Family before work: task reversion in workers of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta in the presence of brood
Wilson, E. O. The Insect Societies (Oxford University Press, 1971).
Google Scholar
Beshers, S. N. & Fewell, J. H. Models of division of labor in social insects. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 46, 413–440 (2001).CAS
Google Scholar
Seeley, T. D. Adaptive significance of the age polyethism schedule in honeybee colonies. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 4, 287–293 (1982).
Google Scholar
Tallamy, D. W. Insect parental care. Bioscience 34, 20–24. https://doi.org/10.2307/1309421 (1984).Article
Google Scholar
Queller, D. C. Extended parental care and the origin of eusociality. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. B: Biol. Sci. 256, 105–111. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.1994.0056 (1994).Article
ADS
Google Scholar
Bigley, W. S. & Vinson, S. B. Characterization of a brood pheromone isolated from the sexual brood of the imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta 1,2. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 68, 301–304 (1975).CAS
Google Scholar
Endler, A. et al. Surface hydrocarbons of queen eggs regulate worker reproduction in a social insect. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101, 2945–2950. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0308447101 (2004).Article
ADS
CAS
Google Scholar
Maisonnasse, A., Lenoir, J. C., Beslay, D., Crauser, D. & Le Conte, Y. E-beta-ocimene, a volatile brood pheromone involved in social regulation in the honey bee colony (Apis mellifera). PLoS ONE 5, e13531. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0013531 (2010).Article
ADS
CAS
Google Scholar
Schultner, E., Oettler, J. & Helantera, H. The role of brood in eusocial hymenoptera. Q. Rev. Biol. 92, 39–78. https://doi.org/10.1086/690840 (2017).Article
Google Scholar
Amdam, G. V., Hartfelder, K., Norberg, K., Hagen, A. & Omholt, S. W. Altered physiology in worker honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) infested with the mite Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae): A factor in colony loss during overwintering? J. Econ. Entomol. 97, 741–747 (2004).
Google Scholar
Calabi, P. & Traniello, J. F. Behavioral flexibility in age castes of the ant Pheidole dentata. J. Insect Behav. 2, 663–677 (1989).
Google Scholar
Gordon, D. W. Dynamics of task switching in harvester ants. Anim. Behav. 38, 194–204 (1989).
Google Scholar
Robinson, G. E. Regulation of division of labor in insect societies. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 37, 637–665. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.en.37.010192.003225 (1992).Article
CAS
Google Scholar
Robinson, E. J., Feinerman, O. & Franks, N. R. Flexible task allocation and the organization of work in ants. Proc. R. Soc. B: Biol. Sci. 276, 4373–4380 (2009).
Google Scholar
Nijhout, H. F. & Wheeler, D. E. Juvenile-hormone and the physiological-basis of Insect polymorphisms. Q. Rev. Biol. 57, 109–133. https://doi.org/10.1086/412671 (1982).Article
CAS
Google Scholar
Herb, B. R. et al. Reversible switching between epigenetic states in honeybee behavioral subcastes. Nat. Neurosci. 15, 1371–1373. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3218 (2012).Article
CAS
Google Scholar
Kensuke, N. Age polyethism, idiosyncrasy and behavioural flexibility in the queenless ponerine ant, Diacamma sp. J. Ethol. 13, 113–123 (1995).
Google Scholar
Kensuke, N. Does behavioral flexibility compensate or constrain colony productivity? Relationship among age structure, labor allocation, and production of workers in ant colonies. J. Insect Behav. 9, 557–569 (1996).
Google Scholar
Shimoji, H., Kasutani, N., Ogawa, S. & Hojo, M. K. Worker propensity affects flexible task reversion in an ant. Behav. Ecol. 74, 1–8 (2020).
Google Scholar
Bernadou, A., Busch, J. & Heinze, J. Diversity in identity: Behavioral flexibility, dominance, and age polyethism in a clonal ant. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 69, 1365–1375 (2015).
Google Scholar
Kohlmeier, P., Feldmeyer, B. & Foitzik, S. Vitellogenin-like A—Associated shifts in social cue responsiveness regulate behavioral task specialization in an ant. PLoS Biol. 16, e2005747 (2018).
Google Scholar
Tripet, F. & Nonacs, P. Foraging for work and age-based polyethism: The roles of age and previous experience on task choice in ants. Ethology 110, 863–877 (2004).
Google Scholar
Kohlmeier, P., Alleman, A. R., Libbrecht, R., Foitzik, S. & Feldmeyer, B. Gene expression is more strongly associated with behavioural specialisation than with age or fertility in ant workers. Mol. Ecol. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14971 (2018).Article
Google Scholar
Levenbook, L. & Bauer, A. C. The fate of the larval storage protein calliphorin during adult development of Calliphora vicina. Insect Biochem. 14, 77–86 (1984).CAS
Google Scholar
Zhou, X., Oi, F. M. & Scharf, M. E. Social exploitation of hexamerin: RNAi reveals a major caste-regulatory factor in termites. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 103, 4499–4504 (2006).ADS
CAS
Google Scholar
Zhou, X., Tarver, M. R., Bennett, G., Oi, F. & Scharf, M. Two hexamerin genes from the termite Reticulitermes flavipes: Sequence, expression, and proposed functions in caste regulation. Gene 376, 47–58 (2006).CAS
Google Scholar
Hawkings, C., Calkins, T. L., Pietrantonio, P. V. & Tamborindeguy, C. Caste-based differential transcriptional expression of hexamerins in response to a juvenile hormone analog in the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta). PLoS ONE 14, e0216800 (2019).CAS
Google Scholar
Hoffman, E. A. & Goodisman, M. A. Gene expression and the evolution of phenotypic diversity in social wasps. BMC Biol. 5, 1–9 (2007).
