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Seistrup AS, Choppin M, Govind S, Feldmeyer B, Kever M, Karaulanov E, Séguret A, Karunanithi S, Almeida MV, Ketting RF, Foitzik S. Age- and caste-independent piRNAs in the germline and miRNA profiles linked to caste and fecundity in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:6027-6043. [PMID: 37830492 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Social insects are models for studies of phenotypic plasticity. Ant queens and workers vary in fecundity and lifespan, which are enhanced and extended in queens. Yet, the regulatory mechanisms underlying this variation are not well understood. Ant queens live and reproduce for years, so that they need to protect their germline from transposable element (TE) activity, which may be redundant in short-lived, often sterile workers. We analysed the expression of two protective classes of small RNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs) and Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), in various tissues, castes and age classes of the ant Temnothorax rugatulus. In queens, piRNAs were highly abundant in ovaries with TEs being their clear targets, with reduced but still detectable piRNA-specific ping-pong signatures in thorax and brains. piRNA pathway activity varied little with age in queens. Moreover, the reduced ovaries of workers also exhibited similar piRNA activity and this not only in young, fertile workers, but also in older foragers with regressed ovaries. Therefore, these ants protect their germline through piRNA activity, regardless of ovarian development, age or caste, even in sterile workers often considered the soma of the superorganism. Our tissue-specific miRNA analysis detected the expression of 304 miRNAs, of which 105 were expressed in all tissues, 10 enriched in the brain, three in the thorax, whereas 83 were ovarian-specific. We identified ovarian miRNAs whose expression was related to caste, fecundity and age, and which likely regulate group-specific gene expression. sRNA shifts in young- to middle-aged queens were minor, suggesting delayed senescence in this reproductive caste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Sophie Seistrup
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Mainz, Germany
- International PhD Programme on Gene Regulation, Epigenetics & Genome Stability, Mainz, Germany
| | - Marina Choppin
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Shamitha Govind
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Mainz, Germany
- International PhD Programme on Gene Regulation, Epigenetics & Genome Stability, Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Molecular Ecology, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Marion Kever
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Alice Séguret
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | - Miguel V Almeida
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Mainz, Germany
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - René F Ketting
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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Kohlmeier P, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S. Histone acetyltransferases and external demands influence task switching in Temnothorax ants. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230176. [PMID: 37403711 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In social hymenopterans, workers specialize in different tasks. Whether a worker nurses the brood or forages is influenced by the responsiveness for task-related cues which in turn is determined by gene expression. Task choice is dynamic and changes throughout a worker's life, e.g. with age or in response to increased demands for certain tasks. Behavioural switches require the ability to adjust gene expression but the mechanisms regulating such transcriptional adaptations remain elusive. We investigated the role of histone acetylation in task specialization and behavioural flexibility in Temnothorax longispinosus ants. By inhibiting p300/CBP histone acetyltransferases (HAT) and manipulating colony composition, we found that HAT inhibition impairs the ability of older workers to switch to brood care. Yet, HAT inhibition increased the ability of young workers to accelerate their behavioural development and switch to foraging. Our data suggest that HAT in combination with social signals indicating task demands play an important role in modulating behaviour. Elevated HAT activity may contribute to keeping young brood carers from leaving the nest, where they would be exposed to high mortality. These findings shed light on the epigenetic processes underlying behavioural flexibility in animals and provide insight into the mechanisms of task specialization in social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Kohlmeier
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Memphis, Tennessee, TN, USA
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
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3
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Choppin M, Schall M, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S. Protein-rich diet decreases survival, but does not alter reproduction, in fertile ant workers. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1098245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Aging is associated with diverse molecular processes such as oxidative damage, decrease in immunocompetence, or increase in epigenetic abnormalities, mutations, and inflammations. Many of these processes are linked to nutrient-sensing signalling pathways, suggesting that diet plays a critical role in the aging process. In fact, the protein content in the diet can affect both longevity and fecundity, but often in opposite directions. In many solitary organisms, protein-rich diets dramatically shorten lifespan, but increase egg production. We used the ant Temnothorax rugatulus to investigate the effect of the protein to carbohydrate ratio in the diet on the survival and fecundity of fertile workers. We fed colonies either a moderately high-carbohydrate or high-protein diet (1:2 and 2:1 respectively) and monitored worker survival and egg production over 9 weeks. The protein-rich diet did not alter the ability of workers to lay eggs, but reduced worker survival, suggesting that consuming large amounts of protein may shorten lifespan in fertile ant workers without promoting reproduction. Our study shows for the first time that a protein-rich diet reduces the overall fitness of fertile workers.
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Pfenninger M, Foucault Q, Waldvogel AM, Feldmeyer B. Selective effects of a short transient environmental fluctuation on a natural population. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:335-349. [PMID: 36282585 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Natural populations experience continuous and often transient changes of environmental conditions. These in turn may result in fluctuating selection pressures leading to variable demographic and evolutionary population responses. Rapid adaptation as short-term response to a sudden environmental change has in several cases been attributed to polygenic traits, but the underlying genomic dynamics and architecture are poorly understood. In this study, we took advantage of a natural experiment in an insect population of the non-biting midge Chironomus riparius by monitoring genome-wide allele frequencies before and after a cold snap event. Whole genome pooled sequencing of time series samples revealed 10 selected haplotypes carrying ancient polymorphisms, partially with signatures of balancing selection. By constantly cold exposing genetically variable individuals in the laboratory, we could demonstrate with whole genome resequencing (i) that among the survivors, the same alleles rose in frequency as in the wild, and (ii) that the identified variants additively predicted fitness (survival time) of its bearers. Finally, by simultaneously sequencing the genome and the transcriptome of cold exposed individuals we could tentatively link some of the selected SNPs to the cis- and trans-regulation of genes and pathways known to be involved in cold response of insects, such as cytochrome P450 and fatty acid metabolism. Altogether, our results shed light on the strength and speed of selection in natural populations and the genomic architecture of its underlying polygenic trait. Population genomic time series data thus appear as promising tool for measuring the selective tracking of fluctuating selection in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Pfenninger
- Department of Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute for Molecular and Organismic Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Quentin Foucault
- Department of Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ann-Marie Waldvogel
- Department of Ecological Genomics, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Department of Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Kramer IM, Pfenninger M, Feldmeyer B, Dhimal M, Gautam I, Shreshta P, Baral S, Phuyal P, Hartke J, Magdeburg A, Groneberg DA, Ahrens B, Müller R, Waldvogel AM. Genomic profiling of climate adaptation in Aedes aegypti along an altitudinal gradient in Nepal indicates nongradual expansion of the disease vector. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:350-368. [PMID: 36305220 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Driven by globalization, urbanization and climate change, the distribution range of invasive vector species has expanded to previously colder ecoregions. To reduce health-threatening impacts on humans, insect vectors are extensively studied. Population genomics can reveal the genomic basis of adaptation and help to identify emerging trends of vector expansion. By applying whole genome analyses and genotype-environment associations to populations of the main dengue vector Aedes aegypti, sampled along an altitudinal gradient in Nepal (200-1300 m), we identify putatively adaptive traits and describe the species' genomic footprint of climate adaptation to colder ecoregions. We found two differentiated clusters with significantly different allele frequencies in genes associated to climate adaptation between the highland population (1300 m) and all other lowland populations (≤800 m). We revealed nonsynonymous mutations in 13 of the candidate genes associated to either altitude, precipitation or cold tolerance and identified an isolation-by-environment differentiation pattern. Other than the expected gradual differentiation along the altitudinal gradient, our results reveal a distinct genomic differentiation of the highland population. Local high-altitude adaptation could be one explanation of the population's phenotypic cold tolerance. Carrying alleles relevant for survival under colder climate increases the likelihood of this highland population to a worldwide expansion into other colder ecoregions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Marie Kramer
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Markus Pfenninger
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Ishan Gautam
- Natural History Museum, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | | | | | - Parbati Phuyal
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Juliane Hartke
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Axel Magdeburg
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - David A Groneberg
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Bodo Ahrens
- Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ruth Müller
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Unit Entomology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ann-Marie Waldvogel
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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6
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Boštjančić LL, Francesconi C, Rutz C, Hoffbeck L, Poidevin L, Kress A, Jussila J, Makkonen J, Feldmeyer B, Bálint M, Schwenk K, Lecompte O, Theissinger K. Host-pathogen coevolution drives innate immune response to Aphanomyces astaci infection in freshwater crayfish: transcriptomic evidence. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:600. [PMID: 35989333 PMCID: PMC9394032 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08571-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND For over a century, scientists have studied host-pathogen interactions between the crayfish plague disease agent Aphanomyces astaci and freshwater crayfish. It has been hypothesised that North American crayfish hosts are disease-resistant due to the long-lasting coevolution with the pathogen. Similarly, the increasing number of latent infections reported in the historically sensitive European crayfish hosts seems to indicate that similar coevolutionary processes are occurring between European crayfish and A. astaci. Our current understanding of these host-pathogen interactions is largely focused on the innate immunity processes in the crayfish haemolymph and cuticle, but the molecular basis of the observed disease-resistance and susceptibility remain unclear. To understand how coevolution is shaping the host's molecular response to the pathogen, susceptible native European noble crayfish and invasive disease-resistant marbled crayfish were challenged with two A. astaci strains of different origin: a haplogroup A strain (introduced to Europe at least 50 years ago, low virulence) and a haplogroup B strain (signal crayfish in lake Tahoe, USA, high virulence). Here, we compare the gene expression profiles of the hepatopancreas, an integrated organ of crayfish immunity and metabolism. RESULTS We characterised several novel innate immune-related gene groups in both crayfish species. Across all challenge groups, we detected 412 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the noble crayfish, and 257 DEGs in the marbled crayfish. In the noble crayfish, a clear immune response was detected to the haplogroup B strain, but not to the haplogroup A strain. In contrast, in the marbled crayfish we detected an immune response to the haplogroup A strain, but not to the haplogroup B strain. CONCLUSIONS We highlight the hepatopancreas as an important hub for the synthesis of immune molecules in the response to A. astaci. A clear distinction between the innate immune response in the marbled crayfish and the noble crayfish is the capability of the marbled crayfish to mobilise a higher variety of innate immune response effectors. With this study we outline that the type and strength of the host immune response to the pathogen is strongly influenced by the coevolutionary history of the crayfish with specific A. astaci strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ljudevit Luka Boštjančić
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Caterina Francesconi
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau, Germany.
