queens and workers had similar for-α expression levels independent of behaviour. These results suggest that the for gene in L. laevissimum acts as a primer before foraging activity and that caste-specific expression patterns correlate with the timing of foraging activity in queens and workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N. Awde
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, USA
| | - Adonis Skandalis
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Miriam H. Richards
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada
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5
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Uy FMK, Jernigan CM, Zaba NC, Mehrotra E, Miller SE, Sheehan MJ. Dynamic neurogenomic responses to social interactions and dominance outcomes in female paper wasps. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009474. [PMID: 34478434 PMCID: PMC8415593 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Social interactions have large effects on individual physiology and fitness. In the immediate sense, social stimuli are often highly salient and engaging. Over longer time scales, competitive interactions often lead to distinct social ranks and differences in physiology and behavior. Understanding how initial responses lead to longer-term effects of social interactions requires examining the changes in responses over time. Here we examined the effects of social interactions on transcriptomic signatures at two times, at the end of a 45-minute interaction and 4 hours later, in female Polistes fuscatus paper wasp foundresses. Female P. fuscatus have variable facial patterns that are used for visual individual recognition, so we separately examined the transcriptional dynamics in the optic lobe and the non-visual brain. Results demonstrate much stronger transcriptional responses to social interactions in the non-visual brain compared to the optic lobe. Differentially regulated genes in response to social interactions are enriched for memory-related transcripts. Comparisons between winners and losers of the encounters revealed similar overall transcriptional profiles at the end of an interaction, which significantly diverged over the course of 4 hours, with losers showing changes in expression levels of genes associated with aggression and reproduction in paper wasps. On nests, subordinate foundresses are less aggressive, do more foraging and lay fewer eggs compared to dominant foundresses and we find losers shift expression of many genes in the non-visual brain, including vitellogenin, related to aggression, worker behavior, and reproduction within hours of losing an encounter. These results highlight the early neurogenomic changes that likely contribute to behavioral and physiological effects of social status changes in a social insect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floria M. K. Uy
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Christopher M. Jernigan
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Natalie C. Zaba
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Eshan Mehrotra
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Sara E. Miller
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Michael J. Sheehan
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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6
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Lucas C, Ben-Shahar Y. The foraging gene as a modulator of division of labour in social insects. J Neurogenet 2021; 35:168-178. [PMID: 34151702 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2021.1940173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The social ants, bees, wasps, and termites include some of the most ecologically-successful groups of animal species. Their dominance in most terrestrial environments is attributed to their social lifestyle, which enable their colonies to exploit environmental resources with remarkable efficiency. One key attribute of social insect colonies is the division of labour that emerges among the sterile workers, which represent the majority of colony members. Studies of the mechanisms that drive division of labour systems across diverse social species have provided fundamental insights into the developmental, physiological, molecular, and genomic processes that regulate sociality, and the possible genetic routes that may have led to its evolution from a solitary ancestor. Here we specifically discuss the conserved role of the foraging gene, which encodes a cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG). Originally identified as a behaviourally polymorphic gene that drives alternative foraging strategies in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, changes in foraging expression and kinase activity were later shown to play a key role in the division of labour in diverse social insect species as well. In particular, foraging appears to regulate worker transitions between behavioural tasks and specific behavioural traits associated with morphological castes. Although the specific neuroethological role of foraging in the insect brain remains mostly unknown, studies in genetically tractable insect species indicate that PKG signalling plays a conserved role in the neuronal plasticity of sensory, cognitive and motor functions, which underlie behaviours relevant to division of labour, including appetitive learning, aggression, stress response, phototaxis, and the response to pheromones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Lucas
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte (UMR7261), CNRS - University of Tours, Tours, France
| | - Yehuda Ben-Shahar
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
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7
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Ledón-Rettig CC. Novel brain gene-expression patterns are associated with a novel predaceous behaviour in tadpoles. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210079. [PMID: 33784864 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Novel behaviours can spur evolutionary change and sometimes even precede morphological innovation, but the evolutionary and developmental contexts for their origins can be elusive. One proposed mechanism to generate behavioural innovation is a shift in the developmental timing of gene-expression patterns underlying an ancestral behaviour, or molecular heterochrony. Alternatively, novel suites of gene expression, which could provide new contexts for signalling pathways with conserved behavioural functions, could promote novel behavioural variation. To determine the relative contributions of these alternatives to behavioural innovation, I used a species of spadefoot toad, Spea bombifrons. Based on environmental cues, Spea larvae develop as either of two morphs: 'omnivores' that, like their ancestors, feed on detritus, or 'carnivores' that are predaceous and cannibalistic. Because all anuran larvae undergo a natural transition to obligate carnivory during metamorphosis, it has been proposed that the novel, predaceous behaviour in Spea larvae represents the accelerated activation of gene networks influencing post-metamorphic behaviours. Based on comparisons of brain transcriptional profiles, my results reject widespread heterochrony as a mechanism promoting the expression of predaceous larval behaviour. They instead suggest that the evolution of this trait relied on novel patterns of gene expression that include components of pathways with conserved behavioural functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cris C Ledón-Rettig
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 915 E. Third Street, Myers Hall 100, Bloomington, IN 47405-7107, USA
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8
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Sasaki K, Yokoi K, Toga K. Bumble bee queens activate dopamine production and gene expression in nutritional signaling pathways in the brain. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5526. [PMID: 33750862 PMCID: PMC7943803 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84992-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
To explore the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying caste-specific behavior and its evolution from primitive to advanced eusocial bees, the monoamine levels and expression of genes involved in monoamine production and signaling in the brain were compared between the castes of Bombus ignitus. Higher levels of dopamine and its related substances were found in the brains of newly emerged queens than in the brains of emerged workers. The degree of caste differences in B. ignitus was smaller than that reported in Apis mellifera, indicating a link to different social stages in the two species. There was no differential expression in genes involved in dopamine biosynthesis between castes, suggesting that the high dopamine production in queens was not largely influenced by the expression of these genes at emergence, rather it might be influenced by tyrosine supply. Genome-wide analyses of gene expression by RNA-sequencing indicated that a greater number of genes involved in nutrition were actively expressed in the brains of newly emerged queens in comparison to the emerged workers. Some of the expression was confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR. The signaling pathways driven by the expression of these genes may be associated with dopamine signaling or the parallel activation of dopamine production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Sasaki
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Honeybee Science Research Center, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo, 194-8610, Japan.
