Endocrine basis of wing casting and flight muscle histolysis in the fire antSolenopsis invicta

Barker, John F.

doi:10.1007/bf01922766

Cited by 19 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…In virgin queens, the release from the influence of queen primer pheromone (“ disinhibition ”; Fletcher & Blum, ) results in dealation, ovary development, and oocyte growth, at least in part mediated by increase in JH (Barker, , ). These sexually mature dealate virgin queens begin laying either unembryonated (trophic) eggs or eggs that will develop into haploid males, and these virgin queens are able to suppress the dealation of neighboring virgin queens (Fletcher et al., ; Vargo & Laurel, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brain gene expression analyses in virgin and mated queens of fire ants reveal mating‐independent and socially regulated changes

Calkins

Chen

Arora

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Transcriptomes of dissected brains from virgin alate and dealate mated queens from polygyne fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) were analyzed and compared. Thirteen genes were upregulated in mated queen brain, and nine were downregulated. While many of the regulated genes were either uncharacterized or noncoding RNAs, those annotated genes included two hexamerin proteins, astakine neuropeptide, serine proteases, and serine protease inhibitors. We found that for select differentially expressed genes in the brain, changes in gene expression were most likely driven by the changes in physiological state (i.e., age, nutritional status, or dominance rank) or in social environment (released from influence of primer pheromone). This was concluded because virgins that dealated after being separated from mated queens showed similar patterns of gene expression in the brain as those of mated queens for hexamerin 1, astakine, and XR_850909. Abaecin (XR_850725), however, appears upregulated only after mating. Therefore, our findings contribute to distinguish how specific gene networks, especially those influenced by queen primer pheromone, are regulated in queen ants. Additionally, to identify brain signaling pathways, we mined the fire ant genome and compiled a list of G‐protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs). The expression level of GPCRs and other genes in the “genetic toolkit” in the brains of virgin alates and mated dealate queens is reported.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brain gene expression analyses in virgin and mated queens of fire ants reveal mating‐independent and socially regulated changes

Calkins

Chen

Arora

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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“…These various effects may be mediated by the queen-produced pheromones influencing the ability of the target organisms to synthesize juvenile hormone (e.g., Fletcher 1986;Hildebrandt and Kaatz 1990;Kaatz et al 1992). Juvenile hormone stimulates reproductive development in adults of a diversity of social Hymenoptera (Bohm 1972;Barth et al 1975;Strambi 1990), including fire ants (Barker 1978(Barker , 1979Voss 1981;Vargo 1992), suggesting that the different cumulative pheromone levels in monogynous and polygynous colonies may induce the different pathways of sexual maturation taken by winged queens of the two forms by affecting juvenile hormone synthesis in queens. In addition to a direct effect on queen maturation, different pheromone levels in monogynous and polygynous colonies may also act indirectly by influencing worker behavior toward queens.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenotypic plasticity and ?cultural transmission? of alternative social organizations in the fire ant Solenopsis invicta

Keller

Ross

1993

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

145

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We investigated the process of sexual maturation in winged queens of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta, a species with two distinct forms of social organization. We found that queens of the monogynous social form (single reproductive queen per colony) differ little or not at all from queens of the polygynous form (multiple reproductive queens per colony) in weight and fat content when these are pupae or newly-eclosed adults. Furthermore, the size of a sclerotized region of the adult thorax, which is set during larval growth, does not differ between queens of the two forms. In contrast, winged queens of the two social forms differ dramatically in their physiological phenotypes once they have matured, with monogynous queens weighing more and having greater fat reserves than polygynous queens. A crossfostering experiment revealed that the different maturation processes of queens of the two forms are induced largely by the type of colony in which a queen matures (monogynous or polygynous) rather than being due to intrinsic genetic differences between the forms. However, genetic variation at a single locus does appear to play some role in determining physiological phenotype in queens of the polygynous form, providing an example of genotype-environment interaction in the expression of these physiological traits. Differences between the social forms in the mature phenotypes that are produced constrain the reproductive options of queens, so that the characteristic social organization of a colony is perpetuated by virtue of the social environment in which new queens are reared.

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“…Kearny et al (1977) found that treatment with synthetic JH-I, -II, or -III induced both wing-shedding and egg-laying in virgin queens isolated from their queen. In addition, removal of the corpora allata (allatectomy) prevented dealation and egg-laying in isolated virgin queens, and topical treatment of Ayerst JH restored these responses (Barker, 1978(Barker, , 1979.…”

Section: Fire Antsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Juvenile hormone in adult eusocial hymenoptera: Gonadotropin and behavioral pacemaker

Robinson

Vargo

1997

Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol.

296

191

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Endocrine basis of wing casting and flight muscle histolysis in the fire antSolenopsis invicta

Cited by 19 publications

References 4 publications

Brain gene expression analyses in virgin and mated queens of fire ants reveal mating‐independent and socially regulated changes

Brain gene expression analyses in virgin and mated queens of fire ants reveal mating‐independent and socially regulated changes

Phenotypic plasticity and ?cultural transmission? of alternative social organizations in the fire ant Solenopsis invicta

Juvenile hormone in adult eusocial hymenoptera: Gonadotropin and behavioral pacemaker

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