scholarly journals Developmental plasticity shapes social traits and selection in a facultatively eusocial bee

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (24) ◽  
pp. 13615-13625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen M. Kapheim ◽  
Beryl M. Jones ◽  
Hailin Pan ◽  
Cai Li ◽  
Brock A. Harpur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Evolution ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Developmental Plasticity ◽  
Sex Differentiation ◽  
Integrative Genomics ◽  
Genetic Changes ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
Social Traits ◽  
Megalopta Genalis ◽  
Evolutionary Innovation

Developmental plasticity generates phenotypic variation, but how it contributes to evolutionary change is unclear. Phenotypes of individuals in caste-based (eusocial) societies are particularly sensitive to developmental processes, and the evolutionary origins of eusociality may be rooted in developmental plasticity of ancestral forms. We used an integrative genomics approach to evaluate the relationships among developmental plasticity, molecular evolution, and social behavior in a bee species (Megalopta genalis) that expresses flexible sociality, and thus provides a window into the factors that may have been important at the evolutionary origins of eusociality. We find that differences in social behavior are derived from genes that also regulate sex differentiation and metamorphosis. Positive selection on social traits is influenced by the function of these genes in development. We further identify evidence that social polyphenisms may become encoded in the genome via genetic changes in regulatory regions, specifically in transcription factor binding sites. Taken together, our results provide evidence that developmental plasticity provides the substrate for evolutionary novelty and shapes the selective landscape for molecular evolution in a major evolutionary innovation: Eusociality.

Sickness and the social brain: How the immune system regulates behavior across species

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin A. Devlin ◽  
Caroline J. Smith ◽  
Staci D. Bilbo
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Behavior Changes ◽  
Social Brain ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
Immune Mediators ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sickness Behaviors ◽  
The Brain

Many instances of sickness critically involve the immune system. The immune system talks to the brain in a bi-directional loop. This discourse affords the immune system immense control, such that it can influence behavior and optimize recovery from illness. These behavioral responses to infection are called sickness behaviors and can manifest in many ways, including changes in mood, motivation, or energy. Fascinatingly, most of these changes are conserved across species, and most organisms demonstrate some form of sickness behaviors. One of the most interesting sickness behaviors, and not immediately obvious, is altered sociability. Here, we discuss how the immune system impacts social behavior, by examining the brain regions and immune mediators involved in this process. We first outline how social behavior changes in response to infection in various species. Next, we explore which brain regions control social behavior and their evolutionary origins. Finally, we describe which immune mediators establish the link between illness and social behavior, in the context of both normal development and infection. Overall, we hope to make clear the striking similarities between the mechanisms that facilitate changes in sociability in derived and ancestral vertebrate, as well as invertebrate, species.

scholarly journals Housing microbial symbionts: evolutionary origins and diversification of symbiotic organs in animals

2020 ◽  
Vol 375 (1808) ◽  
pp. 20190603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela E. Douglas
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Changes ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
Genetic Technologies ◽  
Host Genetic ◽  
Microbial Symbionts ◽  
Developmental Programme ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Evo Devo ◽  
Host Evolution

In many animal hosts, microbial symbionts are housed within specialized structures known as symbiotic organs, but the evolutionary origins of these structures have rarely been investigated. Here, I adopt an evolutionary developmental (evo-devo) approach, specifically to apply knowledge of the development of symbiotic organs to gain insights into their evolutionary origins and diversification. In particular, host genetic changes associated with evolution of symbiotic organs can be inferred from studies to identify the host genes that orchestrate the development of symbiotic organs, recognizing that microbial products may also play a key role in triggering the developmental programme in some associations. These studies may also reveal whether higher animal taxonomic groups (order, class, phylum, etc.) possess a common genetic regulatory network for symbiosis that is latent in taxa lacking symbiotic organs, and activated at the origination of symbiosis in different host lineages. In this way, apparent instances of convergent evolution of symbiotic organs may be homologous in terms of a common genetic blueprint for symbiosis. Advances in genetic technologies, including reverse genetic tools and genome editing, will facilitate the application of evo-devo approaches to investigate the evolution of symbiotic organs in animals. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The role of the microbiome in host evolution’.