| | - Kakeru Yokoi
- Insect Genome Research Unit, Division of Applied Genetics, The National Agriculture and Research Organization, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Owashi 1-2, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Kouhei Toga
- Department of Biosciences, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, Sakurajyosui 3-25-40, Setagaya-Ku, Tokyo, 156-8550, Japan
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9
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Costa CP, Fisher K, Guillén BM, Yamanaka N, Bloch G, Woodard SH. Care-giver identity impacts offspring development and performance in an annually social bumble bee. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:20. [PMID: 33563224 PMCID: PMC7871553 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01756-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The developmental fates of offspring have the potential to be influenced by the identity of their care-givers and by the nature of the care that they receive. In animals that exhibit both parental and alloparental care, such as the annually eusocial insects, the influence of care-giver identity can be directly assessed to yield mechanistic and evolutionary insights into the origins and elaboration of brood care. Here, we performed a comparative investigation of maternal and worker brood care in bumble bees, a pollinator group where mothers (queens) rear the first offspring in the nest, and then daughters (workers) assume this role upon their emergence. Specifically, we compared the effects of queen and worker brood care on offspring development and also offspring performance, for a set of traits related to sensory biology, learning, and stress resistance. RESULTS We found that queen-reared workers were smaller-bodied than worker-reared offspring, suggesting that bumble bee queens influence body size determination in their offspring. We also found that queen-reared workers were more resistant to starvation, which might be beneficial for early nesting success. These maternal influences could not be explained by feeding rate, given that we detected a similar offspring feeding frequency in both queens and workers. CONCLUSION Bumble bee queens have a unique influence on the development of the first offspring in the nest, which they rear, relative to worker-reared workers. We propose that bumble bee brood care has been shaped by a suite of evolutionary and ecological factors, which might include a maternal influence on traits that promote survival of incipient colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kaleigh Fisher
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Blanca M Guillén
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Naoki Yamanaka
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Guy Bloch
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - S Hollis Woodard
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
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10
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Gutiérrez Y, Phung T, Mumma H, Ambrose‐Winters A, Scherber C, Smith CR. Growth and survival of the superorganism: Ant colony macronutrient intake and investment. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:7901-7915. [PMID: 32760573 PMCID: PMC7391535 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 05/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we used two common ant species (Lasius niger and Lasius neoniger) to assay how they translate variation in the diet (both in composition and frequency) into growth. We measured colony development for over 8 months and measured several phenotypic traits of the worker caste, and examined whether forager preference corresponded with diet quality. Optimal colony growth was a balance between survival and growth, and each of these was maximized with different nutrient regimes. Interestingly, forager preference was not totally aligned with the diet that maximized colony growth. Our results highlight that: (a) organism and superorganism size are controlled by the same nutrients, and this may reflect a common molecular basis for size across life's organizational levels, (b) there are nutrient trade-offs that are associated with life-history trade-offs, likely leading to selection for a balanced diet, and (c) the connection between the preference of foragers for different nutrients and how nutrient combinations affect colony success and demographics are complex and only beginning to be understood.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tung Phung
- Department of BiologyEarlham CollegeRichmondINUSA
| | - Harald Mumma
- Department of BiologyEarlham CollegeRichmondINUSA
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11
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Tsuchida K, Saigo T, Asai K, Okamoto T, Ando M, Ando T, Sasaki K, Yokoi K, Watanabe D, Sugime Y, Miura T. Reproductive workers insufficiently signal their reproductive ability in a paper wasp. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Why workers forfeit direct reproduction is a crucial question in eusocial evolution. Worker reproduction provides an excellent opportunity to understand the mechanism of kin conflict resolution between the queen and workers. We evaluated behavioral and physiological differences among females in the paper wasp Polistes chinensis antennalis to examine why some workers reproduce under queenright conditions. Reproductive workers were old and foraged less early in the season; their cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles overlapped with those of queens but were significantly different. The distinct CHC profile of the eggs of the queen likely represented a cue for policing against those by workers. Juvenile hormone (JH) and dopamine seemed to be associated with gonadotropic function, and the JH level of reproductive workers was similar to that of the queen. The high JH level of reproductive workers likely facilitated their reproduction even under queenright conditions. Gene expression levels of the queen and reproductive workers differed only in vitellogenin. These results suggest that worker reproduction is facilitated by an increase in JH level; however, CHC is not a fertility-linked signal, but a queen-linked signal; consequently, reproductive workers without a queen-linked signal might be allowed to stay within the colony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koji Tsuchida
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Takaharu Saigo
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Kazuyuki Asai
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Tomoko Okamoto
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Masaki Ando
- Laboratory of Forest Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Tetsu Ando
- Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering (BASE), Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ken Sasaki
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Honeybee Science Research Center, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kakeru Yokoi
- Insect Genome Research Unit, Division of Applied Genetics, The National Agriculture and Research Organization, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Dai Watanabe
- Laboratory of Ecological Genetics, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Sugime
- Laboratory of Ecological Genetics, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Toru Miura
- Laboratory of Ecological Genetics, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Misaki Marine Biological Station, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Kanagawa, Japan
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12
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Wu M, Walser JC, Sun L, Kölliker M. The genetic mechanism of selfishness and altruism in parent-offspring coadaptation. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaaw0070. [PMID: 31922000 PMCID: PMC6941917 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw0070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The social bond between parents and offspring is characterized by coadaptation and balance between altruistic and selfish tendencies. However, its underlying genetic mechanism remains poorly understood. Using transcriptomic screens in the subsocial European earwig, Forficula auricularia, we found the expression of more than 1600 genes associated with experimentally manipulated parenting. We identified two genes, Th and PebIII, each showing evidence of differential coexpression between treatments in mothers and their offspring. In vivo RNAi experiments confirmed direct and indirect genetic effects of Th and PebIII on behavior and fitness, including maternal food provisioning and reproduction, and offspring development and survival. The direction of the effects consistently indicated a reciprocally altruistic function for Th and a reciprocally selfish function for PebIII. Further metabolic pathway analyses suggested roles for Th-restricted endogenous dopaminergic reward, PebIII-mediated chemical communication and a link to insulin signaling, juvenile hormone, and vitellogenin in parent-offspring coadaptation and social evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Wu
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology and Evolution, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Corresponding author. (M.W.); (M.K.)
| | - Jean-Claude Walser
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Genetic Diversity Centre (GDC), ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lei Sun
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Mathias Kölliker
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology and Evolution, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Corresponding author. (M.W.); (M.K.)
