scholarly journals The possible role of ant larvae in the defence against social parasites

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1898) ◽  
pp. 20182867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Unni Pulliainen ◽  
Heikki Helanterä ◽  
Liselotte Sundström ◽  
Eva Schultner
Keyword(s):  
Host Species ◽  
Social Parasitism ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Nest Mate ◽  
Formica Fusca ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Host Worker ◽  
Cuticular Profiles

Temporary social parasite ant queens initiate new colonies by entering colonies of host species, where they begin laying eggs. As the resident queen can be killed during this process, host colonies may lose their entire future reproductive output. Selection thus favours the evolution of defence mechanisms, before and after parasite intrusion. Most studies on social parasites focus on host worker discrimination of parasite queens and their offspring. However, ant larvae can also influence brood composition by consuming eggs. This raises the question whether host larvae can aid in preventing colony takeover by consuming eggs laid by parasite queens. To test whether larvae could play a role in anti-parasite defence, we compared the rates at which larvae of a common host species, Formica fusca , consumed eggs laid by social parasite, non-parasite, nest-mate, or conspecific non-nest-mate queens. Larvae consumed social parasite eggs more than eggs laid by a heterospecific non-parasite queen, irrespective of the chemical distance between the egg cuticular profiles. Also, larvae consumed eggs laid by conspecific non-nest-mate queens more than those laid by nest-mate queens. Our study suggests that larvae may act as players in colony defence against social parasitism, and that social parasitism is a key factor shaping discrimination behaviour in ants.

scholarly journals The evolution of social parasitism in Formica ants revealed by a global phylogeny

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek L Borowiec ◽  
Stefan P Cover ◽  
Christian Rabeling
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
New World ◽  
Social Parasitism ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Colony Foundation ◽  
Parasite Diversity ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Evolutionary Trajectories ◽  
Competing Hypotheses ◽  
Temporary Social Parasitism

Studying the behavioral and life history transitions from a cooperative, eusocial life history to exploitative social parasitism allows for deciphering the conditions under which changes in behavior and social organization lead to diversification. The Holarctic ant genus Formica is ideally suited for studying the evolution of social parasitism because half of its 178 species are confirmed or suspected social parasites, which includes all three major classes of social parasitism known in ants. However, the life-history transitions associated with the evolution of social parasitism in this genus are largely unexplored. To test competing hypotheses regarding the origins and evolution of social parasitism, we reconstructed the first global phylogeny of Formica ants and representative formicine outgroups. The genus Formica originated in the Old World during the Oligocene (~30 Ma ago) and dispersed multiple times to the New World. Within Formica, the capacity for dependent colony foundation and temporary social parasitism arose once from a facultatively polygynous, independently colony founding ancestor. Within this parasitic clade, dulotic social parasitism evolved once from a facultatively temporary parasitic ancestor that likely practiced colony budding frequently. Permanent social parasitism evolved twice from temporary social parasitic ancestors that rarely practiced colony budding, demonstrating that obligate social parasitism can originate from different facultative parasitic backgrounds in socially polymorphic organisms. In contrast to inquiline ant species in other genera, the high social parasite diversity in Formica likely originated via allopatric speciation, highlighting the diversity of convergent evolutionary trajectories resulting in nearly identical parasitic life history syndromes.

scholarly journals Phylogenetic tests reject Emery's rule in the evolution of social parasitism in yellowjackets and hornets (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Vespinae)

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (9) ◽  
pp. 150159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Lopez-Osorio ◽  
Adrien Perrard ◽  
Kurt M. Pickett ◽  
James M. Carpenter ◽  
Ingi Agnarsson
Keyword(s):  
Host Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Social Parasitism ◽  
Strict Sense ◽  
Brood Care ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Social Hymenoptera ◽  
The Social ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Worker Caste

Social parasites exploit the brood-care behaviour and social structure of one or more host species. Within the social Hymenoptera there are different types of social parasitism. In its extreme form, species of obligate social parasites, or inquilines, do not have the worker caste and depend entirely on the workers of a host species to raise their reproductive offspring. The strict form of Emery's rule states that social parasites share immediate common ancestry with their hosts. Moreover, this rule has been linked with a sympatric origin of inquilines from their hosts. Here, we conduct phylogenetic analyses of yellowjackets and hornets based on 12 gene fragments and evaluate competing evolutionary scenarios to test Emery's rule. We find that inquilines, as well as facultative social parasites, are not the closest relatives of their hosts. Therefore, Emery's rule in its strict sense is rejected, suggesting that social parasites have not evolved sympatrically from their hosts in yellowjackets and hornets. However, the relaxed version of the rule is supported, as inquilines and their hosts belong to the same Dolichovespula clade. Furthermore, inquilinism has evolved only once in Dolichovespula .

scholarly journals Two new species of socially parasitic Nylanderia ants from the southeastern United States

ZooKeys ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 921 ◽  
pp. 23-48
Author(s):  
Steven J. Messer ◽  
Stefan P. Cover ◽  
Christian Rabeling
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Life History ◽  
New Species ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Social Parasitism ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Two New Species ◽  
Worker Caste

