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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Immunology
  • Animal behavior

Background:

  • Sociality in animals can increase pathogen transmission risks, theoretically favoring enhanced immune function.
  • However, social species may experience weakened immunity due to relaxed selection or reduced efficacy of selection caused by factors like inbreeding and genetic drift.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of social evolution on immune function in spiders.
  • To compare immune efficiency and genetic changes in social versus subsocial spider species.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative study of two social and two closely related subsocial spider species (genus Stegodyphus).
  • Assessed haemolymph efficacy in inhibiting bacterial growth (Bacillus subtilis).
  • Conducted comparative genomic analysis of immune genes.

Main Results:

  • Haemolymph from social spider species showed reduced efficacy in inhibiting bacterial growth compared to subsocial species.
  • Genomic analysis revealed elevated non-synonymous substitutions in immune genes of a social species, indicating reduced selection efficacy.
  • Social evolution in spiders is linked to demographic processes that increase genetic drift.

Conclusions:

  • Sociality in spiders is associated with impaired immune function, likely due to reduced efficacy of selection and increased genetic drift.
  • A positive feedback loop between pathogen-induced extinctions and genetic drift may further compromise immune responses and species survival.