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13
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Pernu TK, Helanterä H. Genetic relatedness and its causal role in the evolution of insect societies. J Biosci 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s12038-019-9894-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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14
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Moore AJ, Benowitz KM. From phenotype to genotype: the precursor hypothesis predicts genetic influences that facilitate transitions in social behavior. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 34:91-96. [PMID: 31247425 PMCID: PMC7656704 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Parental care is expected to be one of the key evolutionary precursors to advanced social behavior. This suggests that there could be common genetic underpinnings to both parental care and sociality. However, little is known of the genetics underlying care. Here, we suggest that ethological predictions of behavioral precursors to care along with a genetic toolkit for behavior provide testable hypotheses and a defined approach to investigating genetics of sociality. We call this the 'precursor hypothesis'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allen J Moore
- Department of Entomology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
| | - Kyle M Benowitz
- Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
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Ma R, Rangel J, Grozinger CM. Honey bee (Apis mellifera) larval pheromones may regulate gene expression related to foraging task specialization. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:592. [PMID: 31324147 PMCID: PMC6642498 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5923-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Foraging behavior in honey bees (Apis mellifera) is a complex phenotype that is regulated by physiological state and social signals. How these factors are integrated at the molecular level to modulate foraging behavior has not been well characterized. The transition of worker bees from nursing to foraging behaviors is mediated by large-scale changes in brain gene expression, which are influenced by pheromones produced by the queen and larvae. Larval pheromones can also stimulate foragers to leave the colony to collect pollen. However, the mechanisms underpinning this rapid behavioral plasticity in foragers that specialize in collecting pollen over nectar, and how larval pheromones impact these different behavioral states, remains to be determined. Here, we investigated the patterns of gene expression related to rapid behavioral plasticity and task allocation among honey bee foragers exposed to two larval pheromones, brood pheromone (BP) and (E)-beta-ocimene (EBO). We hypothesized that both pheromones would alter expression of genes in the brain related to foraging and would differentially impact brain gene expression depending on foraging specialization. Results Combining data reduction, clustering, and network analysis methods, we found that foraging preference (nectar vs. pollen) and pheromone exposure are each associated with specific brain gene expression profiles. Furthermore, pheromone exposure has a strong transcriptional effect on genes that are preferentially expressed in nectar foragers. Representation factor analysis between our study and previous landmark honey bee transcriptome studies revealed significant overlaps for both pheromone communication and foraging task specialization. Conclusions Our results suggest that, as social signals, pheromones alter expression patterns of foraging-related genes in the bee’s brain to increase pollen foraging at both long and short time scales. These results provide new insights into how social signals and task specialization are potentially integrated at the molecular level, and highlights the possible role that brain gene expression may play in honey bee behavioral plasticity across time scales. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-019-5923-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Ma
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, Center for Chemical Ecology, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
| | - Juliana Rangel
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Christina M Grozinger
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, Center for Chemical Ecology, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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16
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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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17
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Cini A, Sumner S, Cervo R. Inquiline social parasites as tools to unlock the secrets of insect sociality. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20180193. [PMID: 30967091 PMCID: PMC6388031 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Insect societies play a crucial role in the functioning of most ecosystems and have fascinated both scientists and the lay public for centuries. Despite the long history of study, we are still far from understanding how insect societies have evolved and how social cohesion in their colonies is maintained. Here we suggest inquiline social parasites of insect societies as an under-exploited experimental tool for understanding sociality. We draw on examples from obligate inquiline (permanent) social parasites in wasps, ants and bees to illustrate how these parasites may allow us to better understand societies and learn more about the evolution and functioning of insect societies. We highlight three main features of these social parasite-host systems-namely, close phylogenetic relationships, strong selective pressures arising from coevolution and multiple independent origins-that make inquiline social parasites particularly suited for this aim; we propose a conceptual comparative framework that considers trait losses, gains and modifications in social parasite-host systems. We give examples of how this framework can reveal the more elusive secrets of sociality by focusing on two cornerstones of sociality: communication and reproductive division of labour. Together with social parasites in other taxonomic groups, such as cuckoos in birds, social parasitism has a great potential to reveal the mechanisms and evolution of complex social groups. This article is part of the theme issue 'The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Cini
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Seirian Sumner
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Rita Cervo
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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18
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Abstract
The tremendous diversity of animal behaviors has inspired generations of scientists from an array of biological disciplines. To complement investigations of ecological and evolutionary factors contributing to behavioral evolution, modern sequencing, gene editing, computational and neuroscience tools now provide a means to discover the proximate mechanisms upon which natural selection acts to generate behavioral diversity. Social behaviors are motivated behaviors that can differ tremendously between closely related species, suggesting phylogenetic plasticity in their underlying biological mechanisms. In addition, convergent evolution has repeatedly given rise to similar forms of social behavior and mating systems in distantly related species. Social behavioral divergence and convergence provides an entry point for understanding the neurogenetic mechanisms contributing to behavioral diversity. We argue that the greatest strides in discovering mechanisms contributing to social behavioral diversity will be achieved through integration of interdisciplinary comparative approaches with modern tools in diverse species systems. We review recent advances and future potential for discovering mechanisms underlying social behavioral variation; highlighting patterns of social behavioral evolution, oxytocin and vasopressin neuropeptide systems, genetic/transcriptional "toolkits," modern experimental tools, and alternative species systems, with particular emphasis on Microtine rodents and Lake Malawi cichlid fishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary V Johnson
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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19
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Jones BM, Robinson GE. Genetic accommodation and the role of ancestral plasticity in the evolution of insect eusociality. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb153163. [PMID: 30478152 PMCID: PMC6288071 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.153163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
For over a century, biologists have proposed a role for phenotypic plasticity in evolution, providing an avenue for adaptation in addition to 'mutation-first' models of evolutionary change. According to the various versions of this idea, the ability of organisms to respond adaptively to their environment through phenotypic plasticity may lead to novel phenotypes that can be screened by natural selection. If these initially environmentally induced phenotypes increase fitness, then genetic accommodation can lead to allele frequency change, influencing the expression of those phenotypes. Despite the long history of 'plasticity-first' models, the importance of genetic accommodation in shaping evolutionary change has remained controversial - it is neither fully embraced nor completely discarded by most evolutionary biologists. We suggest that the lack of acceptance of genetic accommodation in some cases is related to a lack of information on its molecular mechanisms. However, recent reports of epigenetic transgenerational inheritance now provide a plausible mechanism through which genetic accommodation may act, and we review this research here. We also discuss current evidence supporting a role for genetic accommodation in the evolution of eusociality in social insects, which have long been models for studying the influence of the environment on phenotypic variation, and may be particularly good models for testing hypotheses related to genetic accommodation. Finally, we introduce 'eusocial engineering', a method by which novel social phenotypes are first induced by environmental modification and then studied mechanistically to understand how environmentally induced plasticity may lead to heritable changes in social behavior. We believe the time is right to incorporate genetic accommodation into models of the evolution of complex traits, armed with new molecular tools and a better understanding of non-genetic heritable elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beryl M Jones
