Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shu-Ping Tseng, Hugo Darras, Po-Wei Hsu, Tsuyoshi Yoshimura, Chow-Yang Lee, James K. Wetterer, Laurent Keller, Chin-Cheng Scotty Yang
Summary: Clonal reproduction allows invasive species to avoid inbreeding depression, giving them an advantage in establishing themselves. The prevalence and significance of the double-clonal reproduction system in the invasive ant, Paratrechina longicornis, remains unclear. Our study found that double clonality is widespread in P. longicornis populations worldwide, suggesting its importance in facilitating global colonization.
Article
Biology
Clint A. Penick, Majid Ghaninia, Kevin L. Haight, Comzit Opachaloemphan, Hua Yan, Danny Reinberg, Jurgen Liebig
Summary: Brain plasticity in reproductive workers of the ant Harpegnathos saltator is demonstrated to be reversible, allowing significant changes in behavior, physiology, and gene expression even after being reverted back to a non-reproductive status. This reversibility in brain volume changes resembles that found in some long-lived vertebrates, highlighting the unique characteristics of phenotypic plasticity in different species.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Marina Choppin, Miriam Schall, Barbara Feldmeyer, Susanne Foitzik
Summary: Aging is accompanied by various molecular processes and nutrient-sensing signalling pathways play a critical role in the aging process. Protein-rich diets can affect longevity and fecundity in different directions. In this study, we investigated the effect of protein to carbohydrate ratio in the diet on the survival and fecundity of fertile ant workers. The results showed that a protein-rich diet reduced worker survival without promoting reproduction, suggesting a negative impact on the overall fitness of fertile workers.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Jie Chen, Ziying Guan, Yunjie Ma, Qingxing Shi, Ting Chen, Muhammad Irfan Waris, Lihua Lyu, Yongyue Lu, Guojun Qi
Summary: This study identified a highly expressed miRNA, miR-1175-3p, in the red imported fire ant, which plays a critical role in regulating vitellin synthesis and oogenesis in workers. miR-1175-3p interacts with its target gene, Br-C, in the fat bodies and is involved in caste differentiation between queens and workers. The expression of miR-1175-3p is regulated by JH, and its suppression in queens leads to reduced fertility, which can be rescued by feeding with JH.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Brenna A. Levine, Gordon W. Schuett, Warren Booth
Summary: This study explores the phenomenon of long-term sperm storage in vertebrates, particularly focusing on reptiles, with a case study of a Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake producing offspring after a prolonged period of isolation from males. Genomic analysis confirmed paternal contribution in all offspring, ruling out facultative parthenogenesis, and revealing a sperm storage duration of approximately 6 years, the longest recorded in female vertebrates.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Diyona Putri, Masanori Yokozawa, Toshiro Yamanaka, Adam L. Cronin
Summary: Invasive ant populations exhibit trait plasticity in behavior and diet, showing differences from native populations. Some invasive populations demonstrate the formation of 'supercolonies'.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Asaf Gal, Daniel J. C. Kronauer
Summary: This study reveals the collective sensory response threshold of ant colonies and uncovers the mechanism behind it, which is regulated by social feedback between ants. By building a network model, researchers demonstrate that the balance between short-range excitatory and long-range inhibitory interactions is responsible for the emergence of the collective response threshold and its size dependency.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mauno Konu, Jonna Kulmuni, Lumi Viljakainen
Summary: In this study, a CRISPR-Cas9 protocol was developed for gene editing in the black garden ant Lasius niger. Multiple mutations were successfully generated in the cinnabar gene, disrupting ommochrome biosynthesis and causing abnormal eye coloration in adult workers. A protocol for collecting and rearing eggs with CRISPR-Cas9 construct was also developed, demonstrating the effectiveness of CRISPR-Cas9 as a tool for targeted mutations in L. niger.
INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Vikram Chandra, Daniel J. C. Kronauer
Summary: Ant colonies coordinate their responses to changes in internal states based on the nutritional states of their members, with various species showing different patterns of foraging behavior in relation to nutrition. In the clonal raider ant O. biroi, larval signals can stimulate foraging, but do not directly influence worker nutrition. The regulation of foraging behavior has evolved differently in O. biroi compared to other ant species, with a decoupling of feeding and foraging mechanisms.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Lauren Jacquier, Mathieu Molet, Celine Bocquet, Claudie Doums
Summary: This study on the ant Temnothorax nylanderi found that urban colonies have better cadmium resistance compared to forest colonies, which may originate from different hibernation conditions. Urban colonies may be genetically adapted to resist trace metals, but this adaptation is only revealed under specific environmental conditions. Urban populations living in heavily contaminated environments could adapt to trace metals exposure.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
L. Jacquier, M. Molet, C. Doums
Summary: Urbanization imposes new constraints on organisms, leading to changes in various traits including behaviour. In this study, we compared the aggressive and foraging behaviours at the colony level between urban and forest populations of the ant species Temnothorax nylanderi. We found that urban colonies performed more foraging trips than forest colonies and were less aggressive. Interestingly, foraging and aggressive behaviours were positively correlated in urban but not in forest colonies.
