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Published on: October 5, 2018
Ant species differences determined by epistasis between brood and worker genomes
1Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America. tlinksvayer@gmail.com
Plos One
|October 4, 2007
Summary
Social interactions between ants reveal a new form of gene interaction, called intergenomic social epistasis. This interaction between the genes of ant brood and caregivers influences worker size and drives species divergence.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Genetics
- Animal behavior
Background:
- Physiological gene interactions (epistasis) contribute to species differences and reproductive isolation.
- In social species, phenotypes are influenced by the genotypes of multiple interacting individuals.
- Social interactions may create a unique form of epistasis between the genomes of social partners.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential for social interactions to generate epistasis between the genomes of social partners.
- To determine if this "social epistasis" contributes to species differences in social organisms.
Main Methods:
- A full-factorial cross-fostering experiment was conducted using three closely related species of Temnothorax ants.
- The experiment examined the influence of brood genotype and caregiver worker genotype on adult worker size.
Main Results:
- Adult worker size was significantly influenced by an interaction between the genotype of the developing brood and the genotype of the care-giving workers.
- This interaction, termed "intergenomic social epistasis," demonstrates a genetic interplay between social partners.
Conclusions:
- Socially interacting genes coevolve and diverge, similar to physiologically interacting genes.
- Intergenomic social epistasis provides a mechanism for generating species differences in social organisms.
- Coevolution and conflict between social partners can lead to the formation of socially interacting gene complexes that contribute to species divergence.
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