Social Aggression, Experience, and Brain Gene Expression in a Subsocial Bee

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Genetics
• Evolutionary Biology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Understanding the genetic basis of aggression is crucial for social systems.
• Previous research focused on social species, leaving subsocial organisms understudied.
• Subsocial organisms offer a foundational model for social behavior genetics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of aggression and social experience on brain gene expression in the subsocial bee, Ceratina calcarata.
• To identify candidate genes and cis-regulatory elements involved in aggressive behavior.
• To explore the evolutionary implications of genetic mechanisms for aggression.

Main Methods:

• Measuring brain gene expression in bees experiencing repeated winning, losing, or rank changes.
• Comparative transcriptomics across diverse taxa (21 invertebrate, 6 vertebrate).
• Identifying over-represented cis-regulatory elements and conserved transcription factor binding motifs.

Main Results:

• Consistent winning explained the most variation in brain gene expression.
• Changing social rank also significantly impacted gene expression.
• Candidate genes and conserved regulatory elements implicated in aggression were identified.

Conclusions:

• Aggression profoundly influences brain gene expression, with social experience playing a key role.
• Both genetic and cis-regulatory mechanisms contribute to aggressive behavior.
• Findings have broad implications for understanding social evolution across taxa.