Article
Biology
Lior Baltiansky, Guy Frankel, Ofer Feinerman
Summary: Ant colonies regulate foraging based on their collective hunger, but the mechanism behind this distributed regulation is unclear. Previous research showed that the frequency of foraging events decreases linearly with colony satiation. New analysis suggests that foragers tend to move towards the depth of the nest when their food load is high and towards the nest exit when it is low, instead of making an explicit decision to exit. The colony shapes the foragers' trajectories by controlling their unloading rate, while the foragers only sense their current food load.
Article
Entomology
Iago Sanmartin-Villar, Eniko Csata, Raphael Jeanson
Summary: The study found that in invasive ant species, only queens showed variability in behavioral plasticity among individuals, while workers did not. This behavioral variability in queens may help invasive ants adapt to changing environments and increase their ecological success.
ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
I. B. Muratore, I. Ilies, A. K. Huzar, F. H. Zaidi, J. F. A. Traniello
Summary: This study focused on the leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes, and identified five distinct worker size classes with significant differences in task division and performance. However, there was task overlap at the boundaries between different size classes. The findings shed light on the relationship between worker size classification, task performance, and the organization of complex insect societies.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yadong Zhang, Zongkun Li, Wei Ge, Xudong Chen, Hongyin Xu, Hongyan Guan
Summary: The study highlights the significant impact of extreme floods on terrestrial animal biodiversity, proposing four influencing factors and a calculation method for assessment. It analyzes the biodiversity impact of different animals and land use types, concluding that the proposed method and indices are suitable for assessing biodiversity impact on any organism in any area.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jonathan Z. Shik, Pepijn W. Kooij, David A. Donoso, Juan C. Santos, Ernesto B. Gomez, Mariana Franco, Antonin J. J. Crumiere, Xavier Arnan, Jack Howe, William T. Wcislo, Jacobus J. Boomsma
Summary: The study reveals a similar domestication trade-off in the farming systems of attine ants as in human agriculture. Ants with different farming systems vary in their abilities to harvest resources and cultivate diverse crops, while small-scale farms with genetic diversity of cultivars may offer population-wide resilience benefits.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biology
Morten Schiott, Jacobus J. Boomsma
Summary: The research reveals that in the symbiotic partnership between leaf-cutting ants and fungal cultivars, the fecal fluid of ants contains mostly biomass degrading enzymes, with a significant portion originated from the fungus and ingested but not digested by the ants. Biochemical assays confirmed the occurrence of Fenton reactions in the fecal fluid, where hydrogen peroxide reacts with iron to form reactive oxygen radicals to aid in degrading plant cell wall polymers.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lukas Schrader, Hailin Pan, Martin Bollazzi, Morten Schiott, Fredrick J. Larabee, Xupeng Bi, Yuan Deng, Guojie Zhang, Jacobus J. Boomsma, Christian Rabeling
Summary: Inquiline ants are highly specialized and obligate social parasites that have distinct genetic erosion compared to their closely-related hosts, likely due to reduced social behavioral repertoires. This parallel gene loss, particularly in olfactory receptors, suggests a relaxed selection for cooperative colony life in the socially parasitic species.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biology
Sarah F. Worsley, Tabitha M. Innocent, Neil A. Holmes, Mahmoud M. Al-Bassam, Morten Schiott, Barrie Wilkinson, J. Colin Murrell, Jacobus J. Boomsma, Douglas W. Yu, Matthew Hutchings
Summary: Our study demonstrates that Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants can maintain a range of microbial symbionts on their cuticle by supplying public resources. Vertically transmitted Pseudonocardia strains produce antibacterial substances that selectively reduce the growth of other microbes, biasing bacterial competition to allow the establishment of secondary antibiotic-producing strains while excluding non-antibiotic-producing strains. These findings support the hypothesis that competition-based screening is a plausible mechanism for maintaining the integrity of the co-adapted mutualism between the leaf-cutting ant farming symbiosis and its defensive microbiome, with broader implications for explaining the stability of other complex symbioses involving horizontal acquisition.
Article
Entomology
J. Howe, M. Schiott, J. J. Boomsma
Summary: The study reports three cases of Acromyrmex insinuator queen joining an incipient colony of Acromyrmex echinatior and suggests that the presence of the parasite queen may benefit the host by increasing survival of incipient colonies.
