Browse
Submit Data
Databases
API
Help

Dataset Information

15 Views

0 Connections

0 Citations

0 Reanalyses

0 Downloads

Omics score: 0

Worker Size Diversity Has No Effect on Overwintering Success under Natural Conditions in the Ant Temnothorax nylanderi.

ABSTRACT: Winter is a difficult period for animals that live in temperate zones. It can inflict high mortality or induce weight loss with potential consequences on performance during the growing season. Social groups include individuals of various ages and sizes. This diversity may improve the ability of groups to buffer winter disturbances such as starvation or cold temperature. Studies focusing on the buffering role of social traits such as mean size and diversity of group members under winter conditions are mainly performed in the laboratory and investigate the effect of starvation or cold separately. Here, we experimentally decreased worker size diversity and manipulated worker mean size within colonies in order to study the effect on overwintering survival in the ant Temnothorax nylanderi. Colonies were placed under natural conditions during winter. Colony survival was high during winter and similar in all treatments with no effect of worker size diversity and mean worker size. Higher brood survival was positively correlated with colony size (i.e., the number of workers). Our results show that the higher resistance of larger individuals against cold or starvation stresses observed in the laboratory does not directly translate into higher colony survival in the field. We discuss our results in the light of mechanisms that could explain the possible non-adaptive size diversity in social species.

SUBMITTER: Honorio R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8143561 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Json Xml

Similar Datasets

Histone acetylation regulates the expression of genes involved in worker reproduction in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus.

Project description:BackgroundIn 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.ResultsWorkers 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.ConclusionOur 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.

| S-EPMC8642982 | biostudies-literature

Size and shape in the evolution of ant worker morphology.

Project description:Morphological evolution in ants has been traditionally thought as being strongly influenced by selection for colony ergonomic efficiency. Although many studies have focused on the evolution of social characteristics in ants, little is known about the evolution of worker morphology at a macroevolutionary scale. In this study, we investigate the tempo and mode of the evolution of worker morphology, focusing on changes in size and shape. Our datasets included a large sample of species from different ant genera, as well as variation within the hyperdiverse genus Pheidole, for a total of 1650 measurements. The rate of size evolution was at least five times faster than the rate of shape evolution. The fit of alternative models of morphological evolution indicated statistically significant phylogenetic signal in both size and shape and in all datasets. Finally, tests of rate heterogeneity in phenotypic evolution among lineages identified several shifts in rates of evolution in both datasets, although the timing of shifts in size and shape was usually not concordant.

| S-EPMC3828632 | biostudies-literature

Fire ant worker brain transcriptomes

Project description:Transcriptomes of dissected brains from workers from polygyne fire ants were analyzed. Four replicates were obtained.

2020-07-18 | GSE117432 | GEO

A comparison of the recruitment success of introduced and native species under natural conditions.

Project description:It is commonly accepted that introduced species have recruitment advantages over native species. However, this idea has not been widely tested, and those studies that have compared survival of introduced and native species have produced mixed results. We compiled data from the literature on survival through germination (seed to seedling survival), early seedling survival (survival through one week from seedling emergence) and survival to adulthood (survival from germination to first reproduction) under natural conditions for 285 native and 63 introduced species. Contrary to expectations, we found that introduced and native species do not significantly differ in survival through germination, early seedling survival, or survival from germination to first reproduction. These comparisons remained non-significant after accounting for seed mass, longevity and when including a random effect for site. Results remained consistent after excluding naturalized species from the introduced species data set, after performing phylogenetic independent contrasts, and after accounting for the effect of life form (woody/non-woody). Although introduced species sometimes do have advantages over native species (for example, through enemy release, or greater phenotypic plasticity), our findings suggest that the overall advantage conferred by these factors is either counterbalanced by advantages of native species (such as superior adaptation to local conditions) or is simply too small to be detected at a broad scale.

| S-EPMC3738575 | biostudies-literature

Experimental investigation of ant traffic under crowded conditions.

Project description:Efficient transportation is crucial for urban mobility, cell function and the survival of animal groups. From humans driving on the highway, to ants running on a trail, the main challenge faced by all collective systems is how to prevent traffic jams in crowded environments. Here, we show that ants, despite their behavioral simplicity, have managed the tour de force of avoiding the formation of traffic jams at high density. At the macroscopic level, we demonstrated that ant traffic is best described by a two-phase flow function. At low densities there is a clear linear relationship between ant density and the flow, while at large density, the flow remains constant and no congestion occurs. From a microscopic perspective, the individual tracking of ants under varying densities revealed that ants adjust their speed and avoid time consuming interactions at large densities. Our results point to strategies by which ant colonies solve the main challenge of transportation by self-regulating their behavior.

| S-EPMC6805160 | biostudies-literature

Epigenetic changes and an extensive rewiring of the transcriptome underlie worker size distribution in the Florida carpenter ant

Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.

2023-08-15 | GSE239979 | GEO

Endosymbiont diversity in natural populations of Tetranychus mites is rapidly lost under laboratory conditions.

