Neglected Very Long-Chain Hydrocarbons and the Incorporation of Body Surface Area Metrics Reveal Novel Perspectives for Cuticular Profile Analysis in Insects

Golian, Marek; Bien, Tanja; Schmelzle, Sebastian; Esparza-Mora, M. Alejandra; McMahon, Dino P.; Dreisewerd, Klaus; Buellesbach, Jan

doi:10.3390/insects13010083

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…In a previous study, chemical profiles analyzed among the same taxa were found to be solely discriminable on the species level, rather than on the colony (termites) or population (cockroaches) level (Golian et al., 2022 ). Therefore, we restricted ourselves to two respective laboratory colonies per termite species and two respective laboratory populations per cockroach species.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Chemical and transcriptomic diversity do not correlate with ascending levels of social complexity in the insect order Blattodea

Golian,

Friedman,

Harrison

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Eusocial insects, such as ants and termites, are characterized by high levels of coordinated social organization. This is contrasted by solitary insects that display more limited forms of collective behavior. It has been hypothesized that this gradient in sociobehavioral sophistication is positively correlated with chemical profile complexity, due to a potentially increased demand for diversity in chemical communication mechanisms in insects with higher levels of social complexity. However, this claim has rarely been assessed empirically. Here, we compare different levels of chemical and transcriptomic complexity in selected species of the order Blattodea that represent different levels of social organization, from solitary to eusocial. We primarily focus on cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) complexity, since it has repeatedly been demonstrated that CHCs are key signaling molecules conveying a wide variety of chemical information in solitary as well as eusocial insects. We assessed CHC complexity and divergence between our studied taxa of different social complexity levels as well as the differentiation of their respective repertoires of CHC biosynthesis gene transcripts. Surprisingly, we did not find any consistent pattern of chemical complexity correlating with social complexity, nor did the overall chemical divergence or transcriptomic repertoire of CHC biosynthesis genes reflect on the levels of social organization. Our results challenge the assumption that increasing social complexity is generally reflected in more complex chemical profiles and point toward the need for a more cautious and differentiated view on correlating complexity on a chemical, genetic, and social level.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Chemical and transcriptomic diversity do not correlate with ascending levels of social complexity in the insect order Blattodea

Golian,

Friedman,

Harrison

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Future studies should also consider the occurrence of very-long chained CHC compounds of up to C58 in Blattodea surface profiles as recently demonstrated with non-standard analytical methods (Golian et al 2022). However, neither exact compound quantifications nor identifications (e.g., discrimination between n -alkanes and methyl-branch alkanes) are so far possible in this higher chain length range extending beyond the CHC compounds traditionally accessed and identified through gas-chromatographic separation (Schnapp et al 2016;Bien et al 2019).…”

Section: Chc-based Communication Mechanisms and Outlook For Future St...mentioning

confidence: 95%

“…In a previous study, chemical profiles analyzed among the same taxa where found to be solely discriminable on the species level, rather than on the colony (termites) or population (cockroaches) level (Golian et al 2022). Therefore, we restricted ourselves to two respective laboratory colonies per termite species and two respective laboratory populations per cockroach species.…”

Section: Tested Termite and Cockroach Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical and transcriptomic diversity do not correlate with ascending levels of social complexity in the insect order Blattodea

Golian,

Friedman,

Harrison

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Eusocial insects, such as ants and termites, are characterized by high levels of coordinated social organization. This is contrasted by solitary insects, which display more limited forms of collective behavior. It has been hypothesized that this gradient in socio-behavioral sophistication is positively correlated with chemical profile complexity, due to a potentially increased demand for diversity in chemical communication mechanisms in insects with higher levels of social complexity. However, this claim has rarely been assessed empirically. Here, we compare different levels of chemical and transcriptomic complexity in selected species of the order Blattodea that represent different levels of social organization, from solitary to eusocial. We primarily focus on cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) complexity, since it has repeatedly been demonstrated that CHCs are key signaling molecules conveying a wide variety of chemical information in solitary as well as eusocial insect species. We assessed CHC complexity and divergence between our studied species of different social complexity levels as well as the differentiation of their respective repertoires of CHC biosynthesis gene transcripts. Surprisingly, we did not find any consistent pattern of chemical complexity correlating with the degree of social complexity, nor did the overall chemical divergence or transcriptomic repertoire of CHC biosynthesis genes reflect on the levels of social complexity. Our results challenge the assumption that increasing social complexity is generally reflected in more complex chemical profiles and point towards the need for a more cautious and differentiated view on correlating complexity on a chemical, genetic, and social level.

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“…Depending on the insect species, the cuticle is considered to contain an outermost “waxy layer” with various long-to-mid-chain hydrocarbons, including alkanes, alkenes, and their methyl-branched derivatives, fatty acids and esters, alcohols, ketones, and aldehydes, as well as minor components, including triacylglycerols, epoxides, and ethers (Chung and Carroll 2015 , Golian et al 2022 ) (Fig. 2 ).…”

Section: Cross-talk: During Fungal Cuticle Contact and Penetrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cross-talk between immunity and behavior: insights from entomopathogenic fungi and their insect hosts

Zhang,

Chen,

Eleftherianos

et al. 2024

FEMS Microbiology Reviews

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Insects are one of the most successful animals in nature, and entomopathogenic fungi play a significant role in the natural epizootic control of insect populations in many ecosystems. The interaction between insects and entomopathogenic fungi has continuously co-evolved over hundreds of millions of years. Many components of the insect innate immune responses against fungal infection are conserved across phyla. Additionally, behavioral responses, which include avoidance, grooming, and/or modulation of body temperature, have been recognized as important mechanisms for opposing fungal pathogens. In an effort to investigate possible crosstalk and mediating mechanisms between these fundamental biological processes, recent studies have integrated and/or explored immune and behavioral responses. Current information indicates that during discrete stages of fungal infection, several insect behavioral and immune responses are altered simultaneously, suggesting important connections between the two systems. This review synthesizes recent advances in our understanding of the physiological and molecular aspects influencing crosstalk between behavioral and innate immune antifungal reactions, including chemical perception and olfactory pathways.

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Neglected Very Long-Chain Hydrocarbons and the Incorporation of Body Surface Area Metrics Reveal Novel Perspectives for Cuticular Profile Analysis in Insects

Cited by 7 publications

References 66 publications

Chemical and transcriptomic diversity do not correlate with ascending levels of social complexity in the insect order Blattodea

Chemical and transcriptomic diversity do not correlate with ascending levels of social complexity in the insect order Blattodea

Chemical and transcriptomic diversity do not correlate with ascending levels of social complexity in the insect order Blattodea

Cross-talk between immunity and behavior: insights from entomopathogenic fungi and their insect hosts

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