| | - Christelle Rutz
- Department of Computer Science, ICube, UMR 7357, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Biomédecine de Strasbourg, Rue Eugène Boeckel 1, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Lucien Hoffbeck
- Department of Computer Science, ICube, UMR 7357, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Biomédecine de Strasbourg, Rue Eugène Boeckel 1, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Laetitia Poidevin
- Department of Computer Science, ICube, UMR 7357, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Biomédecine de Strasbourg, Rue Eugène Boeckel 1, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Arnaud Kress
- Department of Computer Science, ICube, UMR 7357, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Biomédecine de Strasbourg, Rue Eugène Boeckel 1, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Japo Jussila
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70210, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Jenny Makkonen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70210, Kuopio, Finland
- Present address: BioSafe - Biological Safety Solutions, Microkatu 1, 70210, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Miklós Bálint
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Klaus Schwenk
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau, Germany
| | - Odile Lecompte
- Department of Computer Science, ICube, UMR 7357, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Biomédecine de Strasbourg, Rue Eugène Boeckel 1, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Kathrin Theissinger
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau, Germany
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7
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Boštjančić LL, Francesconi C, Rutz C, Hoffbeck L, Poidevin L, Kress A, Jussila J, Makkonen J, Feldmeyer B, Bálint M, Schwenk K, Lecompte O, Theissinger K. Dataset of the de novo assembly and annotation of the marbled crayfish and the noble crayfish hepatopancreas transcriptomes. BMC Res Notes 2022; 15:281. [PMID: 35989321 PMCID: PMC9394041 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-022-06137-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Crayfish plague disease, caused by the oomycete pathogen Aphanomyces astaci represents one of the greatest risks for the biodiversity of the freshwater crayfish. This data article covers the de novo transcriptome assembly and annotation data of the noble crayfish and the marbled crayfish challenged with Ap. astaci. Following the controlled infection experiment (Francesconi et al. in Front Ecol Evol, 2021, https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.647037 ), we conducted a differential gene expression analysis described in (Boštjančić et al. in BMC Genom, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-022-08571-z ) DATA DESCRIPTION: In total, 25 noble crayfish and 30 marbled crayfish were selected. Hepatopancreas tissue was isolated, followed by RNA sequencing using the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform. Raw data was checked for quality with FastQC, adapter and quality trimming were conducted using Trimmomatic followed by de novo assembly with Trinity. Assembly quality was assessed with BUSCO, at 93.30% and 93.98% completeness for the noble crayfish and the marbled crayfish, respectively. Transcripts were annotated using the Dammit! pipeline and assigned to KEGG pathways. Respective transcriptome and raw datasets may be reused as the reference transcriptome assemblies for future expression studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ljudevit Luka Boštjančić
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Caterina Francesconi
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau, Germany.
| | - Christelle Rutz
- Department of Computer ScienceUMR 7357Centre de Recherche en Biomédecine de Strasbourg, ICube, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Rue Eugène Boeckel 1, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Lucien Hoffbeck
- Department of Computer ScienceUMR 7357Centre de Recherche en Biomédecine de Strasbourg, ICube, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Rue Eugène Boeckel 1, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Laetitia Poidevin
- Department of Computer ScienceUMR 7357Centre de Recherche en Biomédecine de Strasbourg, ICube, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Rue Eugène Boeckel 1, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Arnaud Kress
- Department of Computer ScienceUMR 7357Centre de Recherche en Biomédecine de Strasbourg, ICube, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Rue Eugène Boeckel 1, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Japo Jussila
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70210, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Jenny Makkonen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70210, Kuopio, Finland
- BioSafe - Biological Safety Solutions, Microkatu 1, 70210, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Miklós Bálint
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Klaus Schwenk
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau, Germany
| | - Odile Lecompte
- Department of Computer ScienceUMR 7357Centre de Recherche en Biomédecine de Strasbourg, ICube, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Rue Eugène Boeckel 1, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Kathrin Theissinger
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau, Germany
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Feldmeyer B, Gstöttl C, Wallner J, Jongepier E, Séguret A, Grasso DA, Bornberg-Bauer E, Foitzik S, Heinze J. Evidence for a conserved queen-worker genetic toolkit across slave-making ants and their ant hosts. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:4991-5004. [PMID: 35920076 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The ecological success of social Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps) depends on the division of labour between the queen and workers. Each caste exhibits highly specialised morphology, behaviour, and life-history traits, such as lifespan and fecundity. Despite strong defences against alien intruders, insect societies are vulnerable to social parasites, such as workerless inquilines or slave-making ants. Here, we investigate whether gene expression varies in parallel ways between lifestyles (slave-making versus host ants) across five independent origins of ant slavery in the "Formicoxenus-group" of the ant tribe Crematogastrini. As caste differences are often less pronounced in slave-making ants than in non-parasitic ants, we also compare caste-specific gene expression patterns between lifestyles. We demonstrate a substantial overlap in expression differences between queens and workers across taxa, irrespective of lifestyle. Caste affects the transcriptomes much more profoundly than lifestyle, as indicated by 37 times more genes being linked to caste than to lifestyle and by multiple caste-associated modules of co-expressed genes with strong connectivity. However, several genes and one gene module are linked to slave-making across the independent origins of this parasitic lifestyle, pointing to some evolutionary convergence. Finally, we do not find evidence for an interaction between caste and lifestyle, indicating that caste differences in gene expression remain consistent even when species switch to a parasitic lifestyle. Our findings strongly support the existence of a core set of genes whose expression is linked to the queen and worker caste in this ant taxon, as proposed by the "genetic toolkit" hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - C Gstöttl
- Zoology / Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - J Wallner
- Zoology / Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - E Jongepier
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - A Séguret
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - D A Grasso
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Università di Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - E Bornberg-Bauer
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - S Foitzik
- Institute of Molecular and Organismic Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - J Heinze
- Zoology / Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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9
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Alt KG, Feldmeyer B, Kochmann J, Klimpel S. Gene expression and allergenic potential of Pseudoterranova bulbosa L3 from different infection sites in North Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). J Fish Dis 2022; 45:1073-1086. [PMID: 35475516 DOI: 10.1111/jfd.13630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The recent advances in molecular methods and data processing have facilitated research on anisakid nematodes. While most research efforts were made regarding the genus Anisakis, since this genus is held responsible for the majority of reported clinical signs, there is still a demand for data on the genus Pseudoterranova. Several case studies of severe invasive anisakidosis affecting various organs caused by species of the P. decipiens complex have been described. To better understand the way these parasites might infest their fish host, we examined whether parasite location within the fish host affects gene expression. A de novo assembly of the transcriptome of Pseudoterranova bulbosa, isolated from North Atlantic cod, was analysed for patterns of differential gene expression between samples taken from liver and viscera. We additionally searched for homologs to known nematode allergens, to give a first estimate of the potential allergenicity of P. bulbosa. There was a subtle difference in the gene expression of samples taken from liver and viscera. Seventy genes were differentially expressed, 32 genes were upregulated in parasites isolated from liver and 38 genes were upregulated in parasites from viscera. Homologs of five nematode allergens were identified among the genes expressed by P. bulbosa. Our transcriptome of P. bulbosa will be a valuable resource for further meta-analyses and resequencing projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina G Alt
- Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Judith Kochmann
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Sven Klimpel
- Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE TBG), Frankfurt/Main, Germany
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10
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Bolotov IN, Pasupuleti R, Subba Rao NV, Unnikrishnan SK, Chan N, Lunn Z, Win T, Gofarov MY, Kondakov AV, Konopleva ES, Lyubas AA, Tomilova AA, Vikhrev IV, Pfenninger M, Düwel SS, Feldmeyer B, Nesemann HF, Nagel KO. Oriental freshwater mussels arose in East Gondwana and arrived to Asia on the Indian Plate and Burma Terrane. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1518. [PMID: 35087130 PMCID: PMC8795121 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05257-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Freshwater mussels cannot spread through oceanic barriers and represent a suitable model to test the continental drift patterns. Here, we reconstruct the diversification of Oriental freshwater mussels (Unionidae) and revise their taxonomy. We show that the Indian Subcontinent harbors a rather taxonomically poor fauna, containing 25 freshwater mussel species from one subfamily (Parreysiinae). This subfamily most likely originated in East Gondwana in the Jurassic and its representatives arrived to Asia on two Gondwanan fragments (Indian Plate and Burma Terrane). We propose that the Burma Terrane was connected with the Indian Plate through the Greater India up to the terminal Cretaceous. Later on, during the entire Paleogene epoch, these blocks have served as isolated evolutionary hotspots for freshwater mussels. The Burma Terrane collided with mainland Asia in the Late Eocene, leading to the origin of the Mekong’s Indochinellini radiation. Our findings indicate that the Burma Terrane had played a major role as a Gondwanan “biotic ferry” alongside with the Indian Plate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan N Bolotov
- N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Northern Dvina Emb. 23, 163000, Arkhangelsk, Russia. .,Northern Arctic Federal University, Northern Dvina Emb. 17, 163002, Arkhangelsk, Russia. .,SSC/IUCN - Mollusc Specialist Group, Species Survival Commission, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, UK.
