scholarly journals The lose-to-win strategy of the weak: intraspecific parasitism via egg abduction in a termite

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chihiro Tamaki ◽  
Mamoru Takata ◽  
Kenji Matsuura
Keyword(s):  
Genomic Imprinting ◽  
Social Insects ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Colony Foundation ◽  
Reticulitermes Speratus ◽  
Major Threat ◽  
Incipient Colonies ◽  
Intraspecific Parasitism

Predation by larger conspecifics poses a major threat to small juveniles in many animal species. However, in social insects, raids perpetrated by large colonies may provide smaller colonies with opportunities for parasitization. Herein, in the termite Reticulitermes speratus , we demonstrate that small incipient colonies parasitize large mature colonies through egg abduction when attacked by raiding conspecifics. We observed that the eggs of incipient colonies were brought into raiding colonies while their parents were killed during the attack. In this species, unmated females found new colonies with female–female (FF) cooperation, in addition to the typical monogamous colony foundation. Interestingly, the abducted eggs of FF pairs developed into nymphs (reproductive caste) in the raiding colonies, whereas the eggs of male–female (MF) pairs developed into workers (non-reproductive caste). Parthenogenetic eggs are known to be developmentally predisposed to becoming female reproductives owing to genomic imprinting in termites. This study demonstrates that the plundering of small colonies by larger conspecific colonies not only results in the extinction of the weaker colonies, but also serves as a strategy that incipient colonies use to obtain the reproductive position in large colonies by stealth. The results elucidate the diversity and complexity of inter-colonial interactions in social insects.

scholarly journals Cellulolytic Protist Numbers Rise and Fall Dramatically in Termite Queens and Kings during Colony Foundation

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 545-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keisuke Shimada ◽  
Nathan Lo ◽  
Osamu Kitade ◽  
Akane Wakui ◽  
Kiyoto Maekawa
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Transfer ◽  
Reproductive Tissue ◽  
Colony Foundation ◽  
Dynamic Nature ◽  
Termite Species ◽  
Reticulitermes Speratus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Critical Phase ◽  
Incipient Colonies

ABSTRACTAmong the best-known examples of mutualistic symbioses is that between lower termites and the cellulolytic flagellate protists in their hindguts. Although the symbiosis in worker termites has attracted much attention, there have been only a few studies of protists in other castes. We have performed the first examination of protist population dynamics in queens and kings during termite colony foundation. Protist numbers, as well as measurements of hindgut and reproductive tissue sizes, were undertaken at five time points over 400 days in incipient colonies ofReticulitermes speratus, as well as in other castes of mature colonies of this species. We found that protist numbers increased dramatically in both queens and kings during the first 50 days of colony foundation but began to decrease by day 100, eventually disappearing by day 400. Hindgut width followed a pattern similar to that of protist numbers, while ovary and testis widths increased significantly only at day 400. Kings were found to contain higher numbers of protists than queens in incipient colonies, which may be linked to higher levels of nutrient transfer from kings to queens than vice versa, as is known in some other termite species. Protists were found to be abundant in soldiers from mature colonies but absent in neotenics. This probably reflects feeding of soldiers by workers via proctodeal trophallaxis and of reproductives via stomodeal trophallaxis. The results reveal the dynamic nature of protist numbers during colony foundation and highlight the trade-offs that exist between reproduction and parental care during this critical phase of the termite life cycle.

scholarly journals Recent responses to climate change reveal the drivers of species extinction and survival

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (8) ◽  
pp. 4211-4217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Román-Palacios ◽  
John J. Wiens
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Climatic Changes ◽  
Important Work ◽  
Species Extinction ◽  
Major Threat ◽  
Niche Shifts ◽  
Local Extinctions ◽  
Over Time

Climate change may be a major threat to biodiversity in the next 100 years. Although there has been important work on mechanisms of decline in some species, it generally remains unclear which changes in climate actually cause extinctions, and how many species will likely be lost. Here, we identify the specific changes in climate that are associated with the widespread local extinctions that have already occurred. We then use this information to predict the extent of future biodiversity loss and to identify which processes may forestall extinction. We used data from surveys of 538 plant and animal species over time, 44% of which have already had local extinctions at one or more sites. We found that locations with local extinctions had larger and faster changes in hottest yearly temperatures than those without. Surprisingly, sites with local extinctions had significantly smaller changes in mean annual temperatures, despite the widespread use of mean annual temperatures as proxies for overall climate change. Based on their past rates of dispersal, we estimate that 57–70% of these 538 species will not disperse quickly enough to avoid extinction. However, we show that niche shifts appear to be far more important for avoiding extinction than dispersal, although most studies focus only on dispersal. Specifically, considering both dispersal and niche shifts, we project that only 16–30% of these 538 species may go extinct by 2070. Overall, our results help identify the specific climatic changes that cause extinction and the processes that may help species to survive.

scholarly journals Parent-of-origin effects, allele-specific expression, genomic imprinting and paternal manipulation in social insects

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1826) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin P. Oldroyd ◽  
Boris Yagound
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Genomic Imprinting ◽  
Social Insects ◽  
Social Insect ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Rna Molecules ◽  
Parent Of Origin ◽  
Origin Effects ◽  
Gene Expression Studies

