scholarly journals Discrimination of the Social ParasiteEctatomma parasiticumby Its Host Sibling Species (E. tuberculatum)

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renée Fénéron ◽  
Chantal Poteaux ◽  
Marie Boilève ◽  
Jorge Valenzuela ◽  
Fabrice Savarit
Keyword(s):  
Sibling Species ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Sympatric Speciation ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Local Distribution ◽  
Chemical Profile ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
New Findings ◽  
The Social ◽  
Survival And Reproduction

Among social parasites, workerless inquilines entirely depend on their host for survival and reproduction. They are usually close phylogenetic relatives of their host, which raises important questions about their evolutionary history and mechanisms of speciation at play. Here we present new findings onEctatomma parasiticum, the only inquiline ant described in the Ectatomminae subfamily. Field data confirmed its rarity and local distribution in a facultative polygynous population ofE. tuberculatumin Mexico. Genetic analyses demonstrated that the parasite is a sibling species of its host, from which it may have diverged recently. Polygyny is suggested to have favored the evolution of social parasite by sympatric speciation. Nevertheless, host workers from this population were able to discriminate parasites from their conspecifics. They treated the parasitic queens either as individuals of interest or as intruders, depending on their colonial origin, probably because of the peculiar chemical profile of the parasites and/or their reproductive status. We suggest thatE. parasiticumcould have conserved from its host sibling species the queen-specific substances that produce attracting and settling effect on workers, which, in return, would increase the probability to be detected. This hypothesis could explain the imperfect social integration of the parasite into host colonies.

scholarly journals Relaxed selection underlies genome erosion in socially parasitic ant species

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Schrader ◽  
Hailin Pan ◽  
Martin Bollazzi ◽  
Morten Schiøtt ◽  
Fredrick J. Larabee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Olfactory Receptors ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Effective Population ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Genomic Changes ◽  
The Social ◽  
Population Sizes ◽  
Leaf Cutting

AbstractInquiline ants are highly specialized and obligate social parasites that infiltrate and exploit colonies of closely related species. They have evolved many times convergently, are often evolutionarily young lineages, and are almost invariably rare. Focusing on the leaf-cutting ant genus Acromyrmex, we compared genomes of three inquiline social parasites with their free-living, closely-related hosts. The social parasite genomes show distinct signatures of erosion compared to the host lineages, as a consequence of relaxed selective constraints on traits associated with cooperative ant colony life and of inquilines having very small effective population sizes. We find parallel gene losses, particularly in olfactory receptors, consistent with inquiline species having highly reduced social behavioral repertoires. Many of the genomic changes that we uncover resemble those observed in the genomes of obligate non-social parasites and intracellular endosymbionts that branched off into highly specialized, host-dependent niches.

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 Behavioural and neurogenomic responses of host workers to social parasite invasion in a social insect

2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-308
Author(s):  
A. Cini ◽  
R. Branconi ◽  
S. Patalano ◽  
R. Cervo ◽  
S. Sumner
Keyword(s):  
Social Insect ◽  
Interaction Network ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Brain Gene Expression ◽  
The Social ◽  
Behavioural Phenotypes ◽  
Defence Strategies

Abstract The strong coevolutionary arms race between social parasites and their hosts has dramatically shaped the life-history traits of both parties. One of the main strategies exhibited by hosts in response to parasitism is reproduction by host workers. We lack a mechanistic understanding of how these defence strategies unfold and, specifically, whether hosts exhibit more subtle strategies to reduce the costs of parasitism from the outset. Here we test the hypothesis that there are both behavioural and neurogenomic signatures of worker responses to parasitism, prior to overt expression in the form of egg-laying; we test this using the social parasite—social host system of the paper wasps Polistes sulcifer-Polistes dominula. We characterized individual workers’ position within the social interaction network of queenright and host colonies immediately after parasite usurpation, weeks before the workers’ reproductive rebellion is evident. Parasitism influenced network centrality measures, with workers in parasitized colonies showing increased connectedness and centrality compared to those in unparasitized ones. Next, we quantified brain gene expression levels for five genes related to physiological and behavioural phenotypes in Polistes wasps. The gene Imaginal disc growth factor (Idgf4), thought to be responsive to changes in the social environment, was significantly down-regulated in workers from parasitized colonies; this may be an indication that parasitized workers are anticipating a shift toward a less worker-like phenotype in preparation for their reproductive rebellion. Our results provide the first evidence of early behavioural and neurogenomic responses of host workers toward the presence of an inquiline social parasite in a social insect.

scholarly journals Ophiocordyceps salganeicola, a parasite of social cockroaches in Japan and insights into the evolution of other closely-related Blattodea-associated lineages

IMA Fungus ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
João P. M. Araújo ◽  
Mitsuru G. Moriguchi ◽  
Shigeru Uchiyama ◽  
Noriko Kinjo ◽  
Yu Matsuura
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Similarity ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Evolutionary Relationships ◽  
Ryukyu Archipelago ◽  
Phylogenetic Placement ◽  
The Social ◽  
Host Jump ◽  
High Degree ◽  
A New Species

AbstractThe entomopathogenic genus Ophiocordyceps includes a highly diverse group of fungal species, predominantly parasitizing insects in the orders Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera. However, other insect orders are also parasitized by these fungi, for example the Blattodea (termites and cockroaches). Despite their ubiquity in nearly all environments insects occur, blattodeans are rarely found infected by filamentous fungi and thus, their ecology and evolutionary history remain obscure. In this study, we propose a new species of Ophiocordyceps infecting the social cockroaches Salganea esakii and S. taiwanensis, based on 16 years of collections and field observations in Japan, especially in the Ryukyu Archipelago. We found a high degree of genetic similarity between specimens from different islands, infecting these two Salganea species and that this relationship is ancient, likely not originating from a recent host jump. Furthermore, we found that Ophiocordyceps lineages infecting cockroaches evolved around the same time, at least twice, one from beetles and the other from termites. We have also investigated the evolutionary relationships between Ophiocordyceps and termites and present the phylogenetic placement of O. cf. blattae. Our analyses also show that O. sinensis could have originated from an ancestor infecting termite, instead of beetle larvae as previously proposed.