In ants, social parasitism is an umbrella term describing a variety of life-history strategies, where a parasitic species depends entirely on a free-living species, for part of or its entire life-cycle, for either colony founding, survival, and/or reproduction. The highly specialized inquiline social parasites are fully dependent on their hosts for their entire lifecycles. Most inquiline species are tolerant of the host queen in the parasitized colony, forgo producing a worker caste, and invest solely in the production of sexual offspring. In general, inquilines are rare, and their geographic distribution is limited, making it difficult to study them. Inquiline populations appear to be small, cryptic, and they are perhaps ephemeral. Thus, information about their natural history is often fragmentary or non-existent but is necessary for understanding the socially parasitic life history syndrome in more detail. Here, we describe two new species of inquiline social parasites, Nylanderia deyrupisp. nov. and Nylanderia parasiticasp. nov., from the southeastern United States, parasitizing Nylanderia wojciki and Nylanderia faisonensis, respectively. The formicine genus Nylanderia is large and globally distributed, but until the recent description of Nylanderia deceptrix, social parasites were unknown from this genus. In addition to describing the new social parasite species, we summarize the fragmentary information known about their biology, present a key to both the queens and the males of the Nylanderia social parasites, and discuss the morphology of the social parasites in the context of the inquiline syndrome.

Dynamics of chemical mimicry in the social parasite wasp Polistes semenowi (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Parasitology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 129 (5) ◽  
pp. 643-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. LORENZI ◽  
R. CERVO ◽  
F. ZACCHI ◽  
S. TURILLAZZI ◽  
A.-G. BAGNÈRES
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Polistes Dominulus ◽  
Lipid Layer ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Host Nest ◽  
Recognition Mechanism ◽  
The Social ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Nest Usurpation

Chemical cues are so important in the recognition mechanism of social insects that most social parasites (which rely on hosts to rear their brood) have been documented as overcoming the mechanism by which colony residents recognize non-nestmates, by mimicking the odour of the usurped colony. We simulated in the laboratory the process by which the obligate social parasite, Polistes semenowi, invades nests of the host species, Polistes dominulus, in the field and analysed the epicuticular lipid layer before and after host nest usurpation. The experiment documents that P. semenowi social parasites have an epicuticular hydrocarbon pattern which is very similar to that of their host but, after entering host colonies, parasites mimic the odour of the colonies they invade, to the point that they perfectly match the hydrocarbon profile peculiar to the colony they entered. However, both before and after host nest invasion, parasites show a tendency to possess diluted recognition cues with respect to their hosts.

scholarly journals Inquiline social parasites as tools to unlock the secrets of insect sociality

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1769) ◽  
pp. 20180193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Cini ◽  
Seirian Sumner ◽  
Rita Cervo
Keyword(s):  
Social Parasitism ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Insect Societies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Reproductive Division Of Labour ◽  
Insect Sociality ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Reproductive Division

Insect societies play a crucial role in the functioning of most ecosystems and have fascinated both scientists and the lay public for centuries. Despite the long history of study, we are still far from understanding how insect societies have evolved and how social cohesion in their colonies is maintained. Here we suggest inquiline social parasites of insect societies as an under-exploited experimental tool for understanding sociality. We draw on examples from obligate inquiline (permanent) social parasites in wasps, ants and bees to illustrate how these parasites may allow us to better understand societies and learn more about the evolution and functioning of insect societies. We highlight three main features of these social parasite–host systems—namely, close phylogenetic relationships, strong selective pressures arising from coevolution and multiple independent origins—that make inquiline social parasites particularly suited for this aim; we propose a conceptual comparative framework that considers trait losses, gains and modifications in social parasite–host systems. We give examples of how this framework can reveal the more elusive secrets of sociality by focusing on two cornerstones of sociality: communication and reproductive division of labour. Together with social parasites in other taxonomic groups, such as cuckoos in birds, social parasitism has a great potential to reveal the mechanisms and evolution of complex social groups. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern’.

scholarly journals Ecological characteristics of Varroa destructor (parasitiformes, varroidea) and its environmental capacity as a key factor for development of varroosis panzootia

2012 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 8-14
Author(s):  
I. A. Akimov ◽  
O. P. Korzh
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Varroa Mite ◽  
Environmental Capacity ◽  
Ecological Characteristics ◽  
High Pathogenicity ◽  
Key Factor

Ecological Characteristics of Varroa destructor (Parasitiformes, Varroidae) and Its Environmental Capacity as a Key Factor for Development of Varroosis Panzootia. Akimov I. A., Korzh O. P. - By means of formalized schematic models of relationship with hosts the varroa mite uniqueness as a parasite is shown. The life cycle of this species requires the change of a host species at different stages of their development and physiological states. Thus the mite parasitizes not only a separate bee but a whole hive. The fact that the whole hive but not a single bee dies during varroosis development supports this idea. The impetus for this type of parasitism is the relative constancy of the environment in the hive supported by bees even in winter. Exactly this fact causes high pathogenicity of the varroa for the honey bee and its control complexity.