| | - Rajeev Pasupuleti
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBT), Technical University of Graz, Petersgasse 14, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | | | - Suresh Kumar Unnikrishnan
- Regional Facility for DNA Fingerprinting (RFDF), Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), Trivandrum, 695014, Kerala, India
| | - Nyein Chan
- Fauna & Flora International - Myanmar Programme, 34 D/9 San Yae Twin Street, Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, Bahan Township, 11201, Yangon, Myanmar
| | - Zau Lunn
- Fauna & Flora International - Myanmar Programme, 34 D/9 San Yae Twin Street, Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, Bahan Township, 11201, Yangon, Myanmar.,Biology Department, University of New Brunswick, 100 Tucker Park Road, PO Box 5050, Saint John, NB, E2L 4L5, Canada
| | - Than Win
- Department of Zoology, Dawei University, 14043, Dawei, Tanintharyi Region, Myanmar
| | - Mikhail Y Gofarov
- N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Northern Dvina Emb. 23, 163000, Arkhangelsk, Russia
| | - Alexander V Kondakov
- N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Northern Dvina Emb. 23, 163000, Arkhangelsk, Russia.,Northern Arctic Federal University, Northern Dvina Emb. 17, 163002, Arkhangelsk, Russia
| | - Ekaterina S Konopleva
- N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Northern Dvina Emb. 23, 163000, Arkhangelsk, Russia.,Northern Arctic Federal University, Northern Dvina Emb. 17, 163002, Arkhangelsk, Russia
| | - Artyom A Lyubas
- N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Northern Dvina Emb. 23, 163000, Arkhangelsk, Russia
| | - Alena A Tomilova
- N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Northern Dvina Emb. 23, 163000, Arkhangelsk, Russia.,Northern Arctic Federal University, Northern Dvina Emb. 17, 163002, Arkhangelsk, Russia
| | - Ilya V Vikhrev
- N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Northern Dvina Emb. 23, 163000, Arkhangelsk, Russia.,Northern Arctic Federal University, Northern Dvina Emb. 17, 163002, Arkhangelsk, Russia.,SSC/IUCN - Mollusc Specialist Group, Species Survival Commission, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, UK
| | - Markus Pfenninger
- Molecular Ecology Group, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Sophie S Düwel
- Molecular Ecology Group, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Molecular Ecology Group, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Karl-Otto Nagel
- Malacological Section, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt/M., Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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11
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Jongepier E, Séguret A, Labutin A, Feldmeyer B, Gstöttl C, Foitzik S, Heinze J, Bornberg-Bauer E. Convergent Loss of Chemoreceptors across Independent Origins of Slave-Making in Ants. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:msab305. [PMID: 34668533 PMCID: PMC8760941 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of an obligate parasitic lifestyle often leads to the reduction of morphological and physiological traits, which may be accompanied by loss of genes and functions. Slave-making ants are social parasites that exploit the work force of closely related ant species for social behaviors such as brood care and foraging. Recent divergence between these social parasites and their hosts enables comparative studies of gene family evolution. We sequenced the genomes of eight ant species, representing three independent origins of ant slavery. During the evolution of eusociality, chemoreceptor genes multiplied due to the importance of chemical communication in insect societies. We investigated the evolutionary fate of these chemoreceptors and found that slave-making ant genomes harbored only half as many gustatory receptors as their hosts', potentially mirroring the outsourcing of foraging tasks to host workers. In addition, parasites had fewer odorant receptors and their loss shows striking patterns of convergence across independent origins of parasitism, in particular in orthologs often implicated in sociality like the 9-exon odorant receptors. These convergent losses represent a rare case of convergent molecular evolution at the level of individual genes. Thus, evolution can operate in a way that is both repeatable and reversible when independent ant lineages lose important social traits during the transition to a parasitic lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelien Jongepier
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Alice Séguret
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Anton Labutin
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Molecular Ecology Group, Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Claudia Gstöttl
- Institute for Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Institute for Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Erich Bornberg-Bauer
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
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12
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Choppin M, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S. Histone acetylation regulates the expression of genes involved in worker reproduction in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:871. [PMID: 34861814 PMCID: PMC8642982 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-08196-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In insect societies, queens monopolize reproduction while workers perform tasks such as brood care or foraging. Queen loss leads to ovary development and lifespan extension in workers of many ant species. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of this phenotypic plasticity remain unclear. Recent studies highlight the importance of epigenetics in regulating plastic traits in social insects. Thus, we investigated the role of histone acetylation in regulating worker reproduction in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus. We removed queens from their colonies to induce worker fecundity, and either fed workers with chemical inhibitors of histone acetylation (C646), deacetylation (TSA), or the solvent (DMSO) as control. We monitored worker number for six weeks after which we assessed ovary development and sequenced fat body mRNA. Results Workers survived better in queenless colonies. They also developed their ovaries after queen removal in control colonies as expected, but not in colonies treated with the chemical inhibitors. Both inhibitors affected gene expression, although the inhibition of histone acetylation using C646 altered the expression of more genes with immunity, fecundity, and longevity functionalities. Interestingly, these C646-treated workers shared many upregulated genes with infertile workers from queenright colonies. We also identified one gene with antioxidant properties commonly downregulated in infertile workers from queenright colonies and both C646 and TSA-treated workers from queenless colonies. Conclusion Our results suggest that histone acetylation is involved in the molecular regulation of worker reproduction, and thus point to an important role of histone modifications in modulating phenotypic plasticity of life history traits in social insects. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-021-08196-8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Choppin
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
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13
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Menzel F, Feldmeyer B. How does climate change affect social insects? Curr Opin Insect Sci 2021; 46:10-15. [PMID: 33545433 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2021.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Climate change poses a major threat to global biodiversity, already causing sharp declines of populations and species. In some social insect species we already see advanced phenologies, changes in distribution ranges, and changes in abundance Rafferty (2017) and Diamond et al. (2017). Physiologically, social insects are no different from solitary insects, but they possess a number of characteristics that distinguish their response to climate change. Here, we examine these traits, which might enable them to cope better with climate change than solitary insects, but only in the short term. In addition, we discuss how climate change will alter biotic interactions and ecosystem functions, and how it will affect invasive social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Menzel
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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14
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Pfenninger M, Reuss F, Kiebler A, Schönnenbeck P, Caliendo C, Gerber S, Cocchiararo B, Reuter S, Blüthgen N, Mody K, Mishra B, Bálint M, Thines M, Feldmeyer B. Genomic basis for drought resistance in European beech forests threatened by climate change. eLife 2021; 10:65532. [PMID: 34132196 PMCID: PMC8266386 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In the course of global climate change, Central Europe is experiencing more frequent and prolonged periods of drought. The drought years 2018 and 2019 affected European beeches (Fagus sylvatica L.) differently: even in the same stand, drought-damaged trees neighboured healthy trees, suggesting that the genotype rather than the environment was responsible for this conspicuous pattern. We used this natural experiment to study the genomic basis of drought resistance with Pool-GWAS. Contrasting the extreme phenotypes identified 106 significantly associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) throughout the genome. Most annotated genes with associated SNPs (>70%) were previously implicated in the drought reaction of plants. Non-synonymous substitutions led either to a functional amino acid exchange or premature termination. An SNP assay with 70 loci allowed predicting drought phenotype in 98.6% of a validation sample of 92 trees. Drought resistance in European beech is a moderately polygenic trait that should respond well to natural selection, selective management, and breeding. Climate change is having a serious impact on many ecosystems. In the summer of 2018 and 2019, around two thirds of European beech trees were damaged or killed by extreme drought. It is critical to keep these beech woods healthy, as they are central to the survival of over 6,000 other species of animals and plants. The level of damage caused by the drought varied between forests. However, not all the trees in each forest responded in the same way, with severely damaged trees often sitting next to fully healthy ones. This suggests that the genetic make-up of each tree determines how well it can adapt to drought rather than its local environment. To investigate this further, Pfenninger et al. studied the genome of over 400 European beech trees from the Hesse region in Germany. The samples came from pairs of neighbouring trees that had responded differently to the droughts. The analysis found more than 80 parts of the genome that differed between healthy and damaged trees. Pfenninger et al. then used this information to create a genetic test which can quickly and inexpensively predict how well an individual beech tree might survive in a drought. Applying this test to another 92 trees revealed that it can reliably detect which ones were healthy and which ones were damaged. Beech forests are typically managed by private owners, agencies or breeders that could use this genetic test to select and reproduce trees that are better adapted to drought. The goal now is to develop the test so that it can be used more widely to manage European beech trees and potentially other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Pfenninger
- Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute for Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.,LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Friederike Reuss
- Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Angelika Kiebler
- Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Philipp Schönnenbeck
- Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Cosima Caliendo
- Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Gerber
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Berardino Cocchiararo
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Conservation Genetics Section, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Gelnhausen, Germany
| | - Sabrina Reuter
- Ecological Networks lab, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Nico Blüthgen
- Ecological Networks lab, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Karsten Mody
- Ecological Networks lab, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.,Department of Applied Ecology, Hochschule Geisenheim University, Geisenheim, Germany
| | - Bagdevi Mishra
- Biological Archives, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Miklós Bálint
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Functional Environmental Genomics, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Agricultural Sciences, Nutritional Sciences, and Environmental Management, Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Marco Thines
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Biological Archives, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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15
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Sprenger PP, Hartke J, Schmitt T, Menzel F, Feldmeyer B. Candidate genes involved in cuticular hydrocarbon differentiation between cryptic, parabiotic ant species. G3 (Bethesda) 2021; 11:6174692. [PMID: 33729492 PMCID: PMC8104948 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are highly diverse and have multiple functions, including communication and waterproofing. CHC profiles form species-specific, complex blends of up to 150 compounds. Especially in ants, even closely related species can have largely different profiles, raising the question how CHC differences are mirrored in the regulation of biosynthetic pathways. The neotropical ants Crematogaster levior and Camponotus femoratus both consist of two cryptic species each that are morphologically similar, but express strongly different CHC profiles. This is ideal to study the molecular basis of CHC differences. We thus investigated gene expression differences in fat-body transcriptomes of these ants. Despite common garden conditions, we found several thousand differentially expressed transcripts within each cryptic species pair. Many of these were related to metabolic processes, probably accounting for physiological differences. Moreover, we identified candidate genes from five gene families involved in CHC biosynthesis. By assigning candidate transcripts to orthologs in Drosophila, we inferred which CHCs might be influenced by differential gene expression. Expression of these candidate genes was often mirrored in the CHC profiles. For example, Cr. levior A, which has longer CHCs than its cryptic sister species, had a higher expression of elongases and a lower expression of fatty acyl- CoA reductases. This study is one of the first to identify CHC candidate genes in ants and will provide a basis for further research on the genetic basis of CHC biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp P Sprenger
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany.,Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Juliane Hartke
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany.,Senckenberg Research Institute, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Thomas Schmitt
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Florian Menzel
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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16
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Korb J, Meusemann K, Aumer D, Bernadou A, Elsner D, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S, Heinze J, Libbrecht R, Lin S, Majoe M, Monroy Kuhn JM, Nehring V, Negroni MA, Paxton RJ, Séguret AC, Stoldt M, Flatt T. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of the mechanisms underpinning ageing and fecundity in social insects. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20190728. [PMID: 33678016 PMCID: PMC7938167 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The exceptional longevity of social insect queens despite their lifelong high fecundity remains poorly understood in ageing biology. To gain insights into the mechanisms that might underlie ageing in social insects, we compared gene expression patterns between young and old castes (both queens and workers) across different lineages of social insects (two termite, two bee and two ant species). After global analyses, we paid particular attention to genes of the insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 signalling (IIS)/target of rapamycin (TOR)/juvenile hormone (JH) network, which is well known to regulate lifespan and the trade-off between reproduction and somatic maintenance in solitary insects. Our results reveal a major role of the downstream components and target genes of this network (e.g. JH signalling, vitellogenins, major royal jelly proteins and immune genes) in affecting ageing and the caste-specific physiology of social insects, but an apparently lesser role of the upstream IIS/TOR signalling components. Together with a growing appreciation of the importance of such downstream targets, this leads us to propose the TI-J-LiFe (TOR/IIS-JH-Lifespan and Fecundity) network as a conceptual framework for understanding the mechanisms of ageing and fecundity in social insects and beyond. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ageing and sociality: why, when and how does sociality change ageing patterns?'