Immune Defense Strategies of Queens of the Social Parasite Ant Acromyrmex ameliae and Queens of Its Natural Hosts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lailla C. Gandra ◽  
Karina D. Amaral ◽  
Joel C. Couceiro ◽  
Rômulo A. C. Dângelo ◽  
Danival J. De Souza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Defense ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Defense Strategies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Natural Hosts

scholarly journals How social network structure affects decision-making in Drosophila melanogaster

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1826) ◽  
pp. 20152954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Pasquaretta ◽  
Marine Battesti ◽  
Elizabeth Klenschi ◽  
Christophe A. H. Bousquet ◽  
Cedric Sueur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Individual Decision ◽  
Social Network Structure ◽  
The Social ◽  
Survival And Reproduction ◽  
Crucial Information ◽  
Social Encounters ◽  
Selective Information

Animals use a number of different mechanisms to acquire crucial information. During social encounters, animals can pass information from one to another but, ideally, they would only use information that benefits survival and reproduction. Therefore, individuals need to be able to determine the value of the information they receive. One cue can come from the behaviour of other individuals that are already using the information. Using a previous extended dataset, we studied how individual decision-making is influenced by the behaviour of conspecifics in Drosophila melanogaster . We analysed how uninformed flies acquire and later use information about oviposition site choice they learn from informed flies. Our results suggest that uninformed flies adjust their future choices based on how coordinated the behaviours of the informed individuals they encounter are. Following social interaction, uninformed flies tended either to collectively follow the choice of the informed flies or to avoid it. Using social network analysis, we show that this selective information use seems to be based on the level of homogeneity of the social network. In particular, we found that the variance of individual centrality parameters among informed flies was lower in the case of a ‘follow’ outcome compared with the case of an ‘avoid’ outcome.

scholarly journals Social Changes on Basisombow in The Community of Kampar Riau Regency

Catharsis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-76
Author(s):  
Osmawinda Putri ◽  
Hartono Hartono ◽  
Udi Utomo
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
Sociological Approach ◽  
The North ◽  
New Findings ◽  
The Social ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Inspection Process

Basisombow is a literature that develops in the North Kampar of Kampar District. In antiquity Basisombow was used for traditional event, wedding, and circumcision event. The research aims to describe and analyze the social change of Basisombow in the community of Kampar Riau Regency. This study used qualitative research, with a sociological approach. Observation technology, interviews and documentation are used as instruments of the research in collecting the data. The data analysis procedures used data reduction, data presentation and data verification. The validity of the data in this study used Triangulation source that was performed for the inspection process by examining data from multiple sources. The results of the study that Basisombow experienced social change as follows: 1). Changes on Kampar community structure; 2). new findings and other cultural contacts; 3). Differences of opinion amongst generations. In particular, the findings in social change are influenced by 2 (two) factors such as; external and internal factors which are related to the social environment of the Kampar community.

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 Behavioural profiles are shaped by social experience: when, how and why

2013 ◽  
Vol 368 (1618) ◽  
pp. 20120344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Sachser ◽  
Sylvia Kaiser ◽  
Michael B. Hennessy
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Maternal Behaviour ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
Historical Trends ◽  
Environmental Stimuli ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sensitive Phase ◽  
Timely Topic ◽  
A Current

The comprehensive understanding of individual variation in behavioural profiles is a current and timely topic not only in behavioural ecology, but also in biopsychological and biomedical research. This study focuses on the shaping of behavioural profiles by the social environment in mammals. We review evidence that the shaping of behavioural profiles occurs from the prenatal phase through adolescence and beyond. We focus specifically on adolescence, a sensitive phase during which environmental stimuli have distinctive effects on the modulation of behavioural profiles. We discuss causation, in particular, how behavioural profiles are shaped by social stimuli through behavioural and neuroendocrine processes. We postulate a central role for maternal hormones during the prenatal phase, for maternal behaviour during lactation and for the interaction of testosterone and stress hormones during adolescence. We refer to evolutionary history and attempt to place developmental shaping into broader evolutionary historical trends. Finally, we address survival value. We argue that the shaping of behavioural profiles by environmental stimuli from the prenatal phase through adolescence represents an effective mechanism for repeated and rapid adaptation during the lifetime. Notably, the adolescent phase may provide a last chance for correction if the future environment deviates from that predicted in earlier phases.

Alcohol and Humans

2019 ◽  
pp. 196-206
Author(s):  
Kimberley J. Hockings ◽  
Robin I.M. Dunbar
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of

Humans and alcohol have shared a very long history. In this final chapter, we highlight some of the key findings that emerge from the chapters in this book, in particular the evolutionary history of our adaptation to alcohol consumption and the social role that alcohol consumption plays, and has played, in human societies across the world. This raises a major contradiction in the literature, namely the fact that, despite this long history, the medical profession typically views alcohol as destructive. We draw attention to several avenues that would repay future research and how humans’ relationship with alcohol stands to change and evolve.

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