Project description:Although the diversity of bacterial endosymbionts in arthropods is well documented, whether and how such diversity is maintained remains an open question. We investigated the temporal changes occurring in the prevalence and composition of endosymbionts after transferring natural populations of Tetranychus spider mites from the field to the laboratory. These populations, belonging to three different Tetranychus species (T. urticae, T. ludeni and T. evansi) carried variable infection frequencies of Wolbachia, Cardinium, and Rickettsia. We report a rapid change of the infection status of these populations after only 6 months of laboratory rearing, with an apparent loss of Rickettsia and Cardinium, while Wolbachia apparently either reached fixation or was lost. We show that Wolbachia had variable effects on host longevity and fecundity, and induced variable levels of cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) in each fully infected population, despite no sequence divergence in the markers used and full CI rescue between all populations. This suggests that such effects are largely dependent upon the host genotype. Subsequently, we used these data to parameterize a theoretical model for the invasion of CI-inducing symbionts in haplodiploids, which shows that symbiont effects are sufficient to explain their dynamics in the laboratory. This further suggests that symbiont diversity and prevalence in the field are likely maintained by environmental heterogeneity, which is reduced in the laboratory. Overall, this study highlights the lability of endosymbiont infections and draws attention to the limitations of laboratory studies to understand host-symbiont interactions in natural populations.

| S-EPMC7080723 | biostudies-literature

Temnothorax rugatulus ant colonies consistently vary in nest structure across time and context.

Project description:A host of animals build architectural constructions. Such constructions frequently vary with environmental and individual/colony conditions, and their architecture directly influences behavior and fitness. The nests of ant colonies drive and enable many of their collective behaviors, and as such are part of their 'extended phenotype'. Since ant colonies have been recently shown to differ in behavior and life history strategy, we ask whether colonies differ in another trait: the architecture of the constructions they create. We allowed Temnothorax rugatulus rock ants, who create nests by building walls within narrow rock gaps, to repeatedly build nest walls in a fixed crevice but under two environmental conditions. We find that colonies consistently differ in their architecture across environments and over nest building events. Colony identity explained 12-40% of the variation in nest architecture, while colony properties and environmental conditions explained 5-20%, as indicated by the condition and marginal R2 values. When their nest boxes were covered, which produced higher humidity and lower airflow, colonies built thicker, longer, and heavier walls. Colonies also built more robust walls when they had more brood, suggesting a protective function of wall thickness. This is, to our knowledge, the first study to explicitly investigate the repeatability of nestbuilding behavior in a controlled environment. Our results suggest that colonies may face tradeoffs, perhaps between factors such as active vs. passive nest defense, and that selection may act on individual construction rules as a mechanisms to mediate colony-level behavior.

| S-EPMC5479500 | biostudies-literature

Absence of genetic isolation across highly fragmented landscape in the ant Temnothorax nigriceps.

Project description:BackgroundHuman activities, including changes in agricultural landscapes, often impact biodiversity through habitat fragmentation. This potentially reduces genetic exchange between previously connected populations. Using a combination of nuclear and mitochondrial markers, we investigated (i) genetic diversity and population structure at multiple spatial scales and (ii) colony genetic structure and queen mating frequency in the ant species Temnothorax nigriceps in a highly anthropized environment.ResultsAlthough the results highlighted genetic structure on a European spatial scale, they did not reveal an impact of fragmentation on a regional scale, and we did not observe any genetic population structure on a regional scale. Across all populations, regardless of their geographical location, colony structure suggested monogyny (a single queen per colony) and monandry (single mating). However, nestmates were more related than expected, indicating that large-scale dispersal does not fully prevent genetic isolation.ConclusionsDespite living in fragmented patches of habitat, populations of Temnothorax nigriceps are apparently genetically not isolated at a regional scale. However, large-scale dispersal alone does not prevent genetic isolation. The ecological requirements of T. nigriceps may explain their resilience to habitat fragmentation by allowing them to survive in very small patches of suitable habitat. The deeper investigation of the diversity of functional habitats for this species should allow to appreciate better the mechanisms permitting this species to overcome the negative impacts of fragmentation.

| S-EPMC9284864 | biostudies-literature

Worker-dependent gut symbiosis in an ant.

Project description:The hallmark of eusocial insects, honeybees, ants, and termites, is division of labor between reproductive and non-reproductive worker castes. In addition, environmental adaption and ecological dominance are also underpinned by symbiotic associations with beneficial microorganisms. Microbial symbionts are generally considered to be maintained in an insect colony in two alternative ways: shared among all colony members or inherited only by a specific caste. Especially in ants, the reproductive caste plays a crucial role in transmission of the symbionts shared among colony members over generations. Here, we report an exceptional case, the worker-dependent microbiota in an ant, Diacamma cf. indicum from Japan. By collecting almost all the individuals from 22 colonies in the field, we revealed that microbiota of workers is characterized by a single dominant bacterium localized at the hindgut. The bacterium belonging to an unclassified member within the phylum Firmicutes, which is scarce or mostly absent in the reproductive castes. Furthermore, we show that the gut symbiont is acquired at the adult stage. Collectively, our findings strongly suggest that the specific symbiont is maintained by only workers, demonstrating a novel pattern of ant-associated bacterial symbiosis, and thus further our understanding of host-microbe interactions in the light of sociobiology.

| S-EPMC9723695 | biostudies-literature

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

OmicsDI is an Elixir interoperability service. Learn more ›

Tweets

OmicsDI Databases

PRIDE
PeptideAtlas
MassIVE
JPOST Repository
Physiome Model Repository

EGA
EVA
ENA
LINCS
PAXDB
Cell Collective

MetaboLights
Metabolomics Workbench
MetabolomeExpress
GNPS
BioModels
FAIRDOMHub

ArrayExpress
dbGaP
ExpressionAtlas
GEO
NODE

Information

Databases
Help
API
Contact us
Code on GitHub
Terms of use
Submit Data