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Korb
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Institute of Biology I (Zoology), University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 1, D-79104 Freiburg (Breisgau), Germany
| | - Karen Meusemann
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Institute of Biology I (Zoology), University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 1, D-79104 Freiburg (Breisgau), Germany
- Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO National Research Collections Australia, Clunies Ross Street, Canberra, Acton 2601, Australia
| | - Denise Aumer
- Developmental Zoology, Molecular Ecology Research Group, Hoher Weg 4, D-06099 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Abel Bernadou
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Elsner
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Institute of Biology I (Zoology), University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 1, D-79104 Freiburg (Breisgau), Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg, Georg-Voigt-Straße 14-16, D-60325 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (IOME), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Romain Libbrecht
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (IOME), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Silu Lin
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Institute of Biology I (Zoology), University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 1, D-79104 Freiburg (Breisgau), Germany
| | - Megha Majoe
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Institute of Biology I (Zoology), University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 1, D-79104 Freiburg (Breisgau), Germany
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (IOME), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - José Manuel Monroy Kuhn
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Institute of Biology I (Zoology), University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 1, D-79104 Freiburg (Breisgau), Germany
| | - Volker Nehring
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Institute of Biology I (Zoology), University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 1, D-79104 Freiburg (Breisgau), Germany
| | - Matteo A. Negroni
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (IOME), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Robert J. Paxton
- Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, 06120 Halle, Germany
| | - Alice C. Séguret
- Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, 06120 Halle, Germany
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Hüfferstraße 1, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Marah Stoldt
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (IOME), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Thomas Flatt
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 10, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - the So-Long consortium
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Institute of Biology I (Zoology), University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 1, D-79104 Freiburg (Breisgau), Germany
- Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO National Research Collections Australia, Clunies Ross Street, Canberra, Acton 2601, Australia
- Developmental Zoology, Molecular Ecology Research Group, Hoher Weg 4, D-06099 Halle (Saale), Germany
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg, Georg-Voigt-Straße 14-16, D-60325 Frankfurt, Germany
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (IOME), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
- Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, 06120 Halle, Germany
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Hüfferstraße 1, 48149 Münster, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 10, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
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17
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Negroni MA, Stoldt M, Oster M, Rupp AS, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S. Social organization and the evolution of life-history traits in two queen morphs of the ant Temnothorax rugatulus. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:238088. [PMID: 33658241 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.232793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
During the evolution of social insects, not only did life-history traits diverge, with queens becoming highly fecund and long lived compared with their sterile workers, but also individual traits lost their importance compared with colony-level traits. In solitary animals, fecundity is largely influenced by female size, whereas in eusocial insects, colony size and queen number can affect the egg-laying rate. Here, we focused on the ant Temnothorax rugatulus, which exhibits two queen morphs varying in size and reproductive strategy, correlating with their colony's social organization. We experimentally tested the influence of social structure, colony and body size on queen fecundity and investigated links between body size, metabolic rate and survival under paraquat-induced oxidative stress. To gain insight into the molecular physiology underlying the alternative reproductive strategies, we analysed fat body transcriptomes. Per-queen egg production was lower in polygynous colonies when fecundity was limited by worker care. Colony size was a determinant of fecundity rather than body size or queen number, highlighting the super-organismal properties of these societies. The smaller microgynes were more frequently fed by workers and exhibited an increase in metabolic activity, yet they were similarly resistant to oxidative stress. Small queens differentially expressed metabolic genes in the fat body, indicating that shifts in molecular physiology and resource availability allow microgyne queens to compensate for their small size with a more active metabolism without paying increased mortality costs. We provide novel insights into how life-history traits and their associations were modified during social evolution and adapted to queen reproductive strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo A Negroni
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Marah Stoldt
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Marie Oster
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Ann-Sophie Rupp
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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Negroni MA, Macit MN, Stoldt M, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S. Molecular regulation of lifespan extension in fertile ant workers. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20190736. [PMID: 33678017 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of sociality in insects caused a divergence in lifespan between reproductive and non-reproductive castes. Ant queens can live for decades, while most workers survive only weeks to a few years. In most organisms, longevity is traded-off with reproduction, but in social insects, these two life-history traits are positively linked. Once fertility is induced in workers, e.g. by queen removal, worker lifespan increases. The molecular regulation of this positive link between fecundity and longevity and generally the molecular underpinnings of caste-specific senescence are not well understood. Here, we investigate the transcriptomic regulation of lifespan and reproduction in fat bodies of three worker groups in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus. In a long-term experiment, workers that became fertile in the absence of the queen showed increased survival and upregulation of genes involved in longevity and fecundity pathways. Interestingly, workers that re-joined their queen after months exhibited intermediate ovary development, but retained a high expression of longevity and fecundity genes. Strikingly, the queen's presence causes a general downregulation of genes in worker fat bodies. Our findings point to long-term consequences of fertility induction in workers, even after re-joining their queen. Moreover, we reveal longevity genes and pathways modulated during insect social evolution. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ageing and sociality: why, when and how does sociality change ageing patterns?'
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Antoine Negroni
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Maide Nesibe Macit
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Marah Stoldt
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
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19
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Negroni MA, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S. Experimental increase in fecundity causes upregulation of fecundity and body maintenance genes in the fat body of ant queens. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20200909. [PMID: 33592155 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In most organisms, fecundity and longevity are negatively associated and the molecular regulation of these two life-history traits is highly interconnected. In addition, nutrient intake often has opposing effects on lifespan and reproduction. In contrast to solitary insects, the main reproductive individual of social hymenopterans, the queen, is also the most long-lived. During development, queen larvae are well-nourished, but we are only beginning to understand the impact of nutrition on the queens' adult life and the molecular regulation and connectivity of fecundity and longevity. Here, we used two experimental manipulations to alter queen fecundity in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus and investigated associated changes in fat body gene expression. Egg removal triggered a fecundity increase, leading to expression changes in genes with functions in fecundity such as oogenesis and body maintenance. Dietary restriction lowered the egg production of queens and altered the expression of genes linked to autophagy, Toll signalling, cellular homeostasis and immunity. Our study reveals that an experimental increase in fecundity causes the co-activation of reproduction and body maintenance mechanisms, shedding light on the molecular regulation of the link between longevity and fecundity in social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Antoine Negroni
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Biozentrum, Hanns Dieter Hüsch Weg 15, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Molecular Ecology Group, Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Biozentrum, Hanns Dieter Hüsch Weg 15, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
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20
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Hartke J, Waldvogel A, Sprenger PP, Schmitt T, Menzel F, Pfenninger M, Feldmeyer B. Little parallelism in genomic signatures of local adaptation in two sympatric, cryptic sister species. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:937-952. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Hartke
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt am Main Germany
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution Johannes‐Gutenberg‐University Mainz Mainz Germany
| | - Ann‐Marie Waldvogel
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt am Main Germany
- Institute for Zoology University of Cologne Cologne Germany
| | - Philipp P. Sprenger
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution Johannes‐Gutenberg‐University Mainz Mainz Germany
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocentre, Am Hubland University of Würzburg Würzburg Germany
| | - Thomas Schmitt
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocentre, Am Hubland University of Würzburg Würzburg Germany
| | - Florian Menzel
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution Johannes‐Gutenberg‐University Mainz Mainz Germany
| | - Markus Pfenninger
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt am Main Germany
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution Johannes‐Gutenberg‐University Mainz Mainz Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE‐TBG) Frankfurt am Main Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt am Main Germany
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21
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Stoldt M, Klein L, Beros S, Butter F, Jongepier E, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S. Parasite Presence Induces Gene Expression Changes in an Ant Host Related to Immunity and Longevity. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:95. [PMID: 33451085 PMCID: PMC7828512 DOI: 10.3390/genes12010095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Most species are either parasites or exploited by parasites, making parasite-host interactions a driver of evolution. Parasites with complex life cycles often evolve strategies to facilitate transmission to the definitive host by manipulating their intermediate host. Such manipulations could explain phenotypic changes in the ant Temnothorax nylanderi, the intermediate host of the cestode Anomotaenia brevis. In addition to behavioral and morphological alterations, infected workers exhibit prolonged lifespans, comparable to that of queens, which live up to two decades. We used transcriptomic data from cestodes and ants of different castes and infection status to investigate the molecular underpinnings of phenotypic alterations in infected workers and explored whether the extended lifespan of queens and infected workers has a common molecular basis. Infected workers and queens commonly upregulated only six genes, one of them with a known anti-aging function. Both groups overexpressed immune genes, although not the same ones. Our findings suggest that the lifespan extension of infected workers is not achieved via the expression of queen-specific genes. The analysis of the cestodes' transcriptome revealed dominant expression of genes of the mitochondrial respiratory transport chain, which indicates an active metabolism and shedding light on the physiology of the parasite in its cysticercoid stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marah Stoldt
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (L.K.); (S.F.)
| | - Linda Klein
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (L.K.); (S.F.)
| | - Sara Beros
- Max Planck Institute for the Biology of Ageing, 50931 Cologne, Germany;
| | - Falk Butter
- Institute for Molecular Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany;
| | - Evelien Jongepier
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany;
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center (SBiK-F), Molecular Ecology, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany;
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (L.K.); (S.F.)