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Gene E Robinson
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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20
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21
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Walsh JT, Signorotti L, Linksvayer TA, d'Ettorre P. Phenotypic correlation between queen and worker brood care supports the role of maternal care in the evolution of eusociality. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:10409-10415. [PMID: 30464814 PMCID: PMC6238135 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cooperative brood care by siblings, a defining feature of eusociality, is hypothesized to be evolutionarily derived from maternal care via shifts in the timing of the expression of genes underlying maternal care. If sibling and maternal care share a genetic basis, the two behaviors are expected to be genetically and phenotypically correlated. We tested this prediction in the black garden ant Lasius niger by quantifying the brood retrieval rate of queens and their first and later generation worker offspring. Brood retrieval rate of queens was positively phenotypically correlated with the brood retrieval rate of first generation but not with later generation workers. The difference between first and later generation workers could be due to the stronger similarity in care behavior provided by queens and first generation workers compared to later generations. Furthermore, we found that queen retrieval rate was positively correlated with colony productivity, suggesting that natural selection is acting on maternal care. Overall, our results support the idea of a shared genetic basis between maternal and sibling care as well as queen and worker traits more generally, which has implications for the role of intercaste correlations in the evolution of queen and worker traits and eusociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin T. Walsh
- Department of BiologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
| | - Lisa Signorotti
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology (LEEC)University of Paris 13Sorbonne Paris CitéFrance
| | | | - Patrizia d'Ettorre
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology (LEEC)University of Paris 13Sorbonne Paris CitéFrance
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22
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Mota APZ, Vidigal B, Danchin EGJ, Togawa RC, Leal-Bertioli SCM, Bertioli DJ, Araujo ACG, Brasileiro ACM, Guimaraes PM. Comparative root transcriptome of wild Arachis reveals NBS-LRR genes related to nematode resistance. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2018; 18:159. [PMID: 30081841 PMCID: PMC6080386 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-018-1373-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Root-Knot Nematode (RKN), Meloidogyne arenaria, significantly reduces peanut grain quality and yield worldwide. Whilst the cultivated species has low levels of resistance to RKN and other pests and diseases, peanut wild relatives (Arachis spp.) show rich genetic diversity and harbor high levels of resistance to many pathogens and environmental constraints. Comparative transcriptome analysis can be applied to identify candidate resistance genes. RESULTS Transcriptome analysis during the early stages of RKN infection of two peanut wild relatives, the highly RKN resistant Arachis stenosperma and the moderately susceptible A. duranensis, revealed genes related to plant immunity with contrasting expression profiles. These included genes involved in hormone signaling and secondary metabolites production and also members of the NBS-LRR class of plant disease resistance (R) genes. From 345 NBS-LRRs identified in A.duranensis reference genome, 52 were differentially expressed between inoculated and control samples, with the majority occurring in physical clusters unevenly distributed on eight chromosomes with preferential tandem duplication. The majority of these NBS-LRR genes showed contrasting expression behaviour between A. duranensis and A. stenosperma, particularly at 6 days after nematode inoculation, coinciding with the onset of the Hypersensitive Response in the resistant species. The physical clustering of some of these NBS-LRR genes correlated with their expression patterns in the contrasting genotypes. Four NBS-LRR genes exclusively expressed in A. stenosperma are located within clusters on chromosome Aradu. A09, which harbors a QTL for RKN resistance, suggesting a functional role for their physical arrangement and their potential involvement in this defense response. CONCLUSION The identification of functional novel R genes in wild Arachis species responsible for triggering effective defense cascades can contribute to the crop genetic improvement and enhance peanut resilience to RKN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Paula Zotta Mota
- EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasilia, DF Brazil
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Campus do Vale, Porto Alegre, RS Brazil
| | - Bruna Vidigal
- EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasilia, DF Brazil
| | | | | | | | - David John Bertioli
- Center for Applied Genetic Technologies, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia USA
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23
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Chandra V, Fetter-Pruneda I, Oxley PR, Ritger AL, McKenzie SK, Libbrecht R, Kronauer DJC. Social regulation of insulin signaling and the evolution of eusociality in ants. Science 2018; 361:398-402. [PMID: 30049879 PMCID: PMC6178808 DOI: 10.1126/science.aar5723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Revised: 04/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Queens and workers of eusocial Hymenoptera are considered homologous to the reproductive and brood care phases of an ancestral subsocial life cycle. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the evolution of reproductive division of labor remain obscure. Using a brain transcriptomics screen, we identified a single gene, insulin-like peptide 2 (ilp2), which is always up-regulated in ant reproductives, likely because they are better nourished than their nonreproductive nestmates. In clonal raider ants (Ooceraea biroi), larval signals inhibit adult reproduction by suppressing ilp2, thus producing a colony reproductive cycle reminiscent of ancestral subsociality. However, increasing ILP2 peptide levels overrides larval suppression, thereby breaking the colony cycle and inducing a stable division of labor. These findings suggest a simple model for the origin of ant eusociality via nutritionally determined reproductive asymmetries potentially amplified by larval signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikram Chandra
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Ingrid Fetter-Pruneda
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Peter R Oxley
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Samuel J. Wood Library, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Amelia L Ritger
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Sean K McKenzie
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore Building, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Romain Libbrecht
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Daniel J C Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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24
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Insects with similar social complexity show convergent patterns of adaptive molecular evolution. Sci Rep 2018; 8:10388. [PMID: 29991733 PMCID: PMC6039441 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28489-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Eusociality has independently evolved multiple times in the hymenoptera, but the patterns of adaptive molecular evolution underlying the evolution and elaboration of eusociality remain uncertain. Here, we performed a population genomics study of primitively eusocial Polistes (paper wasps), and compared their patterns of molecular evolution to two social bees; Bombus (bumblebees), and Apis (honey bees). This species triad allowed us to study molecular evolution across a gradient of social complexity (Polistes < Bombus < Apis) and compare species pairs that have similar (i.e. Polistes and Bombus) or different (i.e. Polistes and Apis) life histories, while controlling for phylogenetic distance. We found that regulatory genes have high levels of positive selection in Polistes; consistent with the prediction that adaptive changes in gene regulation are important during early stages of social evolution. Polistes and Bombus exhibit greater similarity in patterns of adaptive evolution including greater overlap of genes experiencing positive selection, and greater positive selection on queen-biased genes. Our findings suggest that either adaptive evolution of a few key genes underlie the evolution of simpler forms of eusociality, or that the initial stages of social evolution lead to selection on a few key traits orchestrated by orthologous genes and networks.
