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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 5, 2025

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
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Evolution: A social parasite was born from a virgin.

Michel Chapuisat1

  • 1Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.

Current Biology : CB
|March 28, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Social parasites, like these ant queens, can emerge suddenly. A large genomic region, potentially a supergene, may have rapidly provided them with beneficial traits for social parasitism.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genomics
  • Social behavior

Background:

  • Asexual reproduction in ants typically results in sterile workers.
  • Social parasites in insects pose significant evolutionary questions.
  • The genetic basis for the sudden emergence of new parasitic forms is often unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the origin and genetic underpinnings of novel social parasites.
  • To understand the evolutionary mechanisms allowing for rapid adaptation in parasites.
  • To identify the genetic factors responsible for the sudden appearance of parasitic queens.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative genomics to analyze the genetic differences between parasitic queens and ancestral workers.
  • Phylogenetic analysis to trace the lineage and evolutionary history.

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  • Population genetics to assess the genomic region's variation.

    • Main Results:

    • Observed the abrupt appearance of winged queens in an asexually reproducing ant lineage.
    • Identified a large, distinct genomic region differentiating the parasitic queens.
    • Genomic data suggests this region may function as a supergene.

    Conclusions:

    • Social parasites can arise rapidly through major genetic changes.
    • A supergene may have instantly provided a suite of co-adapted traits for social parasitism.
    • This finding offers new insights into the evolution of social parasitism and rapid adaptation.