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22
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23
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Gstöttl C, Stoldt M, Jongepier E, Bornberg‐Bauer E, Feldmeyer B, Heinze J, Foitzik S. Comparative analyses of caste, sex, and developmental stage-specific transcriptomes in two Temnothorax ants. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:4193-4203. [PMID: 32489589 PMCID: PMC7246193 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Social insects dominate arthropod communities worldwide due to cooperation and division of labor in their societies. This, however, makes them vulnerable to exploitation by social parasites, such as slave-making ants. Slave-making ant workers pillage brood from neighboring nests of related host ant species. After emergence, host workers take over all nonreproductive colony tasks, whereas slavemakers have lost the ability to care for themselves and their offspring. Here, we compared transcriptomes of different developmental stages (larvae, pupae, and adults), castes (queens and workers), and sexes of two related ant species, the slavemaker Temnothorax americanus and its host Temnothorax longispinosus. Our aim was to investigate commonalities and differences in group-specific transcriptomes, whereupon across-species differences possibly can be explained by their divergent lifestyles. Larvae and pupae showed the highest similarity between the two species and upregulated genes with enriched functions of translation and chitin metabolism, respectively. Workers commonly upregulated oxidation-reduction genes, possibly indicative of their active lifestyle. Host workers, but not workers of the slavemaker, upregulated a "social behavior" gene. In slavemaker queens and workers, genes associated with the regulation of transposable elements were upregulated. Queens of both species showed transcriptomic signals of anti-aging mechanisms, with hosts upregulating various DNA repair pathways and slavemaker queens investing in trehalose metabolism. The transcriptomes of males showed enriched functions for quite general terms realized in different genes and pathways in each species. In summary, the strong interspecific commonalities in larvae, pupae, and workers were reflected in the same enriched Gene Ontology (GO) terms. Less commonalities occurred in the transcriptomes of queens and males, which apparently utilize different pathways to achieve a long life and sperm production, respectively. We found that all analyzed groups in this study show characteristic GO terms, with similar patterns in both species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Gstöttl
- Zoology/Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of RegensburgRegensburgGermany
| | - Marah Stoldt
- Institute of Molecular and Organismic EvolutionJohannes Gutenberg UniversityMainzGermany
| | - Evelien Jongepier
- Evolutionary BioinformaticsInstitute for Evolution and BiodiversityWestfälische Wilhelms UniversityMünsterGermany
| | - Erich Bornberg‐Bauer
- Evolutionary BioinformaticsInstitute for Evolution and BiodiversityWestfälische Wilhelms UniversityMünsterGermany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreFrankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Zoology/Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of RegensburgRegensburgGermany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Molecular and Organismic EvolutionJohannes Gutenberg UniversityMainzGermany
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24
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Körner M, Vogelweith F, Libbrecht R, Foitzik S, Feldmeyer B, Meunier J. Offspring reverse transcriptome responses to maternal deprivation when reared with pathogens in an insect with facultative family life. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200440. [PMID: 32345162 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Offspring of species with facultative family life are able to live with and without parents (i.e. to adjust to extreme changes in their social environment). While these adjustments are well understood on a phenotypic level, their genetic underpinnings remain surprisingly understudied. Investigating gene expression changes in response to parental absence may elucidate the genetic constraints driving evolutionary transitions between solitary and family life. Here, we manipulated maternal presence to observe gene expression changes in the fat body of juvenile European earwigs, an insect with facultative family life. Because parents typically protect offspring against pathogens, expression changes were recorded in pathogen-free and pathogen-exposed environments. We found that manipulating maternal presence changed the expression of 154 genes, including several metabolism and growth-related genes, and that this change depended on pathogen presence. Specifically, localization and cell transporter genes were downregulated in maternal absence without pathogens but upregulated with pathogens. At least one immunity gene (pathogenesis-related protein 5) was affected by pathogen exposure regardless of maternal presence. Overall, our findings explicate how offspring adjust to parental deprivation on a molecular level and reveal that such adjustments heavily depend on pathogens in the environment. This emphasizes the central role of pathogens in family life evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Körner
- Evolutionary Animal Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | | | - Romain Libbrecht
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes-Gutenberg University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes-Gutenberg University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Joël Meunier
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte (IRBI), UMR 7261, CNRS, University of Tours, Tours, France
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25
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Hartke J, Schell T, Jongepier E, Schmidt H, Sprenger PP, Paule J, Bornberg-Bauer E, Schmitt T, Menzel F, Pfenninger M, Feldmeyer B. Hybrid Genome Assembly of a Neotropical Mutualistic Ant. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 11:2306-2311. [PMID: 31329228 PMCID: PMC6735702 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evz159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The success of social insects is largely intertwined with their highly advanced chemical communication system that facilitates recognition and discrimination of species and nest-mates, recruitment, and division of labor. Hydrocarbons, which cover the cuticle of insects, not only serve as waterproofing agents but also constitute a major component of this communication system. Two cryptic Crematogaster species, which share their nest with Camponotus ants, show striking diversity in their cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile. This mutualistic system therefore offers a great opportunity to study the genetic basis of CHC divergence between sister species. As a basis for further genome-wide studies high-quality genomes are needed. Here, we present the annotated draft genome for Crematogaster levior A. By combining the three most commonly used sequencing techniques—Illumina, PacBio, and Oxford Nanopore—we constructed a high-quality de novo ant genome. We show that even low coverage of long reads can add significantly to overall genome contiguity. Annotation of desaturase and elongase genes, which play a role in CHC biosynthesis revealed one of the largest repertoires in ants and a higher number of desaturases in general than in other Hymenoptera. This may provide a mechanistic explanation for the high diversity observed in C. levior CHC profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Hartke
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iOME), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Tilman Schell
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Evelien Jongepier
- Molecular Evolution and Bioinformatics Group, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Germany
| | - Hanno Schmidt
- Vector Genetics Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
| | - Philipp P Sprenger
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iOME), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.,Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Biocentre - Am Hubland, Germany
| | - Juraj Paule
- Department of Botany and Molecular Evolution, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Erich Bornberg-Bauer
- Molecular Evolution and Bioinformatics Group, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Germany
| | - Thomas Schmitt
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Biocentre - Am Hubland, Germany
| | - Florian Menzel
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iOME), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Markus Pfenninger
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iOME), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.,LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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26
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Zając KS, Hatteland BA, Feldmeyer B, Pfenninger M, Filipiak A, Noble LR, Lachowska-Cierlik D. A comprehensive phylogeographic study of Arion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon, 1855 (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Arionidae) in Europe. ORG DIVERS EVOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s13127-019-00417-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
AbstractArion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon, 1855 is regarded as one of the 100 most invasive species in Europe. The native distribution range of this species is uncertain, but for many years, the Iberian Peninsula has been considered as the area of origin. However, recent studies indicate that A. vulgaris probably originated from France. We have investigated the genetic structure of 33 European populations (Poland, Norway, Germany, France, Denmark, Switzerland) of this slug, based on two molecular markers, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI, mtDNA) and nuclear zinc finger (ZF, nDNA). Our investigation included published data from two previous studies, giving a total of 95 populations of A. vulgaris from 26 countries. This comprehensive dataset shows comparable haplotype diversity in Central, North and Western Europe, and significantly lower haplotype diversity in the East. All haplotypes observed in the East can be found in the other regions, and haplotype diversity is highest in the Central and Western region. Moreover, there is strong isolation by distance in Central and Western Europe, and only very little in the East. Furthermore, the number of unique haplotypes was highest in France. This pattern strongly suggests that A. vulgaris has originated from a region spanning from France to Western Germany; hence, the slug is probably alien/invasive in other parts of Europe, where it occurs. Our results indicate the necessity to cover as much of the distribution range of a species as possible before making conclusive assumptions about its origin and alien status.
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Kaur R, Stoldt M, Jongepier E, Feldmeyer B, Menzel F, Bornberg-Bauer E, Foitzik S. Ant behaviour and brain gene expression of defending hosts depend on the ecological success of the intruding social parasite. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 374:20180192. [PMID: 30967075 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The geographical mosaic theory of coevolution predicts that species interactions vary between locales. Depending on who leads the coevolutionary arms race, the effectivity of parasite attack or host defence strategies will explain parasite prevalence. Here, we compare behaviour and brain transcriptomes of Temnothorax longispinosus ant workers when defending their nest against an invading social parasite, the slavemaking ant Temnothorax americanus. A full-factorial design allowed us to test whether behaviour and gene expression are linked to parasite pressure on host populations or to the ecological success of parasite populations. Albeit host defences had been shown before to covary with local parasite pressure, we found parasite success to be much more important. Our chemical and behavioural analyses revealed that parasites from high prevalence sites carry lower concentrations of recognition cues and are less often attacked by hosts. This link was further supported by gene expression analysis. Our study reveals that host-parasite interactions are strongly influenced by social parasite strategies, so that variation in parasite prevalence is determined by parasite traits rather than the efficacy of host defence. Gene functions associated with parasite success indicated strong neuronal responses in hosts, including long-term changes in gene regulation, indicating an enduring impact of parasites on host behaviour. This article is part of the theme issue 'The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajbir Kaur
- 1 Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University , Mainz , Germany
| | - Marah Stoldt
- 1 Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University , Mainz , Germany
| | - Evelien Jongepier
- 2 Molecular Evolution and Bioinformatics Group, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität , Münster , Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- 3 Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung , Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main , Germany
| | - Florian Menzel
- 1 Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University , Mainz , Germany
| | - Erich Bornberg-Bauer
- 2 Molecular Evolution and Bioinformatics Group, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität , Münster , Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- 1 Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University , Mainz , Germany
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28
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Waldvogel AM, Feldmeyer B, Rolshausen G, Exposito-Alonso M, Rellstab C, Kofler R, Mock T, Schmid K, Schmitt I, Bataillon T, Savolainen O, Bergland A, Flatt T, Guillaume F, Pfenninger M. Evolutionary genomics can improve prediction of species' responses to climate change. Evol Lett 2020; 4:4-18. [PMID: 32055407 PMCID: PMC7006467 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Global climate change (GCC) increasingly threatens biodiversity through the loss of species, and the transformation of entire ecosystems. Many species are challenged by the pace of GCC because they might not be able to respond fast enough to changing biotic and abiotic conditions. Species can respond either by shifting their range, or by persisting in their local habitat. If populations persist, they can tolerate climatic changes through phenotypic plasticity, or genetically adapt to changing conditions depending on their genetic variability and census population size to allow for de novo mutations. Otherwise, populations will experience demographic collapses and species may go extinct. Current approaches to predicting species responses to GCC begin to combine ecological and evolutionary information for species distribution modelling. Including an evolutionary dimension will substantially improve species distribution projections which have not accounted for key processes such as dispersal, adaptive genetic change, demography, or species interactions. However, eco‐evolutionary models require new data and methods for the estimation of a species' adaptive potential, which have so far only been available for a small number of model species. To represent global biodiversity, we need to devise large‐scale data collection strategies to define the ecology and evolutionary potential of a broad range of species, especially of keystone species of ecosystems. We also need standardized and replicable modelling approaches that integrate these new data to account for eco‐evolutionary processes when predicting the impact of GCC on species' survival. Here, we discuss different genomic approaches that can be used to investigate and predict species responses to GCC. This can serve as guidance for researchers looking for the appropriate experimental setup for their particular system. We furthermore highlight future directions for moving forward in the field and allocating available resources more effectively, to implement mitigation measures before species go extinct and ecosystems lose important functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Marie Waldvogel
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt am Main Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt am Main Germany
| | - Gregor Rolshausen
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt am Main Germany