Google Scholar
Hunt, J. H., Buck, N. A. & Wheeler, D. E. Storage proteins in vespid wasps: Characterization, developmental pattern, and occurrence in adults. J. Insect Physiol. 49, 785–794 (2003).CAS
Google Scholar
Colgan, T. J. et al. Polyphenism in social insects: Insights from a transcriptome-wide analysis of gene expression in the life stages of the key pollinator, Bombus terrestris. BMC Genom. 12, 1–20 (2011).
Google Scholar
Cremer, S., Armitage, S. A. & Schmid-Hempel, P. Social immunity. Curr. Biol. 17, R693–R702 (2007).CAS
Google Scholar
Cremer, S., Pull, C. D. & Fuerst, M. A. Social immunity: Emergence and evolution of colony-level disease protection. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 63, 105–123 (2018).CAS
Google Scholar
Danihlík, J., Aronstein, K. & Petřivalský, M. Antimicrobial peptides: A key component of honey bee innate immunity: Physiology, biochemistry, and chemical ecology. J. Apic. Res. 54, 123–136 (2015).
Google Scholar
Koch, S. I. et al. Caste-specific expression patterns of immune response and chemosensory related genes in the leaf-cutting ant, Atta vollenweideri. PLoS ONE 8, e81518 (2013).ADS
Google Scholar
Chardonnet, F. et al. Food searching behaviour of a Lepidoptera pest species is modulated by the foraging gene polymorphism. J. Exp. Biol. 217, 3465–3473 (2014).
Google Scholar
Scheiner, R., Page, R. E. Jr. & Erber, J. Responsiveness to sucrose affects tactile and olfactory learning in preforaging honey bees of two genetic strains. Behav. Brain Res. 120, 67–73 (2001).CAS
Google Scholar
Wang, Z. et al. Visual pattern memory requires foraging function in the central complex of Drosophila. Learn. Mem. 15, 133–142 (2008).
Google Scholar
Zhou, Y., Lei, Y., Lu, L. & He, Y. Temperature-and food-dependent foraging gene expression in foragers of the red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Physiol. Entomol. 45, 1–6 (2020).
Google Scholar
Ingram, K. K. et al. Context-dependent expression of the foraging gene in field colonies of ants: The interacting roles of age, environment and task. Proc. R. Soc. B: Biol. Sci. 283, 20160841 (2016).
Google Scholar
Ingram, K. K., Oefner, P. & Gordon, D. M. Task-specific expression of the foraging gene in harvester ants. Mol. Ecol. 14, 813–818 (2005).CAS
Google Scholar
Lucas, C. & Sokolowski, M. B. Molecular basis for changes in behavioral state in ant social behaviors. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 106, 6351–6356 (2009).ADS
CAS
Google Scholar
Ben-Shahar, Y. The foraging gene, behavioral plasticity, and honeybee division of labor. J. Comp. Physiol. A. 191, 987–994 (2005).CAS
Google Scholar
Daugherty, T., Toth, A. & Robinson, G. Nutrition and division of labor: Effects on foraging and brain gene expression in the paper wasp Polistes metricus. Mol. Ecol. 20, 5337–5347 (2011).CAS
Google Scholar
Morrison, L. W., Porter, S. D., Daniels, E. & Korzukhin, M. D. Potential global range expansion of the invasive fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. Biol. Invasions 6, 183–191 (2004).
Google Scholar
Valles, S. M., Wetterer, J. K. & Porter, S. D. The red imported fire ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the West Indies: Distribution of natural enemies and a possible test bed for release of self-sustaining biocontrol agents. Fls. Entomol. 98, 1101–1105 (2015).
Google Scholar
Greenberg, L., Vinson, S. & Ellison, S. Nine-year study of a field containing both monogyne and polygyne red imported fire ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 85, 686–695 (1992).
Google Scholar
Keller, L. & Ross, K. G. Selfish genes: A green beard in the red fire ant. Nature 394, 573–575 (1998).ADS
CAS
Google Scholar
Vinson, S. B. Impact of the invasion of the imported fire ant. Insect Sci. 20, 439–455 (2013).
Google Scholar
Tschinkel, W. R. The Fire Ants (Harvard University Press, 2006).
Google Scholar
Cassill, D. L. & Tschinkel, W. R. Task selection by workers of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 45, 301–310 (1999).