scholarly journals Fat Tail Analysis on S&P 100 Stocks-before and after US President Election

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 79-88
Author(s):  
Sandeep Thakur
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Tails ◽  
Economic Condition ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
Fat Tail ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
The Us ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Climate And Health ◽  
Tail Analysis

The main aim of this paper is to determine whether the volatility in the stocks can be created by events like the US Election and whether it leads to Fat Tail in the stocks. Fat Tail analysis is a key factor in determining volatility and has been used in the economy as well as in many other fields like climate and health. Log return has been used to determine the Fat Tail. To make the work more reliable, two Presidential election periods, that of Barack Obama and Donald Trump is selected and is compared for volatility and Fat Tail. For this study, stocks from the S&P 100 are selected and observed. The results show that the US economy is not at all driven by who comes in power and when but rather by the present economic condition. Stocks showing heavy tails during the Obama presidency are primarily because the economy was under Sub Prime Crisis too.

The content of nitric oxide and S-nitrosothiols in rats’ liver cells under the different supplementation of macronutrient

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-195
Author(s):  
Halyna Kopylchuk ◽  
Ivanna Nykolaichuk ◽  
Olesiia Kuziak
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Nitrogen Oxide ◽  
Nitrosative Stress ◽  
Liver Cells ◽  
Oxide Content ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Rat Liver Cells ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Excessive Consumption

This paper presents studies of nitric oxide and low-molecular S-nitrosothiols in the mitochondrial and cytosolic fractions of the rats' liver under the conditions of, alimentary protein deprivation, consumption of excess sucrose content and combined action of two adverse factors. In order to model the low-protein diet of the animal for 28 days received an isocaloric diet containing 4.7% protein, 10% fat, 81,3% carbohydrates (starch – 37%, sucrose – 30%, cellulose – 5%) and was calculated in accordance with the recommendations of the American Institute of Nutrition. The high-sugar diet consisted of 14% protein, 10% fat, 72% carbohydrates (starch – 37%, sucrose – 30%, cellulose – 5%). The mitochondrial and cytosolic fraction of rat liver cells were obtained by the method of differential centrifugation. Nitrogen oxide content was assessed by a unified method by determining the NO2- content, which is a stable metabolite of nitric oxide. Since NO is inactivated into an oxidase reaction with the conversion into nitrite or nitrate that is quickly metabolized, the nitrogen oxide content was assessed by the change in NO2-. The concentration of S-nitrosothiols was recorded, respectively, by determining the concentration of nitrite anion before and after the addition of Hg2+ ions, which by modifying the S – N bonds catalyzes the release of S-nitrosyl thiols of nitric oxide. An increase in NO content in both hepatic subcellular fractions of the rats’ experimental groups compared to control values was found. However, a lack of protein in the diet (protein deficiency in the diet leads to an increase in nitric oxide levels in 3-4 times) can be considered as a key factor in the recorded changes in the mitochondria of the animals’ liver, while in the cytosol - excessive consumption of sucrose (3-5 times increase). Regarding the level of S-nitrosothiols, in the studied fractions, multidirectional changes in their concentration were found. Thus, an increase in the content of nitrosyl derivatives in the mitochondria of rat’s liver cells with a simultaneous decrease in their level in the cytosol indicates dysmetabolic disorders in the transport system and deposition of nitric oxide, which can lead to the development of nitrosative stress under the experimental conditions.

scholarly journals Brood parasitism in eusocial insects (Hymenoptera): role of host geographical range size and phylogeny

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1769) ◽  
pp. 20180203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jukka Suhonen ◽  
Jaakko J. Ilvonen ◽  
Tommi Nyman ◽  
Jouni Sorvari
Keyword(s):  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Geographical Range ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Brood Parasite ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Brood Parasites ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Interspecific Brood Parasitism ◽  
Logistic Regressions

Interspecific brood parasitism is common in many animal systems. Brood parasites enter the nests of other species and divert host resources for producing their own offspring, which can lead to strong antagonistic parasite–host coevolution. Here, we look at commonalities among social insect species that are victims of brood parasites, and use phylogenetic data and information on geographical range size to predict which species are most probably to fall victims to brood parasites in the future. In our analyses, we focus on three eusocial hymenopteran groups and their brood parasites: (i) bumblebees, (ii) Myrmica ants, and (iii) vespine and polistine wasps. In these groups, some, but not all, species are parasitized by obligate workerless inquilines that only produce reproductive-caste descendants. We find phylogenetic signals for geographical range size and the presence of parasites in bumblebees, but not in ants and wasps. Phylogenetic logistic regressions indicate that the probability of being attacked by one or more brood parasite species increases with the size of the geographical range in bumblebees, but the effect is statistically only marginally significant in ants. However, non-phylogenetic logistic regressions suggest that bumblebee species with the largest geographical range sizes may have a lower likelihood of harbouring social parasites than do hosts with medium-sized ranges. Our results provide new insights into the ecology and evolution of host–social parasite systems, and indicate that host phylogeny and geographical range size can be used to predict threats posed by social parasites, as well to design efficient conservation measures for both hosts and their parasites. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern’.

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