Molecular Evolution of the Major Arthropod Chemoreceptor Gene Families

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 227-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh M. Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Evolution ◽  
Odorant Receptor ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Gene Family Evolution ◽  
Gustatory Receptor ◽  
Ionotropic Receptor ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
Ligand Identification ◽  
Receptor Family

The evolutionary origins of the three major families of chemoreceptors in arthropods—the odorant receptor (OR), gustatory receptor (GR), and ionotropic receptor (IR) families—occurred at the base of the Insecta, Animalia, and Protostomia, respectively. Comparison of receptor family sizes across arthropods reveals a generally positive correlation with their widely disparate complexity of chemical ecology. Closely related species reveal the ongoing processes of gene family evolution, including gene duplication, divergence, pseudogenization, and loss, that mediate these larger patterns. Sets of paralogous receptors within species reveal positive selection on amino acids in regions likely to contribute to ligand binding and specificity. Ligands of many ORs and some GRs and IRs have been identified; however, ligand identification for many more chemoreceptors is needed, as are structures for the OR/GR superfamily, to improve our understanding of the molecular evolution of these ecologically important receptors in arthropods.

scholarly journals Caste-biased gene expression in a facultatively eusocial bee suggests a role for genetic accommodation in the evolution of eusociality

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1846) ◽  
pp. 20162228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beryl M. Jones ◽  
Callum J. Kingwell ◽  
William T. Wcislo ◽  
Gene E. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Developmental Plasticity ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Genetic Accommodation ◽  
Megalopta Genalis ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Glycolysis Pathway ◽  
Evolutionary Context ◽  
Eusocial Bees ◽  
Selected Traits

Developmental plasticity may accelerate the evolution of phenotypic novelty through genetic accommodation, but studies of genetic accommodation often lack knowledge of the ancestral state to place selected traits in an evolutionary context. A promising approach for assessing genetic accommodation involves using a comparative framework to ask whether ancestral plasticity is related to the evolution of a particular trait. Bees are an excellent group for such comparisons because caste-based societies (eusociality) have evolved multiple times independently and extant species exhibit different modes of eusociality. We measured brain and abdominal gene expression in a facultatively eusocial bee, Megalopta genalis, and assessed whether plasticity in this species is functionally linked to eusocial traits in other bee lineages. Caste-biased abdominal genes in M. genalis overlapped significantly with caste-biased genes in obligately eusocial bees . Moreover, caste-biased genes in M. genalis overlapped significantly with genes shown to be rapidly evolving in multiple studies of 10 bee species, particularly for genes in the glycolysis pathway and other genes involved in metabolism. These results provide support for the idea that eusociality can evolve via genetic accommodation, with plasticity in facultatively eusocial species like M. genalis providing a substrate for selection during the evolution of caste in obligately eusocial lineages.

A Method for Measuring Social Behavior of Psychiatric Outpatients

1966 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 371-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Mann ◽  
Melvin Cohen ◽  
David M. Engelhardt ◽  
Norbert Freedman ◽  
Reuben A. Margolis
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Psychiatric Outpatients ◽  
Social Traits ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family ◽  
Family Setting ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Schizophrenic Outpatients ◽  
Gathering Data

A system for the assessment of traits characterizing the social interaction of patients in the family setting has been briefly described. This system attempts to measure the relationship between the patient and the relaive who is being interviewed concerning the patient's behavior. Using a method of coding to evaluate the respondent's answers to various open-ended questions, we are able to delineate those characteristics of the patient's behavior which are most salient to the relative and most indicative of the relationship between the relative and the patient. This system is presently being used to study the behavior of schizophrenic outpatients in a clinic setting in which the primary method of treatment is ataractic therapy. It is assumed that for psychiatric outpatients changes in their social relationships at home are as important as changes in their mental status. The social traits are being used both as predictors of change in the patient's behavior and as indices measuring the effects of treatment on social behavior. At present, we are gathering data which indicates that the social traits are reliable and valid scales, and that they are useful in the study of schizophrenic outpatients.