Article
Ecology
Barbara Baer-Imhoof, Susanne P. A. den Boer, Jacobus J. Boomsma, Boris Baer
Summary: In leaf-cutting ants, queens incur significant physiological costs for maintaining and storing sperm shortly after mating, primarily due to investments in sperm maintenance and not conflicts between competing ejaculates. However, the presence of seminal fluid does not affect the survival or immunocompetence of the queens.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Monica Medina, David M. Baker, David A. Baltrus, Gordon M. Bennett, Ulisse Cardini, Adrienne M. S. Correa, Sandie M. Degnan, Gregor Christa, Eunsoo Kim, Jingchun Li, David R. Nash, Ezequiel Marzinelli, Michele Nishiguchi, Carlos Prada, Melissa S. Roth, Mahasweta Saha, Christopher I. Smith, Kevin R. Theis, Jesse Zaneveld
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shaohong Feng, Ming Bai, Iker Rivas-Gonzalez, Cai Li, Shiping Liu, Yijie Tong, Haidong Yang, Guangji Chen, Duo Xie, Karen E. Sears, Lida M. Franco, Juan Diego Gaitan-Espitia, Roberto F. Nespolo, Warren E. Johnson, Huanming Yang, Parice A. Brandies, Carolyn J. Hogg, Katherine Belov, Marilyn B. Renfree, Kristofer M. Helgen, Jacobus J. Boomsma, Mikkel Heide Schierup, Guojie Zhang
Summary: Incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) can lead to incongruences between gene trees and species trees during rapid speciation events. Through phylogenomic analyses, it has been discovered that the South American monito del monte is the sister lineage of all Australian marsupials, despite a portion of its genome being more similar to the Diprotodontia. Conflicting phylogenetic signals across the whole genome are consistent with morphological variation among extant marsupials. Furthermore, hundreds of genes have been found to encode the same amino acids in non-sister species due to stochastic fixation during ILS. Functional experiments have provided evidence of how ILS directly contributes to hemiplasy in morphological traits established during rapid marsupial speciation approximately 60 million years ago.
Article
Microbiology
Mariya Zhukova, Panagiotis Sapountzis, Morten Schiott, Jacobus J. Boomsma
Summary: Rhizobiales associated with Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants have lost their ability to fix nitrogen but have biosynthesis pathways that enhance the mutualistic relationship between the ants and the fungus. These symbionts are important enough for the ant hosts to have evolved functional defense mechanisms.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Yu Fang, Abebe Jenberie Wubie, Mao Feng, Chuan Ma, Boris Baer, Jianke Li
Summary: There is variation in innate immune responses of insects in hosts that differ in their parasite susceptibility. Some honey bee genotypes and populations show stronger immune responses against Varroa infestations, which is important for future breeding purposes.
MOLECULAR & CELLULAR PROTEOMICS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Qiye Li, Mingyue Wang, Pei Zhang, Yang Liu, Qunfei Guo, Yuanzhen Zhu, Tinggang Wen, Xueqin Dai, Xiafang Zhang, Manuel Nagel, Bjarke Hamberg Dethlefsen, Nianxia Xie, Jie Zhao, Wei Jiang, Lei Han, Liang Wu, Wenjiang Zhong, Zhifeng Wang, Xiaoyu Wei, Wei Dai, Longqi Liu, Xun Xu, Haorong Lu, Huanming Yang, Jian Wang, Jacobus J. Boomsma, Chuanyu Liu, Guojie Zhang, Weiwei Liu
Summary: Using single-cell transcriptomics, this study characterized the brain cell repertoire of the pharaoh ant and identified changes in cell composition that underlie division of labour and reproductive specialization. The study found that male and worker ant brains have opposite trends in cell composition, while the composition of gyne and queen brains remained generalized. Role differentiation from virgin gynes to inseminated queens induced abundance changes in roughly 35% of cell types.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Bitao Qiu, Xueqin Dai, Panyi Li, Rasmus Stenbak Larsen, Ruyan Li, Alivia Lee Price, Guo Ding, Michael James Texada, Xiafang Zhang, Dashuang Zuo, Qionghua Gao, Wei Jiang, Tinggang Wen, Luigi Pontieri, Chunxue Guo, Kim Rewitz, Qiye Li, Weiwei Liu, Jacobus J. Boomsma, Guojie Zhang
Summary: Using individual transcriptomes of two ant species, the authors show that caste differentiation is canalized from early development and identify key regulatory genes for the development of ant caste phenotypes.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Andreas M. B. Boe, Thomas J. Simonsen, Camilla T. Colding-Jorgensen, Philip H. Folman, Thomas T. Jensen, Kian J. Spencer, Philip F. Thomsen, David R. Nash
Summary: Phengaris alcon, an endangered butterfly associated with ants, has experienced a severe decline in Denmark. This study analyzed DNA microsatellite data to explore the population structure and decline of P. alcon in Denmark. The results revealed current genetic clusters and signs of inbreeding in extant populations. The study also suggested hypotheses about the colonization history of P. alcon in Denmark and the genetic signature of a specific population.