| | | | | | - Robert Kofler
- Institute of Population Genetics Vetmeduni Vienna Austria
| | - Thomas Mock
- School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Norwich United Kingdom
| | - Karl Schmid
- Institute of Plant Breeding, Seed Science and Population Genetics University of Hohenheim Stuttgart Germany
| | - Imke Schmitt
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt am Main Germany.,Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main Germany.,LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG) Frankfurt am Main Germany
| | | | - Outi Savolainen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics University of Oulu Finland
| | - Alan Bergland
- Department of Biology University of Virginia Charlottesville Virginia
| | - Thomas Flatt
- Department of Biology University of Fribourg Fribourg Switzerland
| | - Frederic Guillaume
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zürich Zürich Switzerland
| | - Markus Pfenninger
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt am Main Germany.,LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG) Frankfurt am Main Germany.,Institute for Organismic and Molecular Evolution Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Germany
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29
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Sprenger PP, Hartke J, Feldmeyer B, Orivel J, Schmitt T, Menzel F. Influence of Mutualistic Lifestyle, Mutualistic Partner, and Climate on Cuticular Hydrocarbon Profiles in Parabiotic Ants. J Chem Ecol 2019; 45:741-754. [DOI: 10.1007/s10886-019-01099-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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30
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Hartke J, Sprenger PP, Sahm J, Winterberg H, Orivel J, Baur H, Beuerle T, Schmitt T, Feldmeyer B, Menzel F. Cuticular hydrocarbons as potential mediators of cryptic species divergence in a mutualistic ant association. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:9160-9176. [PMID: 31463013 PMCID: PMC6706187 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Upon advances in sequencing techniques, more and more morphologically identical organisms are identified as cryptic species. Often, mutualistic interactions are proposed as drivers of diversification. Species of the neotropical parabiotic ant association between Crematogaster levior and Camponotus femoratus are known for highly diverse cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles, which in insects serve as desiccation barrier but also as communication cues. In the present study, we investigated the association of the ants' CHC profiles with genotypes and morphological traits, and discovered cryptic species pairs in both genera. To assess putative niche differentiation between the cryptic species, we conducted an environmental association study that included various climate variables, canopy cover, and mutualistic plant species. Although mostly sympatric, the two Camponotus species seem to prefer different climate niches. However in the two Crematogaster species, we could not detect any differences in niche preference. The strong differentiation in the CHC profiles may thus suggest a possible role during speciation itself either by inducing assortative mating or by reinforcing sexual selection after the speciation event. We did not detect any further niche differences in the environmental parameters tested. Thus, it remains open how the cryptic species avoid competitive exclusion, with scope for further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Hartke
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreFrankfurt am MainGermany
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes‐Gutenberg‐University MainzMainzGermany
| | - Philipp P. Sprenger
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes‐Gutenberg‐University MainzMainzGermany
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical BiologyUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - Jacqueline Sahm
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes‐Gutenberg‐University MainzMainzGermany
- Present address:
Department of Evolutionary Animal EcologyUniversity of BayreuthBayreuthGermany
| | - Helena Winterberg
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreFrankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Jérôme Orivel
- CNRS, UMR EcoFoG (AgroParisTech, CIRAD, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane)Kourou CedexFrance
| | - Hannes Baur
- Department of InvertebratesNatural History Museum BernBernSwitzerland
- Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Till Beuerle
- Institute of Pharmaceutical BiologyUniversity of Technology BraunschweigBraunschweigGermany
| | - Thomas Schmitt
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical BiologyUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreFrankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Florian Menzel
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes‐Gutenberg‐University MainzMainzGermany
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31
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Alleman A, Stoldt M, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S. Tandem-running and scouting behaviour are characterized by up-regulation of learning and memory formation genes within the ant brain. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:2342-2359. [PMID: 30903719 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Revised: 03/09/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Tandem-running is a recruitment behaviour in ants that has been described as a form of teaching, where spatial information possessed by a leader is conveyed to following nestmates. Within Temnothorax ants, tandem-running is used within a variety of contexts, from foraging and nest relocation to-in the case of slavemaking species-slave raiding. Here, we elucidate the transcriptomic basis of scouting, tandem-leading and tandem-following behaviours across two species with divergent lifestyles: the slavemaking Temnothorax americanus and its primary, nonparasitic host T. longispinosus. Analysis of gene expression data from brains revealed that only a small number of unique differentially expressed genes are responsible for scouting and tandem-running. Comparison of orthologous genes between T. americanus and T. longispinosus suggests that tandem-running is characterized by species-specific patterns of gene usage. However, within both species, tandem-leaders showed gene expression patterns median to those of scouts and tandem-followers, which was expected, as leaders can be recruited from either of the other two behavioural states. Most importantly, a number of differentially expressed behavioural genes were found, with functions relating to learning and memory formation in other social and nonsocial insects. This includes a number of up-regulated receptor genes such as a glutamate and dopamine receptor, as well as serine/threonine-protein phosphatases and kinases. Learning and memory genes were specifically up-regulated within scouts and tandem-followers, not only reinforcing previous behavioural studies into how Temnothorax navigate novel environments and share information, but also providing insight into the molecular underpinnings of teaching and learning within social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Alleman
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Marah Stoldt
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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32
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Kohlmeier P, Alleman AR, Libbrecht R, Foitzik S, Feldmeyer B. Gene expression is more strongly associated with behavioural specialization than with age or fertility in ant workers. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:658-670. [PMID: 30525254 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2018] [Revised: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The ecological success of social insects is based on division of labour, not only between queens and workers, but also among workers. Whether a worker tends the brood or forages is influenced by age, fertility and nutritional status, with brood carers being younger, more fecund and more corpulent. Here, we experimentally disentangle behavioural specialization from age and fertility in Temnothorax longispinosus ant workers and analyse how these parameters are linked to whole-body gene expression. A total of 3,644 genes were associated with behavioural specialization which is ten times more than associated with age and 50 times more than associated with fertility. Brood carers were characterized by an upregulation of three Vitellogenin (Vg) genes, one of which, Vg-like A, was the most differentially expressed gene that was recently shown experimentally to control the switch from brood to worker care. The expression of Conventional Vg was unlinked to behavioural specialization, age or fertility, which contrasts to studies on bees and some ants. Diversity in Vg/Vg-like copy number and expression bias across ants supports subfunctionalization of Vg genes and indicates that some regulatory mechanisms of division of labour diverged in different ant lineages. Simulations revealed that our experimental dissociation of co-varying factors reduced transcriptomic noise, suggesting that confounding factors could potentially explain inconsistencies across transcriptomic studies of behavioural specialization in ants. Thus, our study reveals that worker gene expression is mainly linked to the worker's function for the colony and provides novel insights into the evolution of sociality in ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Kohlmeier
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Austin R Alleman
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Romain Libbrecht
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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33
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Franke K, Karl I, Centeno TP, Feldmeyer B, Lassek C, Oostra V, Riedel K, Stanke M, Wheat CW, Fischer K. Effects of adult temperature on gene expression in a butterfly: identifying pathways associated with thermal acclimation. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:32. [PMID: 30674272 PMCID: PMC6345059 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1362-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Phenotypic plasticity is a pervasive property of all organisms and considered to be of key importance for dealing with environmental variation. Plastic responses to temperature, which is one of the most important ecological factors, have received much attention over recent decades. A recurrent pattern of temperature-induced adaptive plasticity includes increased heat tolerance after exposure to warmer temperatures and increased cold tolerance after exposure to cooler temperatures. However, the mechanisms underlying these plastic responses are hitherto not well understood. Therefore, we here investigate effects of adult acclimation on gene expression in the tropical butterfly Bicyclus anynana, using an RNAseq approach. RESULTS We show that several antioxidant markers (e.g. peroxidase, cytochrome P450) were up-regulated at a higher temperature compared with a lower adult temperature, which might play an important role in the acclamatory responses subsequently providing increased heat tolerance. Furthermore, several metabolic pathways were up-regulated at the higher temperature, likely reflecting increased metabolic rates. In contrast, we found no evidence for a decisive role of the heat shock response. CONCLUSIONS Although the important role of antioxidant defence mechanisms in alleviating detrimental effects of oxidative stress is firmly established, we speculate that its potentially important role in mediating heat tolerance and survival under stress has been underestimated thus far and thus deserves more attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Franke
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, D-17489, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Isabell Karl
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, D-17489, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Tonatiuh Pena Centeno
- Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Greifswald, D-17487, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Molecular Ecology Group, D-60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Christian Lassek
- Institute for Microbiology, University of Greifswald, D-17489, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Vicencio Oostra
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, WC1E 6BT, London, UK
| | - Katharina Riedel
- Institute for Microbiology, University of Greifswald, D-17489, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Mario Stanke
- Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Greifswald, D-17487, Greifswald, Germany
| | | | - Klaus Fischer
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, D-17489, Greifswald, Germany. .,Present address: Institute for Integrated Natural Sciences, University Koblenz-Landau, Universitätsstraße 1, D-56070, Koblenz, Germany.
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34
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Foucault Q, Wieser A, Waldvogel A, Feldmeyer B, Pfenninger M. Rapid adaptation to high temperatures in Chironomus riparius. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:12780-12789. [PMID: 30619582 PMCID: PMC6308882 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2018] [Revised: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Effects of seasonal or daily temperature variation on fitness and physiology of ectothermic organisms and their ways to cope with such variations have been widely studied. However, the way multivoltines organisms cope with temperature variations from one generation to the next is still not well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the multivoltine midge Chironomus riparius Meigen (1803) responds mainly via acclimation as predicted by current theories or whether rapid genetic adaptation is involved. To investigate this issue, a common garden approach has been applied. A mix of larvae from five European populations was raised in the laboratory at three different pre-exposure temperatures (PET): 14, 20, and 26°C. After three and five generations, respectively, larvae were exposed to three treatment temperatures (TT): 14, 20, and 26°C. Mortality was monitored for the first 48 hr and after emergence. After three generations, significant mortality rate differences depended on an interaction of PET and TT. This finding supports the hypothesis that chironomids respond rapidly to climatic variation via adaptive mechanisms and to a lesser extent via phenotypic plasticity. The result of the experiment indicates that three generations were sufficient to adapt to warm temperature, decreasing the mortality rate, highlighting the potential for chironomids to rapidly respond to seasonally changing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Foucault
- Molecular Ecology GroupSenckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreFrankfurt am MainGermany
- Institute for Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes Gutenberg UniversitätMainzGermany
| | - Andreas Wieser
- Molecular Ecology GroupSenckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreFrankfurt am MainGermany
- Institute for Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes Gutenberg UniversitätMainzGermany
| | - Ann‐Marie Waldvogel
- Molecular Ecology GroupSenckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreFrankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Molecular Ecology GroupSenckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreFrankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Markus Pfenninger
- Molecular Ecology GroupSenckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreFrankfurt am MainGermany
- Institute for Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes Gutenberg UniversitätMainzGermany
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35