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25
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Weiner S, Geffre A, Toth A. Functional genomics in the wild: a case study with paper wasps shows challenges and prospects for RNA interference in ecological systems. Genome 2018; 61:266-272. [DOI: 10.1139/gen-2017-0066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) is a useful tool to assess gene function by knocking down expression of a target gene and has been used successfully in domestic and laboratory organisms. However, the use of RNAi for functional genomics has not fully extended into ecological model organisms in natural environments. Assessment of gene function in the wild is important because gene function can be environmentally and context dependent. Here, we present a case study using RNAi to assess gene function in wild paper wasps Polistes metricus, to test roles for two candidate genes (NADH dehydrogenase (NADHdh) and retinoid and fatty acid binding protein (RfaBp)) in the development of reproductive castes. Previous studies have shown that these genes are upregulated in larvae that become queens compared to workers, but this pattern was reversed in the laboratory, making field-based studies necessary. We orally administered dsRNA to larvae in field colonies and found evidence of a short-term knockdown followed by a compensatory rebound in expression for RfaBp. We also observed the predicted worker-like decrease in lipid stores in NADHdh dsRNA treated wasps, suggesting a possible role for NADHdh in caste development. We discuss our results in the context of challenges for using RNAi for functional genomics in ecological model organisms in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- S.A. Weiner
- Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - A.G. Geffre
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - A.L. Toth
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
- Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
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26
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Pennell TM, Holman L, Morrow EH, Field J. Building a new research framework for social evolution: intralocus caste antagonism. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 93:1251-1268. [PMID: 29341390 PMCID: PMC5896731 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Revised: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The breeding and non‐breeding ‘castes’ of eusocial insects provide a striking example of role‐specific selection, where each caste maximises fitness through different morphological, behavioural and physiological trait values. Typically, queens are long‐lived egg‐layers, while workers are short‐lived, largely sterile foragers. Remarkably, the two castes are nevertheless produced by the same genome. The existence of inter‐caste genetic correlations is a neglected consequence of this shared genome, potentially hindering the evolution of caste dimorphism: alleles that increase the productivity of queens may decrease the productivity of workers and vice versa, such that each caste is prevented from reaching optimal trait values. A likely consequence of this ‘intralocus caste antagonism’ should be the maintenance of genetic variation for fitness and maladaptation within castes (termed ‘caste load’), analogous to the result of intralocus sexual antagonism. The aim of this review is to create a research framework for understanding caste antagonism, drawing in part upon conceptual similarities with sexual antagonism. By reviewing both the social insect and sexual antagonism literature, we highlight the current empirical evidence for caste antagonism, discuss social systems of interest, how antagonism might be resolved, and challenges for future research. We also introduce the idea that sexual and caste antagonism could interact, creating a three‐way antagonism over gene expression. This includes unpacking the implications of haplodiploidy for the outcome of this complex interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya M Pennell
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Luke Holman
- School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Edward H Morrow
- Evolution Behaviour and Environment Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, East Sussex, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Jeremy Field
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
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28
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Ingram KK, Gordon DM, Friedman DA, Greene M, Kahler J, Peteru S. Context-dependent expression of the foraging gene in field colonies of ants: the interacting roles of age, environment and task. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.0841. [PMID: 27581876 PMCID: PMC5013789 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Task allocation among social insect workers is an ideal framework for studying the molecular mechanisms underlying behavioural plasticity because workers of similar genotype adopt different behavioural phenotypes. Elegant laboratory studies have pioneered this effort, but field studies involving the genetic regulation of task allocation are rare. Here, we investigate the expression of the foraging gene in harvester ant workers from five age- and task-related groups in a natural population, and we experimentally test how exposure to light affects foraging expression in brood workers and foragers. Results from our field study show that the regulation of the foraging gene in harvester ants occurs at two time scales: levels of foraging mRNA are associated with ontogenetic changes over weeks in worker age, location and task, and there are significant daily oscillations in foraging expression in foragers. The temporal dissection of foraging expression reveals that gene expression changes in foragers occur across a scale of hours and the level of expression is predicted by activity rhythms: foragers have high levels of foraging mRNA during daylight hours when they are most active outside the nests. In the experimental study, we find complex interactions in foraging expression between task behaviour and light exposure. Oscillations occur in foragers following experimental exposure to 13 L : 11 D (LD) conditions, but not in brood workers under similar conditions. No significant differences were seen in foraging expression over time in either task in 24 h dark (DD) conditions. Interestingly, the expression of foraging in both undisturbed field and experimentally treated foragers is also significantly correlated with the expression of the circadian clock gene, cycle. Our results provide evidence that the regulation of this gene is context-dependent and associated with both ontogenetic and daily behavioural plasticity in field colonies of harvester ants. Our results underscore the importance of assaying temporal patterns in behavioural gene expression and suggest that gene regulation is an integral mechanism associated with behavioural plasticity in harvester ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista K Ingram
- Department of Biology, Colgate University, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346, USA
| | - Deborah M Gordon
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Gilbert Biological Science Building, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Daniel A Friedman
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Gilbert Biological Science Building, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michael Greene
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado, Campus Box 171, PO Box 176634, Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA
| | - John Kahler
- Department of Biology, Colgate University, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346, USA
| | - Swetha Peteru
- Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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29
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Fantastic Beasts and How To Sequence Them: Ecological Genomics for Obscure Model Organisms. Trends Genet 2017; 34:121-132. [PMID: 29198378 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2017.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Revised: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The application of genomic approaches to 'obscure model organisms' (OMOs), meaning species with no prior genomic resources, enables increasingly sophisticated studies of the genomic basis of evolution, acclimatization, and adaptation in real ecological contexts. I consider here ecological questions that can be addressed using OMOs, and indicate optimal sequencing and data-handling solutions for each case. With this I hope to promote the diversity of OMO-based projects that would capitalize on the peculiarities of the natural history of OMOs and could feasibly be completed within the scope of a single PhD thesis.
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30
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Shell WA, Rehan SM. The price of insurance: costs and benefits of worker production in a facultatively social bee. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Wyatt A Shell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
| | - Sandra M Rehan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
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31
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Geffre AC, Liu R, Manfredini F, Beani L, Kathirithamby J, Grozinger CM, Toth AL. Transcriptomics of an extended phenotype: parasite manipulation of wasp social behaviour shifts expression of caste-related genes. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:rspb.2017.0029. [PMID: 28404777 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Parasites can manipulate host behaviour to increase their own transmission and fitness, but the genomic mechanisms by which parasites manipulate hosts are not well understood. We investigated the relationship between the social paper wasp, Polistes dominula, and its parasite, Xenos vesparum (Insecta: Strepsiptera), to understand the effects of an obligate endoparasitoid on its host's brain transcriptome. Previous research suggests that X. vesparum shifts aspects of host social caste-related behaviour and physiology in ways that benefit the parasitoid. We hypothesized that X. vesparum-infested (stylopized) females would show a shift in caste-related brain gene expression. Specifically, we predicted that stylopized females, who would normally be workers, would show gene expression patterns resembling pre-overwintering queens (gynes), reflecting gyne-like changes in behaviour. We used RNA-sequencing data to characterize patterns of brain gene expression in stylopized females and compared these with those of unstylopized workers and gynes. In support of our hypothesis, we found that stylopized females, despite sharing numerous physiological and life-history characteristics with members of the worker caste, show gyne-shifted brain expression patterns. These data suggest that the parasitoid affects its host by exploiting phenotypic plasticity related to social caste, thus shifting naturally occurring social behaviour in a way that is beneficial to the parasitoid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy C Geffre