Human and ant social behavior should be compared in a very careful way to draw valid parallels

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Joanna Godzińska
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Division Of Labor ◽  
Social Insects ◽  
Information Transfer ◽  
Present Knowledge ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
Interesting Discussion ◽  
Human Social Behavior ◽  
Reproductive Division Of Labor ◽  
Reproductive Division

AbstractGowdy & Krall provide an interesting discussion of evolutionary origins and consequences of ultrasociality. However, some of their statements concerning various features of ant and human social behavior do not adequately reflect present knowledge about the discussed issues, which include, among others, polyethism, cultural information transfer, within-group conflicts and resistance in ant societies, and reproductive division of labor in humans.Gowdy & Krall (G&K) provide an interesting discussion of evolutionary origins and consequences of ultrasociality, an advanced form of social behavior that evolved independently in both social insects and humans. Their reflections are thought-provoking, but some statements concerning various features of ant and human social behavior do not reflect adequately the present knowledge about the discussed issues.

scholarly journals Microglial elimination of dopamine D1 receptors defines sex-specific changes in nucleus accumbens development and social play behavior during adolescence

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley M. Kopec ◽  
Caroline J. Smith ◽  
Nathan R. Ayre ◽  
Sean C. Sweat ◽  
Staci D. Bilbo
Keyword(s):  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Developmental Plasticity ◽  
Neural Circuit ◽  
Social Play ◽  
Play Behavior ◽  
D1 Receptors ◽  
Adolescent Male ◽  
Dopamine D1 Receptors ◽  
Social Play Behavior

AbstractAdolescence is a developmental period in which the mesolimbic dopaminergic ‘reward’ circuitry of the brain, including the nucleus accumbens (NAc), undergoes significant developmental plasticity and neural circuit maturation. Dopamine D1 receptors (D1rs) in the NAc have recently been demonstrated to be critical modulators of social behavior, but how these receptors are regulated in adolescence to mediate social behavior is not well understood. In this report, we used multi-plexed immunohistochemistry with volumetric reconstructions, co-immunoprecipitation, ex vivo, and in vivo stereotaxic, microglial manipulation, and social behavior assessment to demonstrate that microglia and complement-mediated phagocytic activity shapes sex-specific NAc development. Moreover, we report for the first time that microglia-mediated phagocytosis is required for natural developmental changes in behavior, specifically, adolescent male social play behavior. These data have broad implications for understanding how experience interacts with the developing reward circuity, sex-specific responses to stimuli in adolescence, and how neuropsychiatric disorders may arise in a sexually dimorphic manner.

Combinatorial Evolution at the Molecular Level

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Jane West-Eberhard
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Evolution ◽  
Developmental Plasticity ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
Biological Molecules ◽  
Levels Of Organization ◽  
Evolution Of Gene Regulation ◽  
Combinatorial Model ◽  
Combinatorial Principles ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Damage Type

Some of the best evidence for combinatorial evolution comes from studies of molecular evolution. This chapter discusses combinatorial molecular evolution and shows that it is facilitated by the same properties of the molecular phenotype—modularity and flexibility—that facilitate combinatorial evolution at higher levels of organization. This is not a review of molecular or genomic evolution, and I am aware that by the time it is published it will lack the latest references even on the few topics discussed. I suspect that continued progress will only make the main point of this chapter more obvious: in many respects, evolution at the molecular level follows the same pattern as that seen at higher levels of organization, for it involves modular reorganization and developmental plasticity as architects of evolutionary change. A combinatorial view of structural change has long been commonplace in chemistry, since all of the materials of the organic and inorganic world come from different combinations of only 112 elements listed in the periodic table. Since biochemistry and molecular biology focus on the fundamentally modular structure and behavior of biological molecules, it is perhaps not surprising that they arrived early at a combinatorial view of evolution, and that it was a molecular biologist (Jacob, 1977) who described evolution as “tinkering” with preexisting pieces. The lowest level of combinatorial evolution is based on the “changeability” of the genetic code— its ability to undergo rearrangement without loss of functionality (Maeshiro and Kimura, 1998). A reorganizational basis for some kinds of mutation was also proposed by premolecular geneticists like H. J. Muller (see discussion of this work in Huxley, 1942, p. 92), who saw minute rearrangements as a kind of mutation distinguishable from “substantive” change of the chromosomal-damage type caused by ultraviolet radiation. More recently, Dickinson (1988) refers to a “combinatorial” model for the evolution of gene regulation. And genetic engineering makes extensive use of combinatorial principles in creating novel substances and genes.