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Tills O, Truebano M, Feldmeyer B, Pfenninger M, Morgenroth H, Schell T, Rundle SD. Transcriptomic responses to predator kairomones in embryos of the aquatic snail Radix balthica. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:11071-11082. [PMID: 30519426 PMCID: PMC6262742 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Revised: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of organisms to respond to predation threat by exhibiting induced defenses is well documented, but studies on the potential mechanistic basis for such responses are scarce. Here, we examine the transcriptomic response to predator kairomones of two functionally distinct developmental stages in embryos of the aquatic snail Radix balthica: E8-the stage at which a range-finding trial indicated that kairomone-induced accelerated growth and development first occurred; and E9-the stage at which embryos switched from ciliary- to crawling-driven locomotion. We tested whether expression profiles were influenced by kairomones and whether this influence varied between stages. We also identified potential candidate genes for investigating mechanisms underpinning induced responses. There were 6,741 differentially expressed transcripts between developmental stages, compared to just five in response to predator kairomones. However, on examination of functional enrichment in the transcripts responding to predator kairomones and adopting a less stringent significance threshold, 206 transcripts were identified relating to muscle function, growth, and development, with this response being greater at the later E9 stage. Furthermore, these transcripts included putative annotations for genes identified as responding to predator kairomones in other taxa, including C1q, lectin, and actin domains. Globally, transcript expression appeared reduced in response to predator kairomones and we hypothesize that this might be a result of metabolic suppression, as has been reported in other taxa in response to predation threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Tills
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research CentreUniversity of Plymouth, Drake CircusPlymouthUK
| | - Manuela Truebano
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research CentreUniversity of Plymouth, Drake CircusPlymouthUK
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Molecular Ecology Group, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and DiversityGoethe‐UniversityFrankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Markus Pfenninger
- Molecular Ecology Group, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and DiversityGoethe‐UniversityFrankfurt am MainGermany
- Adaptation and ClimateSenckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreFrankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Holly Morgenroth
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research CentreUniversity of Plymouth, Drake CircusPlymouthUK
| | - Tilman Schell
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum FrankfurtFrankfurtGermany
- LOWE‐TBG Centre for Translational Biodiversity GenomicsFrankfurtGermany
| | - Simon D. Rundle
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research CentreUniversity of Plymouth, Drake CircusPlymouthUK
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36
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Kohlmeier P, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S. Vitellogenin-like A-associated shifts in social cue responsiveness regulate behavioral task specialization in an ant. PLoS Biol 2018; 16:e2005747. [PMID: 29874231 PMCID: PMC5991380 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2005747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Division of labor and task specialization explain the success of human and insect societies. Social insect colonies are characterized by division of labor, with workers specializing in brood care early and foraging later in life. Theory posits that this task switching requires shifts in responsiveness to task-related cues, yet experimental evidence is weak. Here, we show that a Vitellogenin (Vg) ortholog identified in an RNAseq study on the ant T. longispinosus is involved in this process: using phylogenetic analyses of Vg and Vg-like genes, we firstly show that this candidate gene does not cluster with the intensively studied honey bee Vg but falls into a separate Vg-like A cluster. Secondly, an experimental knockdown of Vg-like A in the fat body caused a reduction in brood care and an increase in nestmate care in young ant workers. Nestmate care is normally exhibited by older workers. We demonstrate experimentally that this task switch is at least partly based on Vg-like A-associated shifts in responsiveness from brood to worker cues. We thus reveal a novel mechanism leading to early behavioral maturation via changes in social cue responsiveness mediated by Vg-like A and associated pathways, which proximately play a role in regulating division of labor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Kohlmeier
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular and Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular and Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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37
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Waldvogel AM, Wieser A, Schell T, Patel S, Schmidt H, Hankeln T, Feldmeyer B, Pfenninger M. The genomic footprint of climate adaptation in Chironomus riparius. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:1439-1456. [PMID: 29473242 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Revised: 02/09/2018] [Accepted: 02/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The gradual heterogeneity of climatic factors poses varying selection pressures across geographic distances that leave signatures of clinal variation in the genome. Separating signatures of clinal adaptation from signatures of other evolutionary forces, such as demographic processes, genetic drift and adaptation, to nonclinal conditions of the immediate local environment is a major challenge. Here, we examine climate adaptation in five natural populations of the harlequin fly Chironomus riparius sampled along a climatic gradient across Europe. Our study integrates experimental data, individual genome resequencing, Pool-Seq data and population genetic modelling. Common-garden experiments revealed significantly different population growth rates at test temperatures corresponding to the population origin along the climate gradient, suggesting thermal adaptation on the phenotypic level. Based on a population genomic analysis, we derived empirical estimates of historical demography and migration. We used an FST outlier approach to infer positive selection across the climate gradient, in combination with an environmental association analysis. In total, we identified 162 candidate genes as genomic basis of climate adaptation. Enriched functions among these candidate genes involved the apoptotic process and molecular response to heat, as well as functions identified in studies of climate adaptation in other insects. Our results show that local climate conditions impose strong selection pressures and lead to genomic adaptation despite strong gene flow. Moreover, these results imply that selection to different climatic conditions seems to converge on a functional level, at least between different insect species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Marie Waldvogel
- Molecular Ecology Group, Institute for Ecology, Evolution & Diversity, Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany.,Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany
| | - Andreas Wieser
- Molecular Ecology Group, Institute for Ecology, Evolution & Diversity, Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany.,Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany
| | - Tilman Schell
- Molecular Ecology Group, Institute for Ecology, Evolution & Diversity, Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany.,Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany
| | - Simit Patel
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany
| | - Hanno Schmidt
- Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Thomas Hankeln
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Molecular Genetics and Genome Analysis, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany
| | - Markus Pfenninger
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany
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38
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Alleman A, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S. Comparative analyses of co-evolving host-parasite associations reveal unique gene expression patterns underlying slavemaker raiding and host defensive phenotypes. Sci Rep 2018; 8:1951. [PMID: 29386535 PMCID: PMC5792630 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20262-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The transition to parasitism is a drastic shift in lifestyle, involving rapid changes in gene structure, function, and expression. After the establishment of antagonistic relationships, parasites and hosts co-evolve through reciprocal adaptations, often resulting in evolutionary arms-races. Repeated evolution of social parasitism and slavery among Temnothorax ants allows us to examine those gene expression patterns that characterize slavemaker raiding and reciprocal host defensive phenotypes. Previous behavioural studies have established that raiding strategies between Temnothorax slavemakers diverge, while host defense portfolios shift similarly under parasite pressure. We are the first to confirm this at the molecular level, revealing that slavemaking species exhibit a wider variety of genes with species-specific patterns of expression within their raiding phenotypes, whereas expression similarity is commonly found during the non-raiding phenotype. Host species response to slavemaker aggression, however, is indicated by strong changes in the expression of a relatively few number genes. Additionally, the expression of individual genes such as Acyl-CoA-Delta(11) desaturase and Trypsin-7 is strongly associated with the raiding phenotype of all three slavemaking species. Here, we provide novel insight into the gene expression patterns associated with raiding and nest defense behavior in Temnothorax ants, suggesting lineage-specific evolutionary patterns among both slavemakers and hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Alleman
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes von Müller Weg 6, Mainz, 55128, Germany.
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes von Müller Weg 6, Mainz, 55128, Germany
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39
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Feldmeyer B, Elsner D, Alleman A, Foitzik S. Species-specific genes under selection characterize the co-evolution of slavemaker and host lifestyles. BMC Evol Biol 2017; 17:237. [PMID: 29202686 PMCID: PMC5715652 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-017-1078-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The transition to a parasitic lifestyle entails comprehensive changes to the selective regime. In parasites, genes encoding for traits that facilitate host detection, exploitation and transmission should be under selection. Slavemaking ants are social parasites that exploit the altruistic behaviour of their hosts by stealing heterospecific host brood during raids, which afterwards serve as slaves in slavemaker nests. Here we search for evidence of selection in the transcriptomes of three slavemaker species and three closely related hosts. We expected selection on genes underlying recognition and raiding or defense behaviour. Analyses of selective forces in species with a slavemaker or host lifestyle allowed investigation into whether or not repeated instances of slavemaker evolution share the same genetic basis. To investigate the genetic basis of host-slavemaker co-evolution, we created orthologous clusters from transcriptome sequences of six Temnothorax ant species - three slavemakers and three hosts - to identify genes with signatures of selection. We further tested for functional enrichment in selected genes from slavemakers and hosts respectively and investigated which pathways the according genes belong to. RESULTS Our phylogenetic analysis, based on more than 5000 ortholog sequences, revealed sister species status for two slavemakers as well as two hosts, contradicting a previous phylogeny based on mtDNA. We identified 309 genes with signs of positive selection on branches leading to slavemakers and 161 leading to hosts. Among these were genes potentially involved in cuticular hydrocarbon synthesis, thus species recognition, and circadian clock functionality possibly explaining the different activity patterns of slavemakers and hosts. There was little overlap of genes with signatures of positive selection among species, which are involved in numerous different functions and different pathways. CONCLUSIONS We identified different genes, functions and pathways under positive selection in each species. These results point to species-specific adaptations rather than convergent trajectories during the evolution of the slavemaker and host lifestyles suggesting that the evolution of parasitism, even in closely related species, may be achieved in diverse ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Molecular Ecology, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - D Elsner
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Freiburg, Hauptstrasse 1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - A Alleman
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes von Müller Weg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - S Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes von Müller Weg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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40
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Menzel
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes Gutenberg University Mainz Mainz Germany
| | - Miriam Zumbusch
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes Gutenberg University Mainz Mainz Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Molecular EcologySenckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK‐F) Frankfurt am Main Germany
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41
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Segev U, Burkert L, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S. Pace-of-life in a social insect: behavioral syndromes in ants shift along a climatic gradient. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
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42
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Kohlmeier P, Negroni MA, Kever M, Emmling S, Stypa H, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S. Intrinsic worker mortality depends on behavioral caste and the queens' presence in a social insect. Naturwissenschaften 2017; 104:34. [PMID: 28353195 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-017-1452-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Revised: 02/20/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
According to the classic life history theory, selection for longevity depends on age-dependant extrinsic mortality and fecundity. In social insects, the common life history trade-off between fecundity and longevity appears to be reversed, as the most fecund individual, the queen, often exceeds workers in lifespan several fold. But does fecundity directly affect intrinsic mortality also in social insect workers? And what is the effect of task on worker mortality? Here, we studied how social environment and behavioral caste affect intrinsic mortality of ant workers. We compared worker survival between queenless and queenright Temnothorax longispinosus nests and demonstrate that workers survive longer under the queens' absence. Temnothorax ant workers fight over reproduction when the queen is absent and dominant workers lay eggs. Worker fertility might therefore increase lifespan, possibly due to a positive physiological link between fecundity and longevity, or better care for fertile workers. In social insects, division of labor among workers is age-dependant with young workers caring for the brood and old ones going out to forage. We therefore expected nurses to survive longer than foragers, which is what we found. Surprisingly, inactive inside workers showed a lower survival than nurses but comparable to that of foragers. The reduced longevity of inactive workers could be due to them being older than the nurses, or due to a positive effect of activity on lifespan. Overall, our study points to behavioral caste-dependent intrinsic mortality rates and a positive association between fertility and longevity not only in queens but also in ant workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Kohlmeier
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes von Müller Weg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Matteo Antoine Negroni
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes von Müller Weg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Marion Kever
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes von Müller Weg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Stefanie Emmling
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes von Müller Weg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Heike Stypa