Haplo-diploidy and the relatedness asymmetries it generates mean that social insects are prime candidates for the evolution of genomic imprinting. In single-mating social insect species, some genes may be selected to evolve genomic mechanisms that enhance reproduction by workers when they are inherited from a female. This situation reverses in multiple mating species, where genes inherited from fathers can be under selection to enhance the reproductive success of daughters. Reciprocal crosses between subspecies of honeybees have shown strong parent-of-origin effects on worker reproductive phenotypes, and this could be evidence of such genomic imprinting affecting genes related to worker reproduction. It is also possible that social insect fathers directly affect gene expression in their daughters, for example, by placing small interfering RNA molecules in semen. Gene expression studies have repeatedly found evidence of parent-specific gene expression in social insects, but it is unclear at this time whether this arises from genomic imprinting, paternal manipulation, an artefact of cyto-nuclear interactions, or all of these. This article is part of the theme issue ‘How does epigenetics influence the course of evolution?’

Cooperative colony foundation by termite female pairs: altruism for survivorship in incipient colonies

2002 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenji Matsuura ◽  
Miki Fujimoto ◽  
Koichi Goka ◽  
Takayoshi Nishida
Keyword(s):  
Colony Foundation ◽  
Incipient Colonies

scholarly journals Do social insects support Haig's kin theory for the evolution of genomic imprinting?

Epigenetics ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 725-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirko Pegoraro ◽  
Hollie Marshall ◽  
Zoë N. Lonsdale ◽  
Eamonn B. Mallon
Keyword(s):  
Genomic Imprinting ◽  
Social Insects

scholarly journals Entomological Images in the Worldview of the Buryats

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 110-118
Author(s):  
Andrew A. Badmaev
Keyword(s):  
Social Insects ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Popular Belief ◽  
The Family ◽  
Zoological Classification ◽  
Separate Class ◽  
Ritual Practices

Purpose. The aim of this study is to identify a set of traditional views of the Buryats associated with insects. Results. In the popular zoological classification of the Buryats, the insects were distinguished as a separate class due to their small size. Another sign of this class was the characteristic of insects being nimble. Insects were divided into such groups as “winged insects”, “worms and beetles”, “social insects” and others. Images of insects that live in the sky, water and on earth were not always determined by their habitat. According to the Buryat views, there was a group of chthonic creatures, such as midges, flies, lice, fleas and beetles. At the same time, there existed a popular belief that insects appeared as falling from the sky. By contrast with other classes of animals, insects in Buryats beliefs were not personified in a single spirit as the patron of insects. Images of representatives of the order of Lepidoptera, such as butterflies and moths, are rarely present in the traditional worldview of the Buryats. According to their views, in addition to the presence of wings, the most important feature of many Diptera insects is their ability to produce monotonous sounds while flying – buzz, and this quality is reflected in the Buryat vocabulary. The Buryats believed that certain insects had unique features. For instance, the bee had a feminine essence. It is worth noting that the bee was included into a limited group of animals, together with a swallow and an ant, whose presence in the Buryat dwelling was considered favorable for the life of the family. According to the Buryats’ mythological views, only ants had a hierarchy in their groups. Conclusion. Our analysis has shown that insects were not very important creatures in the Buryats’ beliefs. However, some insects had distinct characteristics. The ant and the bee were considered to be positive, while the gadfly, mosquito, wasp, moth, bug, louse and flea negative. It should also be noted that the chthonic origin of the ant did not determine its final connotation. The Buryats often compared insects to other animal species. The material considered shows that they associated a soul with opposite images of bees and wasps. Some insects were connected with the idea of lycanthropy and the symbolism of fertility, such as the ant and the bee. Unlike other classes of animals, insects were vaguely represented in the myth-ritual practices of the Buryats. Some Buryat views on insects find parallels with the mythological judgments of other peoples, such as the Mongols, Slavic tribes, etc., which is explained by the universal character of the images, typological coincidences and intercultural contacts (primarily with the Mongols).

scholarly journals Developmental Instability in Incipient Colonies of Social Insects

PLoS ONE ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e113949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Chouvenc ◽  
Mathieu Basille ◽  
Hou-Feng Li ◽  
Nan-Yao Su
Keyword(s):  
Social Insects ◽  
Developmental Instability ◽  
Incipient Colonies

scholarly journals Methylation and worker reproduction in the bumble-bee ( Bombus terrestris )

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1780) ◽  
pp. 20132502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harindra E. Amarasinghe ◽  
Crisenthiya I. Clayton ◽  
Eamonn B. Mallon
Keyword(s):  
Genomic Imprinting ◽  
Social Insects ◽  
Social Insect ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Worker Reproduction ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Reproductive Division Of Labour ◽  
Reproductive Division

Insects are at the dawn of an epigenetics era. Numerous social insect species have been found to possess a functioning methylation system, previously not thought to exist in insects. Methylation, an epigenetic tag, may be vital for the sociality and division of labour for which social insects are renowned. In the bumble-bee Bombus terrestris , we found methylation differences between the genomes of queenless reproductive workers and queenless non-reproductive workers. In a follow up experiment, queenless workers whose genomes had experimentally altered methylation were more aggressive and more likely to develop ovaries compared with control queenless workers. This shows methylation is important in this highly plastic reproductive division of labour. Methylation is an epigenetic tag for genomic imprinting (GI). It is intriguing that the main theory to explain the evolution of GI predicts that GI should be important in this worker reproduction behaviour.

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