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Behavioral flexibility in Wasmannia auropunctata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

ABSTRACT: Worker division of labor is a defining trait in social insects. Many species are characterized by having behavioral flexibility where workers perform non-typical tasks for their age depending on the colony's needs. Worker division of labor and behavioral flexibility were examined in the little fire ant Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger, 1863), for which age-related division of labor has been found. Young workers perform nursing duties which include tending of brood and queens, and colony defense, while older workers forage. When nurses were experimentally removed from the colony, foragers were observed carrying out nursing and colony defense duties, yet when foragers were removed nurses did not forage precociously. We also administered juvenile hormone analog, methoprene, to workers. When methoprene was applied, foragers increased their nursing and defense activities while nurses became mainly idle. The behavioral flexibility of foragers of the little fire ant may be evidence of an expansion of worker's repertoires as they age; older workers can perform tasks they have already done in their life while young individuals are not capable of performing tasks ahead of time. This may be an important adaptation associated with the success of this ant as an invasive species.

SUBMITTER: Ortiz-Alvarado Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8388608 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Purpose: We aimed to provide a basis for the adaptive mechanism and a rich resource for the discovery and identification of novel genes involved in the cold stress response in Solenopsis japonica. Retinal transcriptome profiling (RNA-seq) to microarray and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT–PCR) methods and to evaluate protocols for optimal high-throughput data analysis Methods: Solenopsis japonica was reared at lab condition, and incubated at 2 different temperature for 24h (9, and 25℃) under dark conditions. RNA was extracted using Trizol reagent and Illumina sequencing was performed at Macrogen. Illumina short reads were quality-filtered and Illumina-based de novo transcriptome assembly was performed. Differential Gene Expression Analysis was studied for different tempearture conditions. Results: Totally 89,657 unigenes was obtained which overall 43,375 were annotated with gene descriptions, gene ontology terms, and metabolic pathways. 86 GO functional sub-groups and 25 EggNOG terms resulted. DEGs with FC≥2 and FC≤-2, P-value<0.05 were screened and were compared at two different temperatures. We found 138 DEG down regulated and 271 DEG up regulated when the S. japonica incubated at 9 ℃ and compared with 25℃ treated group. Comparing transcriptome profiles for differential gene expression resulted various DE proteins and genes, including cytochrome P450, NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1, cuticle protein and HSP which have previously been reported to be involved in cold and high temperature resistance. GO analysis revealed that antioxidant activity up-regulated under high temperature stress. Conclusions: we compared the transcriptomes of S. japonica under normal room temperature and low-temperature using RNA-Seq technology based on the high-throughput sequencing. Comparative transcriptome analysis identified many genes and a large number of changes were discovered in metabolic pathway through the GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. Our data will facilitate further molecular investigations and genomic research. Many low-temperature significantly up-regulated genes were first identified in this study. These newly found genes may be important and necessary to S. japonica overwintering and its behavior for adaptation in new environment.

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Behavioral flexibility in Wasmannia auropunctata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

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