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Ruolin Liu
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Fabio Manfredini
- School of Biological Sciences and Centre for Systems and Synthetic Biology, Royal Holloway, University of London, London, UK
| | - Laura Beani
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Christina M Grozinger
- Center for Pollinator Research and Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Amy L Toth
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA .,Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
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32
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Fischer EK, O'Connell LA. Modification of feeding circuits in the evolution of social behavior. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:92-102. [PMID: 28057832 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.143859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Adaptive trade-offs between foraging and social behavior intuitively explain many aspects of individual decision-making. Given the intimate connection between social behavior and feeding/foraging at the behavioral level, we propose that social behaviors are linked to foraging on a mechanistic level, and that modifications of feeding circuits are crucial in the evolution of complex social behaviors. In this Review, we first highlight the overlap between mechanisms underlying foraging and parental care and then expand this argument to consider the manipulation of feeding-related pathways in the evolution of other complex social behaviors. We include examples from diverse taxa to highlight that the independent evolution of complex social behaviors is a variation on the theme of feeding circuit modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva K Fischer
- Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Lauren A O'Connell
- Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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33
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Caste differences in the mushroom bodies of swarm-founding paper wasps: implications for brain plasticity and brain evolution (Vespidae, Epiponini). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2344-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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34
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Okada Y, Watanabe Y, Tin MMY, Tsuji K, Mikheyev AS. Social dominance alters nutrition-related gene expression immediately: transcriptomic evidence from a monomorphic queenless ant. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:2922-2938. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Revised: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yasukazu Okada
- Department of General Systems Studies; Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; The University of Tokyo; 3-8-1 Komaba Tokyo Japan
| | - Yutaka Watanabe
- Ecology and Evolution Unit; Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology; 1919-1 Tancha Onna-son Kunigami Okinawa 904-0495 Japan
| | - Mandy M. Y. Tin
- Ecology and Evolution Unit; Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology; 1919-1 Tancha Onna-son Kunigami Okinawa 904-0495 Japan
| | - Kazuki Tsuji
- Department of Subtropical Agro-Environmental Sciences; Faculty of Agriculture; University of the Ryukyus; Nishihara Okinawa 903-0213 Japan
| | - Alexander S. Mikheyev
- Ecology and Evolution Unit; Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology; 1919-1 Tancha Onna-son Kunigami Okinawa 904-0495 Japan
- Research School of Biology; Australian National University; Canberra ACT 0200 Australia
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35
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Trapp J, McAfee A, Foster LJ. Genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics: enabling insights into social evolution and disease challenges for managed and wild bees. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:718-739. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Revised: 10/26/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Judith Trapp
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Michael Smith Laboratories; University of British Columbia; 2125 East Mall Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4 Canada
| | - Alison McAfee
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Michael Smith Laboratories; University of British Columbia; 2125 East Mall Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4 Canada
| | - Leonard J. Foster
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Michael Smith Laboratories; University of British Columbia; 2125 East Mall Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4 Canada
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36
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Toth AL, Rehan SM. Molecular Evolution of Insect Sociality: An Eco-Evo-Devo Perspective. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2017; 62:419-442. [PMID: 27912247 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-031616-035601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of eusociality is a perennial issue in evolutionary biology, and genomic advances have fueled steadily growing interest in the genetic changes underlying social evolution. Along with a recent flurry of research on comparative and evolutionary genomics in different eusocial insect groups (bees, ants, wasps, and termites), several mechanistic explanations have emerged to describe the molecular evolution of eusociality from solitary behavior. These include solitary physiological ground plans, genetic toolkits of deeply conserved genes, evolutionary changes in protein-coding genes, cis regulation, and the structure of gene networks, epigenetics, and novel genes. Despite this proliferation of ideas, there has been little synthesis, even though these ideas are not mutually exclusive and may in fact be complementary. We review available data on molecular evolution of insect sociality and highlight key biotic and abiotic factors influencing social insect genomes. We then suggest both phylogenetic and ecological evolutionary developmental biology (eco-evo-devo) perspectives for a more synthetic view of molecular evolution in insect societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Toth
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011;
- Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
| | - Sandra M Rehan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824;
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37
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Jedlička P, Ernst UR, Votavová A, Hanus R, Valterová I. Gene Expression Dynamics in Major Endocrine Regulatory Pathways along the Transition from Solitary to Social Life in a Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris. Front Physiol 2016; 7:574. [PMID: 27932998 PMCID: PMC5121236 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2016.00574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the social evolution leading to insect eusociality requires, among other, a detailed insight into endocrine regulatory mechanisms that have been co-opted from solitary ancestors to play new roles in the complex life histories of eusocial species. Bumblebees represent well-suited models of a relatively primitive social organization standing on the mid-way to highly advanced eusociality and their queens undergo both, a solitary and a social phase, separated by winter diapause. In the present paper, we characterize the gene expression levels of major endocrine regulatory pathways across tissues, sexes, and life-stages of the buff-tailed bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, with special emphasis on critical stages of the queen's transition from solitary to social life. We focused on fundamental genes of three pathways: (1) Forkhead box protein O and insulin/insulin-like signaling, (2) Juvenile hormone (JH) signaling, and (3) Adipokinetic hormone signaling. Virgin queens were distinguished by higher expression of forkhead box protein O and downregulated insulin-like peptides and JH signaling, indicated by low expression of methyl farnesoate epoxidase (MFE) and transcription factor Krüppel homolog 1 (Kr-h1). Diapausing queens showed the expected downregulation of JH signaling in terms of low MFE and vitellogenin (Vg) expressions, but an unexpectedly high expression of Kr-h1. By contrast, reproducing queens revealed an upregulation of MFE and Vg together with insulin signaling. Surprisingly, the insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1) turned out to be a queen-specific hormone. Workers exhibited an expression pattern of MFE and Vg similar to that of reproducing queens. Males were characterized by high Kr-h1 expression and low Vg level. The tissue comparison unveiled an unexpected resemblance between the fat body and hypopharyngeal glands across all investigated genes, sexes, and life stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Jedlička
- Department of Chemistry of Social Insects, The Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences Prague, Czechia
| | - Ulrich R Ernst
- Department of Chemistry of Social Insects, The Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences Prague, Czechia
| | | | - Robert Hanus
- Department of Chemistry of Social Insects, The Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences Prague, Czechia
| | - Irena Valterová
- Research Group of Infochemicals, The Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences Prague, Czechia