scholarly journals Origins and Molecular Evolution of the NusG Paralog RfaH

mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bing Wang ◽  
Vadim M. Gumerov ◽  
Ekaterina P. Andrianova ◽  
Igor B. Zhulin ◽  
Irina Artsimovitch
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Molecular Evolution ◽  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Housekeeping Genes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bacterial Phyla ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Domains Of Life ◽  
Polymerase Binding

ABSTRACT The only universally conserved family of transcription factors comprises housekeeping regulators and their specialized paralogs, represented by well-studied NusG and RfaH. Despite their ubiquity, little information is available on the evolutionary origins, functions, and gene targets of the NusG family members. We built a hidden Markov model profile of RfaH and identified its homologs in sequenced genomes. While NusG is widespread among bacterial phyla and coresides with genes encoding RNA polymerase and ribosome in all except extremely reduced genomes, RfaH is mostly limited to Proteobacteria and lacks common gene neighbors. RfaH activates only a few xenogeneic operons that are otherwise silenced by NusG and Rho. Phylogenetic reconstructions reveal extensive duplications and horizontal transfer of rfaH genes, including those borne by plasmids, and the molecular evolution pathway of RfaH, from “early” exclusion of the Rho terminator and tightened RNA polymerase binding to “late” interactions with the ops DNA element and autoinhibition, which together define the RfaH regulon. Remarkably, NusG is not only ubiquitous in Bacteria but also common in plants, where it likely modulates the transcription of plastid genes. IMPORTANCE In all domains of life, NusG-like proteins make contacts similar to those of RNA polymerase and promote pause-free transcription yet may play different roles, defined by their divergent interactions with nucleic acids and accessory proteins, in the same cell. This duality is illustrated by Escherichia coli NusG and RfaH, which silence and activate xenogenes, respectively. We combined sequence analysis and recent functional and structural insights to envision the evolutionary transformation of NusG, a core regulator that we show is present in all cells using bacterial RNA polymerase, into a virulence factor, RfaH. Our results suggest a stepwise conversion of a NusG duplicate copy into a sequence-specific regulator which excludes NusG from its targets but does not compromise the regulation of housekeeping genes. We find that gene duplication and lateral transfer give rise to a surprising diversity within the only ubiquitous family of transcription factors.

scholarly journals A split sex ratio in solitary and social nests of a facultatively social bee

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 20180740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam R. Smith ◽  
Karen M. Kapheim ◽  
Callum J. Kingwell ◽  
William T. Wcislo
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Kin Selection ◽  
Sweat Bee ◽  
Offspring Sex Ratio ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
Megalopta Genalis ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Offspring Sex ◽  
Reproductive Altruism ◽  
Social Bee

A classic prediction of kin selection theory is that a mixed population of social and solitary nests of haplodiploid insects should exhibit a split sex ratio among offspring: female biased in social nests, male biased in solitary nests. Here, we provide the first evidence of a solitary–social split sex ratio, using the sweat bee Megalopta genalis (Halictidae). Data from 2502 offspring collected from naturally occurring nests across 6 years spanning the range of the M. genalis reproductive season show that despite significant yearly and seasonal variation, the offspring sex ratio of social nests is consistently more female biased than in solitary nests. This suggests that split sex ratios may facilitate the evolutionary origins of cooperation based on reproductive altruism via kin selection.

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