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes von Müller Weg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes von Müller Weg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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Schell T, Feldmeyer B, Schmidt H, Greshake B, Tills O, Truebano M, Rundle SD, Paule J, Ebersberger I, Pfenninger M. An annotated draft genome for Radix auricularia (Gastropoda, Mollusca). Genome Biol Evol 2017; 9:2997437. [PMID: 28204581 PMCID: PMC5381561 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Revised: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 02/08/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Molluscs are the second most species-rich phylum in the animal kingdom, yet only 11 genomes of this group have been published so far. Here, we present the draft genome sequence of the pulmonate freshwater snail Radix auricularia . Six whole genome shotgun libraries with different layouts were sequenced. The resulting assembly comprises 4,823 scaffolds with a cumulative length of 910 Mb and an overall read coverage of 72×. The assembly contains 94.6% of a metazoan core gene collection, indicating an almost complete coverage of the coding fraction. The discrepancy of ∼690 Mb compared with the estimated genome size of R. auricularia (1.6 Gb) results from a high repeat content of 70% mainly comprising DNA transposons. The annotation of 17,338 protein coding genes was supported by the use of publicly available transcriptome data. This draft will serve as starting point for further genomic and population genetic research in this scientifically important phylum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tilman Schell
- Molecular Ecology Group, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Adaptation and Climate, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Adaptation and Climate, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Hanno Schmidt
- Adaptation and Climate, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Bastian Greshake
- Department for Applied Bioinformatics, Institute for Cell Biology and Neuroscience Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Oliver Tills
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre, Marine Institute, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Plymouth University, United Kingdom
| | - Manuela Truebano
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre, Marine Institute, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Plymouth University, United Kingdom
| | - Simon D. Rundle
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre, Marine Institute, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Plymouth University, United Kingdom
| | - Juraj Paule
- Department of Botany and Molecular Evolution, Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ingo Ebersberger
- Adaptation and Climate, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department for Applied Bioinformatics, Institute for Cell Biology and Neuroscience Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Markus Pfenninger
- Molecular Ecology Group, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Adaptation and Climate, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Negroni MA, Jongepier E, Feldmeyer B, Kramer BH, Foitzik S. Life history evolution in social insects: a female perspective. Curr Opin Insect Sci 2016; 16:51-57. [PMID: 27720050 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2016.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2016] [Revised: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 05/11/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Social insects are known for their unusual life histories with fecund, long-lived queens and sterile, short-lived workers. We review ultimate factors underlying variation in life history strategies in female social insects, whose social life reshapes common trade-offs, such as the one between fecundity and longevity. Interspecific life history variation is associated with colony size, mediated by changes in division of labour and extrinsic mortality. In addition to the ratio of juvenile to adult mortality, social factors such as queen number influence life history trajectories. We discuss two hypotheses explaining why queen fecundity and lifespan is higher in single-queen societies and suggest further research directions on the evolution of life history variation in social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Antoine Negroni
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Evelien Jongepier
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Molecular Ecology, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt am Main 60325, Germany
| | - Boris H Kramer
- Theoretical Research in Evolutionary Life Sciences (TRES), University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
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Pfenninger M, Patel S, Arias-Rodriguez L, Feldmeyer B, Riesch R, Plath M. Unique evolutionary trajectories in repeated adaptation to hydrogen sulphide-toxic habitats of a neotropical fish (Poecilia mexicana). Mol Ecol 2016; 24:5446-59. [PMID: 26405850 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2015] [Revised: 09/05/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Replicated ecological gradients are prime systems to study processes of molecular evolution underlying ecological divergence. Here, we investigated the repeated adaptation of the neotropical fish Poecilia mexicana to habitats containing toxic hydrogen sulphide (H2 S) and compared two population pairs of sulphide-adapted and ancestral fish by sequencing population pools of >200 individuals (Pool-Seq). We inferred the evolutionary processes shaping divergence and tested the hypothesis of increase of parallelism from SNPs to molecular pathways. Coalescence analyses showed that the divergence occurred in the face of substantial bidirectional gene flow. Population divergence involved many short, widely dispersed regions across the genome. Analyses of allele frequency spectra suggest that differentiation at most loci was driven by divergent selection, followed by a selection-mediated reduction of gene flow. Reconstructing allelic state changes suggested that selection acted mainly upon de novo mutations in the sulphide-adapted populations. Using a corrected Jaccard index to quantify parallel evolution, we found a negligible proportion of statistically significant parallel evolution of Jcorr = 0.0032 at the level of SNPs, divergent genome regions (Jcorr = 0.0061) and genes therein (Jcorr = 0.0091). At the level of metabolic pathways, the overlap was Jcorr = 0.2545, indicating increasing parallelism with increasing level of biological integration. The majority of pathways contained positively selected genes in both sulphide populations. Hence, adaptation to sulphidic habitats necessitated adjustments throughout the genome. The largely unique evolutionary trajectories may be explained by a high proportion of de novo mutations driving the divergence. Our findings favour Gould's view that evolution is often the unrepeatable result of stochastic events with highly contingent effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Pfenninger
- Molecular Ecology Group, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany
| | - Simit Patel
- Molecular Ecology Group, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany
| | - Lenin Arias-Rodriguez
- División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco (UJAT), Villahermosa, C.P. 86150 Tabasco, México
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Molecular Ecology Group, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany
| | - Rüdiger Riesch
- School of Biological Sciences, Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Martin Plath
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Xinong Road 22, 712100 Yangling, China
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Kersken D, Feldmeyer B, Janussen D. Sponge communities of the Antarctic Peninsula: influence of environmental variables on species composition and richness. Polar Biol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-015-1875-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Feldmeyer B, Mazur J, Beros S, Lerp H, Binder H, Foitzik S. Gene expression patterns underlying parasite-induced alterations in host behaviour and life history. Mol Ecol 2016; 25:648-60. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2015] [Revised: 11/16/2015] [Accepted: 11/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Feldmeyer
- Evolutionary Biology; Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6 55128 Mainz Germany
- Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre; Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung; Senckenberganlage 25 60325 Frankfurt Germany
| | - Johanna Mazur
- Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI); University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Obere Zahlbacher Str. 69 55131 Mainz Germany
| | - Sara Beros
- Evolutionary Biology; Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6 55128 Mainz Germany
| | - Hannes Lerp
- Evolutionary Biology; Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6 55128 Mainz Germany
- Natural History Collections; Museum Wiesbaden; Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 2 65185 Wiesbaden Germany
| | - Harald Binder
- Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI); University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Obere Zahlbacher Str. 69 55131 Mainz Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Evolutionary Biology; Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6 55128 Mainz Germany
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Patel S, Schell T, Eifert C, Feldmeyer B, Pfenninger M. Characterizing a hybrid zone between a cryptic species pair of freshwater snails. Mol Ecol 2015; 24:643-55. [PMID: 25533031 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2014] [Revised: 12/11/2014] [Accepted: 12/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Characterizing hybrid zones and their dynamics is a central goal in evolutionary biology, but this is particularly challenging for morphologically cryptic species. The lack of conspicuous divergence between parental types means intermediate hybrid forms often go undetected. We aimed to detect and characterize a suspected hybrid zone between a pair of morphologically cryptic lineages of the freshwater snail, Radix. We sampled Radix from across a contact zone between two mitochondrial lineages (Radix balthica and an undescribed lineage termed 'MOTU3') and detected admixture between two nuclear genotype clusters, which were significantly but not categorically associated with the mitochondrial lineages. Using a model selection approach, we show that the admixture cline is best explained by an interaction between precipitation and temperature gradients over the area, rather than geographic distance. We thus hypothesize that the correlation with climatic gradients suggests environmental selection has played a role in maintaining the hybrid zone. In a 2050 climate change scenario, we furthermore predict an expansion of one of the nuclear clusters and a widening of the hybrid zone as the climate warms and dries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simit Patel
- Biodiversity und Climate Research Centre by Senckenberg Naturforschende Gesellschaft and Goethe-Universität, 60325, Frankfurt, Germany
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Feldmeyer B, Greshake B, Funke E, Ebersberger I, Pfenninger M. Positive selection in development and growth rate regulation genes involved in species divergence of the genus Radix. BMC Evol Biol 2015; 15:164. [PMID: 26281847 PMCID: PMC4539673 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0434-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2015] [Accepted: 07/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Life history traits like developmental time, age and size at maturity are directly related to fitness in all organisms and play a major role in adaptive evolution and speciation processes. Comparative genomic or transcriptomic approaches to identify positively selected genes involved in species divergence can help to generate hypotheses on the driving forces behind speciation. Here we use a bottom-up approach to investigate this hypothesis by comparative analysis of orthologous transcripts of four closely related European Radix species. Results Snails of the genus Radix occupy species specific distribution ranges with distinct climatic niches, indicating a potential for natural selection driven speciation based on ecological niche differentiation. We then inferred phylogenetic relationships among the four Radix species based on whole mt-genomes plus 23 nuclear loci. Three different tests to infer selection and changes in amino acid properties yielded a total of 134 genes with signatures of positive selection. The majority of these genes belonged to the functional gene ontology categories “reproduction” and “genitalia” with an overrepresentation of the functions “development” and “growth rate”. Conclusions We show here that Radix species divergence may be primarily enforced by selection on life history traits such as (larval-) development and growth rate. We thus hypothesise that life history differences may confer advantages under the according climate regimes, e.g., species occupying warmer and dryer habitats might have a fitness advantage with fast developing susceptible life stages, which are more tolerant to habitat desiccation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0434-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Feldmeyer
- Molecular Ecology Group, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, Frankfurt am Main, 60325, Germany. .,Evolutionary Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Müllerweg 6, Mainz, 55099, Germany.
| | - Bastian Greshake
- Molecular Ecology Group, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, Frankfurt am Main, 60325, Germany. .,Applied Bioinformatics Group, Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Goethe University Frankfurt, Maxvon-Laue Str. 13, Frankfurt am Main, 60438, Germany.
| | - Elisabeth Funke
- Molecular Ecology Group, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, Frankfurt am Main, 60325, Germany.
| | - Ingo Ebersberger
- Applied Bioinformatics Group, Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Goethe University Frankfurt, Maxvon-Laue Str. 13, Frankfurt am Main, 60438, Germany.
| | - Markus Pfenninger
- Molecular Ecology Group, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, Frankfurt am Main, 60325, Germany.
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Merker S, Thomas S, Völker E, Perwitasari-Farajallah D, Feldmeyer B, Streit B, Pfenninger M. Control region length dynamics potentially drives amino acid evolution in tarsier mitochondrial genomes. J Mol Evol 2014; 79:40-51. [PMID: 25008552 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-014-9631-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2014] [Accepted: 06/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Patterns and processes of molecular evolution critically influence inferences in phylogeny and phylogeography. Within primates, a shift in evolutionary rates has been identified as the rationale for contrasting findings from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA studies as to the position of Tarsius. While the latter now seems settled, we sequenced complete mitochondrial genomes of three Sulawesi tarsiers (Tarsius dentatus, T. lariang, and T. wallacei) and analyzed substitution rates among tarsiers and other primates to infer driving processes of molecular evolution. We found substantial length polymorphism of the D-loop within tarsier individuals, but little variation of predominant lengths among them, regardless of species. Length variation was due to repetitive elements in the CSB domain-minisatellite motifs of 35 bp length and microsatellite motifs of 6 bp length. Amino acid evolutionary rates were second highest among major primate taxa relative to nucleotide substitution rates. We observed many radical possibly function-altering amino acid changes that were rarely driven by positive selection and thus potentially slightly deleterious or neutral. We hypothesize that the observed pattern of an increased amino acid evolutionary rate in tarsier mitochondrial genomes may be caused by hitchhiking of slightly deleterious mutations with favored D-loop length variants selected for maximizing replication success within the cell or the mitochondrion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Merker
- Department of Zoology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70191, Stuttgart, Germany,
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