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38
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Pamminger T, Hughes WOH. Testing the reproductive groundplan hypothesis in ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Evolution 2016; 71:153-159. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2016] [Revised: 10/16/2016] [Accepted: 10/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Pamminger
- School of Life Sciences; University of Sussex; Falmer Brighton BN1 9QG United Kingdom
| | - William O. H. Hughes
- School of Life Sciences; University of Sussex; Falmer Brighton BN1 9QG United Kingdom
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39
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Kelly MW, Pankey MS, DeBiasse MB, Plachetzki DC. Adaptation to heat stress reduces phenotypic and transcriptional plasticity in a marine copepod. Funct Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Morgan W. Kelly
- Department of Biological Sciences Louisiana State University Baton Rouge LA70803 USA
| | - M. Sabrina Pankey
- Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences University of New Hampshire Rudman Hall 46 College Rd. Durham NH03824‐2618 USA
| | - Melissa B. DeBiasse
- Department of Biological Sciences Louisiana State University Baton Rouge LA70803 USA
| | - David C. Plachetzki
- Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences University of New Hampshire Rudman Hall 46 College Rd. Durham NH03824‐2618 USA
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40
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Davies NG, Ross L, Gardner A. The ecology of sex explains patterns of helping in arthropod societies. Ecol Lett 2016; 19:862-72. [PMID: 27250600 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2016] [Revised: 03/30/2016] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Across arthropod societies, sib-rearing (e.g. nursing or nest defence) may be provided by females, by males or by both sexes. According to Hamilton's 'haplodiploidy hypothesis', this diversity reflects the relatedness consequences of diploid vs. haplodiploid inheritance. However, an alternative 'preadaptation hypothesis' instead emphasises an interplay of ecology and the co-option of ancestral, sexually dimorphic traits for sib-rearing. The preadaptation hypothesis has recently received empirical support, but remains to be formalised. Here, we mathematically model the coevolution of sex-specific helping and sex allocation, contrasting these hypotheses. We find that ploidy per se has little effect. Rather, the ecology of sex shapes patterns of helping: sex-specific preadaptation strongly influences who helps; a freely adjustable sex ratio magnifies sex biases and promotes helping; and sib-mating, promiscuity, and reproductive autonomy also modulate the sex and abundance of helpers. An empirical survey reveals that patterns of sex-specific helping in arthropod taxa are consistent with the preadaptation hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas G Davies
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Laura Ross
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JT, UK
| | - Andy Gardner
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Dyers Brae, St Andrews, KY16 9TH, UK
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41
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Standage DS, Berens AJ, Glastad KM, Severin AJ, Brendel VP, Toth AL. Genome, transcriptome and methylome sequencing of a primitively eusocial wasp reveal a greatly reduced DNA methylation system in a social insect. Mol Ecol 2016; 25:1769-84. [PMID: 26859767 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Revised: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Comparative genomics of social insects has been intensely pursued in recent years with the goal of providing insights into the evolution of social behaviour and its underlying genomic and epigenomic basis. However, the comparative approach has been hampered by a paucity of data on some of the most informative social forms (e.g. incipiently and primitively social) and taxa (especially members of the wasp family Vespidae) for studying social evolution. Here, we provide a draft genome of the primitively eusocial model insect Polistes dominula, accompanied by analysis of caste-related transcriptome and methylome sequence data for adult queens and workers. Polistes dominula possesses a fairly typical hymenopteran genome, but shows very low genomewide GC content and some evidence of reduced genome size. We found numerous caste-related differences in gene expression, with evidence that both conserved and novel genes are related to caste differences. Most strikingly, these -omics data reveal a major reduction in one of the major epigenetic mechanisms that has been previously suggested to be important for caste differences in social insects: DNA methylation. Along with a conspicuous loss of a key gene associated with environmentally responsive DNA methylation (the de novo DNA methyltransferase Dnmt3), these wasps have greatly reduced genomewide methylation to almost zero. In addition to providing a valuable resource for comparative analysis of social insect evolution, our integrative -omics data for this important behavioural and evolutionary model system call into question the general importance of DNA methylation in caste differences and evolution in social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel S Standage
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - Ali J Berens
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Karl M Glastad
- School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Andrew J Severin
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.,Office of Biotechnology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Volker P Brendel
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA.,School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - Amy L Toth
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.,Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
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42
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Lockett GA, Almond EJ, Huggins TJ, Parker JD, Bourke AFG. Gene expression differences in relation to age and social environment in queen and worker bumble bees. Exp Gerontol 2016; 77:52-61. [PMID: 26883339 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2016.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2015] [Revised: 01/24/2016] [Accepted: 02/12/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Eusocial insects provide special insights into the genetic pathways influencing aging because of their long-lived queens and flexible aging schedules. Using qRT-PCR in the primitively eusocial bumble bee Bombus terrestris (Linnaeus), we investigated expression levels of four candidate genes associated with taxonomically widespread age-related pathways (coenzyme Q biosynthesis protein 7, COQ7; DNA methyltransferase 3, Dnmt3; foraging, for; and vitellogenin, vg). In Experiment 1, we tested how expression changes with queen relative age and productivity. We found a significant age-related increase in COQ7 expression in queen ovary. In brain, all four genes showed higher expression with increasing female (queen plus worker) production, with this relationship strengthening as queen age increased, suggesting a link with the positive association of fecundity and longevity found in eusocial insect queens. In Experiment 2, we tested effects of relative age and social environment (worker removal) in foundress queens and effects of age and reproductive status in workers. In this experiment, workerless queens showed significantly higher for expression in brain, as predicted if downregulation of for is associated with the cessation of foraging by foundress queens following worker emergence. Workers showed a significant age-related increase in Dnmt3 expression in fat body, suggesting a novel association between aging and methylation in B. terrestris. Ovary activation was associated with significantly higher vg expression in fat body and, in younger workers, in brain, consistent with vitellogenin's ancestral role in regulating egg production. Overall, our findings reveal a mixture of novel and conserved features in age-related genetic pathways under primitive eusociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle A Lockett
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Life Sciences Building, Highfield Campus, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Edward J Almond
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Timothy J Huggins
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Joel D Parker
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Life Sciences Building, Highfield Campus, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Andrew F G Bourke
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.
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43
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Kapheim KM. Genomic sources of phenotypic novelty in the evolution of eusociality in insects. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2016; 13:24-32. [PMID: 27436550 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2015.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Revised: 10/13/2015] [Accepted: 10/28/2015] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Genomic resources are now available for closely related species that vary in social behavior, providing insight on the genomics of social evolution. Changes in the architecture of gene regulatory networks likely influence the evolutionary trajectory of social traits. Evolutionarily novel genes are likely important in the evolution of social diversity among insects, but it is unclear whether new genes played a driving role in the advent or elaboration of eusociality or if they were instead a result of other genomic features of eusociality. The worker phenotype appears to be the center of genetic novelty, but the mechanisms for this remain unresolved. Future studies are needed to understand how genetic novelty arises, becomes incorporated into existing gene regulatory networks, and the effects this has on the evolution of social traits in closely related social and solitary species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen M Kapheim
- Utah State University, Department of Biology, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan UT 84322, USA.