Google Scholar
Mirenda, J. T. & Vinson, S. B. Division of labour and specification of castes in the red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta Buren. Anim. Behav. 29, 410–420 (1981).
Google Scholar
Wilson, E. O. Division of labor in fire ants based on physical castes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Solenopsis). J. Kansas Entomol. Soc. 51, 615–636 (1978).
Google Scholar
Sorensen, A., Busch, T. M. & Vinson, S. B. Behavioral flexibility of temporal subcastes in the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta in response to food. Psyche 91, 319–331 (1984).
Google Scholar
Bigley, W. S. & Vinson, S. B. Characterization of a brood pheromone isolated from the sexual brood of the imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 2, 301–304 (1975).
Google Scholar
Bajracharya, P., Lu, H. L. & Pietrantonio, P. V. The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren) kept Y not F: Predicted sNPY endogenous ligands deorphanize the short NPF (sNPF) receptor. PLoS ONE 9(10), e109590 (2014).ADS
Google Scholar
Castillo, P. Short neuropeptide F receptor in the worker brain of the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren) and methodology for RNA interference M.S. thesis, Texas A&M University (2015).Castillo, P. & Pietrantonio, P. V. Differences in sNPF receptor-expressing neurons in brains of fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren) worker subcastes: Indicators for division of labor and nutritional status? PLoS ONE 8, e83966 (2013).ADS
Google Scholar
Cassill, D. L. & Tschinkel, W. R. Allocation of liquid food to larvae via trophallaxis in colonies of the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. Anim. Behav. 3, 801–813 (1995).
Google Scholar
Cassill, D. L., Stuy, A. & Buck, R. G. Emergent properties of food distribution among fire ant larvae. J. Theor. Biol. 3, 371–381 (1998).ADS
Google Scholar
Dussutour, A. & Simpson, S. J. Communal nutrition in ants. Curr. Biol. 19, 740–744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2009.03.015 (2009).Article
CAS
Google Scholar
Petralia, R. S. & Vinson, S. B. Feeding in the larvae of the imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta: Behavior and morphological adaptations. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 71, 643–648 (1978).
Google Scholar
Petralia, R. S. & Vinson, S. B. Developmental morphology of larvae and eggs of the imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 72, 472–484 (1979).
Google Scholar
Chen, J. Advancement on techniques for the separation and maintenance of the red imported fire ant colonies. Insect Sci. 14, 1–4 (2007).
Google Scholar
Banks, W. A. et al. (Agricultural Research (Southern Region), Science and Education…, 1981).Valles, S. M. & Porter, S. D. Identification of polygyne and monogyne fire ant colonies (Solenopsis invicta) by multiplex PCR of Gp-9 alleles. Insectes Soc. 2, 199–200 (2003).
Google Scholar
Schmittgen, T. D. & Livak, K. J. Analyzing real-time PCR data by the comparative CT method. Nat. Protoc. 3, 1101 (2008).CAS
Google Scholar
Cheng, D., Zhang, Z., He, X. & Liang, G. Validation of reference genes in Solenopsis invicta in different developmental stages, castes and tissues. PLoS ONE 8, e57718. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0057718 (2013).Article
ADS
CAS
Google Scholar
Qiu, H.-L., Zhao, C.-Y. & He, Y.-R. On the molecular basis of division of labor in Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) workers: RNA-seq analysis. J. Insect Sci. 17, 48 (2017).
Google Scholar
Chen, J. et al. Role of the foraging gene in worker behavioral transition in the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Pest Manag. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.6921 (2022).Article
Google Scholar
Shorter, J. R. & Tibbetts, E. A. The effect of juvenile hormone on temporal polyethism in the paper wasp Polistes dominulus. Insectes Soc. 56, 7–13 (2009).
Google Scholar
Pankiw, T., Page, R. E. Jr. & Kim Fondrk, M. Brood pheromone stimulates pollen foraging in honey bees (Apis mellifera). Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 44, 193–198. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002650050531 (1998).Article
Google Scholar
Smedal, B., Brynem, M., Kreibich, C. D. & Amdam, G. V. Brood pheromone suppresses physiology of extreme longevity in honeybees (Apis mellifera). J. Exp. Biol. 212, 3795–3801. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.035063 (2009).Article
CAS
Google Scholar
Solis, C. R. & Strassmann, J. E. Presence of brood affects caste differentiation in the social wasp, Polistes exclamans Viereck (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Funct. Ecol. 4, 531–541. https://doi.org/10.2307/2389321 (1990).Article
Google Scholar
Traynor, K. S. Decoding Brood Pheromone: The Releaser and Primer Effects of Young and Old Larvae on Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Workers (Arizona State University, 2014).
Google Scholar
Wagoner, K. M., Spivak, M. & Rueppell, O. Brood affects hygienic behavior in the honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae). J. Econ. Entomol. 111, 2520–2530. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toy266 (2018).Article
CAS
Google Scholar
Nijhout, H. F. & Wheeler, D. E. Juvenile hormone and the physiological basis of insect polymorphisms. Q. Rev. Biol. 57, 109–133 (1982).CAS
Google Scholar More