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44
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Ronai I, Vergoz V, Oldroyd B. The Mechanistic, Genetic, and Evolutionary Basis of Worker Sterility in the Social Hymenoptera. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2016.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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45
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Berens AJ, Tibbetts EA, Toth AL. Candidate genes for individual recognition in Polistes fuscatus paper wasps. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2015; 202:115-29. [PMID: 26660069 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-015-1057-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2015] [Revised: 11/12/2015] [Accepted: 11/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Few animals are known to individually recognize conspecifics, i.e. learn and recall unique individuals during subsequent encounters, and nearly all are social vertebrates. Remarkably, the social paper wasp Polistes fuscatus has recently been discovered to possess this ability, which is useful for remembering identities during competitive social interactions. We analyzed brain gene expression in staged encounters between pairs of individuals to explore potential mechanisms underlying wasps' ability to recall familiar individuals using real-time qRT-PCR. We identified four candidate genes (IP3K, IP3R, Nckx30C and Su(var)2-10) that were down-regulated in the presence of familiar individuals compared to single wasps and pairs of wasps meeting for the first time. These candidate genes are related to calcium signaling, therefore, we treated wasps with lithium chloride, a pharmacological agent that inhibits calcium signaling in neurons. This treatment decreased aggression in paper wasps, but did not affect expression of genes related to calcium signaling. The results suggest calcium signaling differences may be related to individual memory recall in wasps, and we present four promising candidate genes for future study. These data suggest genes associated with dominance behavior may be co-opted for individual recognition, but further work is needed to establish a causal association with the behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J Berens
- Program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
| | - E A Tibbetts
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - A L Toth
- Program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
- Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
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46
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Reproductive experiential regulation of cognitive and emotional resilience. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 58:92-106. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2014] [Revised: 04/16/2015] [Accepted: 05/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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47
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Ockendon NF, O'Connell LA, Bush SJ, Monzón-Sandoval J, Barnes H, Székely T, Hofmann HA, Dorus S, Urrutia AO. Optimization of next-generation sequencing transcriptome annotation for species lacking sequenced genomes. Mol Ecol Resour 2015; 16:446-58. [PMID: 26358618 PMCID: PMC4982090 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.12465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2014] [Revised: 08/01/2015] [Accepted: 08/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Next‐generation sequencing methods, such as RNA‐seq, have permitted the exploration of gene expression in a range of organisms which have been studied in ecological contexts but lack a sequenced genome. However, the efficacy and accuracy of RNA‐seq annotation methods using reference genomes from related species have yet to be robustly characterized. Here we conduct a comprehensive power analysis employing RNA‐seq data from Drosophila melanogaster in conjunction with 11 additional genomes from related Drosophila species to compare annotation methods and quantify the impact of evolutionary divergence between transcriptome and the reference genome. Our analyses demonstrate that, regardless of the level of sequence divergence, direct genome mapping (DGM), where transcript short reads are aligned directly to the reference genome, significantly outperforms the widely used de novo and guided assembly‐based methods in both the quantity and accuracy of gene detection. Our analysis also reveals that DGM recovers a more representative profile of Gene Ontology functional categories, which are often used to interpret emergent patterns in genomewide expression analyses. Lastly, analysis of available primate RNA‐seq data demonstrates the applicability of our observations across diverse taxa. Our quantification of annotation accuracy and reduced gene detection associated with sequence divergence thus provides empirically derived guidelines for the design of future gene expression studies in species without sequenced genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina F Ockendon
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.,Milner Centre, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Lauren A O'Connell
- FAS Centre for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Stephen J Bush
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.,Milner Centre, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Jimena Monzón-Sandoval
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.,Milner Centre, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Holly Barnes
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.,Milner Centre, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Tamás Székely
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.,Milner Centre, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Hans A Hofmann
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Steve Dorus
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - Araxi O Urrutia
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.,Milner Centre, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
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48
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Smith CR, Helms Cahan S, Kemena C, Brady SG, Yang W, Bornberg-Bauer E, Eriksson T, Gadau J, Helmkampf M, Gotzek D, Okamoto Miyakawa M, Suarez AV, Mikheyev A. How Do Genomes Create Novel Phenotypes? Insights from the Loss of the Worker Caste in Ant Social Parasites. Mol Biol Evol 2015; 32:2919-31. [PMID: 26226984 PMCID: PMC4651238 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msv165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
A central goal of biology is to uncover the genetic basis for the origin of new
phenotypes. A particularly effective approach is to examine the genomic
architecture of species that have secondarily lost a phenotype with respect to
their close relatives. In the eusocial Hymenoptera, queens and workers have
divergent phenotypes that may be produced via either expression of alternative
sets of caste-specific genes and pathways or differences in expression patterns
of a shared set of multifunctional genes. To distinguish between these two
hypotheses, we investigated how secondary loss of the worker phenotype in
workerless ant social parasites impacted genome evolution across two independent
origins of social parasitism in the ant genera Pogonomyrmex and
Vollenhovia. We sequenced the genomes of three social
parasites and their most-closely related eusocial host species and compared gene
losses in social parasites with gene expression differences between host queens
and workers. Virtually all annotated genes were expressed to some degree in both
castes of the host, with most shifting in queen-worker bias across developmental
stages. As a result, despite >1 My of divergence from the last common
ancestor that had workers, the social parasites showed strikingly little
evidence of gene loss, damaging mutations, or shifts in selection regime
resulting from loss of the worker caste. This suggests that regulatory changes
within a multifunctional genome, rather than sequence differences, have played a
predominant role in the evolution of social parasitism, and perhaps also in the
many gains and losses of phenotypes in the social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Carsten Kemena
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhems-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Seán G Brady
- Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC
| | - Wei Yang
- Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
| | - Erich Bornberg-Bauer
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhems-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Ti Eriksson
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
| | | | | | - Dietrich Gotzek
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
| | - Misato Okamoto Miyakawa
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Andrew V Suarez
- Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Entomology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
| | - Alexander Mikheyev
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
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49
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Kijimoto T, Snell-Rood EC, Pespeni MH, Rocha G, Kafadar K, Moczek AP. The nutritionally responsive transcriptome of the polyphenic beetle Onthophagus taurus and the importance of sexual dimorphism and body region. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 281:rspb.2014.2084. [PMID: 25377458 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.2084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental responses to nutritional variation represent one of the ecologically most important classes of adaptive plasticity. However, knowledge of genome-wide patterns of nutrition-responsive gene expression is limited. Here, we studied genome-wide transcriptional responses to nutritional variation and their dependency on trait and sex in the beetle Onthophagus taurus. We find that averaged across the transcriptome, nutrition contributes less to overall variation in gene expression than do sex or body region, but that for a modest subset of genes nutrition is by far the most important determinant of expression variation. Furthermore, our results reject the hypothesis that a common machinery may underlie nutrition-sensitive development across body regions. Instead, we find that magnitude (measured by number of differentially expressed contigs), composition (measured by functional enrichment) and evolutionary consequences (measured by patterns of sequence variation) are heavily dependent on exactly which body region is considered and the degree of sexual dimorphism observed on a morphological level. More generally, our findings illustrate that studies into the developmental mechanisms and evolutionary consequences of nutrition-biased gene expression must take into account the dynamics and complexities imposed by other sources of variation in gene expression such as sexual dimorphism and trait type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teiya Kijimoto
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 915 East Third St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Emilie C Snell-Rood
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 915 East Third St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Melissa H Pespeni
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 915 East Third St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Guilherme Rocha
- Department of Statistics, Indiana University, 309 North Park Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47408, USA
| | - Karen Kafadar
- Department of Statistics, Indiana University, 309 North Park Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47408, USA
| | - Armin P Moczek
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 915 East Third St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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50
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Jandt JM, Thomson JL, Geffre AC, Toth AL. Lab rearing environment perturbs social traits: a case study withPolisteswasps. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
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