Genetic influence on caste determination underlying the asexual queen succession system in a termite

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

Volumn 66, Issue 1, 2012, Pages 39-46

  Yamamoto, Yuuka ^a   Matsuura, Kenji ^a  

^a OKAYAMA UNIVERSITY   (Japan)

Author keywords

Caste differentiation; Genetic caste determination; Parthenogenesis; Queen fecundity; Social insect

Indexed keywords

ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION; CASTE; COLONY STRUCTURE; ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR; FECUNDITY; GENETIC ANALYSIS; HETEROZYGOSITY; HOMOGENEITY; QUEEN; SEXUAL REPRODUCTION; SOCIAL INSECT; SUCCESSION; TERMITE;

HEXAPODA; ISOPTERA; RETICULITERMES SPERATUS;

EID: 84855195998     PISSN: 03405443     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s00265-011-1249-4     Document Type: Article

References (33)

1. Adams ES, Atkinson L (2008) Queen fecundity and reproductive skew in the termite Nasutitermes corniger. Insectes Soc 55: 28-36. doi: 10. 1007/s00040-007-0970-5.
2. Atkinson L, Adams ES (1997) The origins and relatedness of multiple reproductives in colonies of the termite Nasutitermes corniger. Proc R Soc Lond B 264: 1131-1136. doi: 10. 1098/rspb. 1997. 0156.
3. Cahan SH, Parker JD, Rissing SW, Johnson RA, Polony TS, Weiser MD, Smith DR (2002) Extreme genetic differences between queens and workers in hybridizing Pogonomyrmex harvester ants. Proc R Soc Lond B 269: 1871-1877. doi: 10. 1098/rspb. 2002. 2061.
4. Dronnet S, Bagneres AG, Juba TR, Vargo EL (2004) Polymorphic microsatellite loci in the European subterranean termite, Reticulitermes santonensis Feytaud. Mol Ecol Notes 4: 127-129. doi: 10. 1111/j. 1471-8286. 2004. 00600. x.
5. Fletcher DJC, Ross KG (1985) Reguration of reproduction in eusocial Hymenoptera. Annu Rev Entomol 30: 319-343.
6. Fournier D, Estoup A, Orivel J, Foucaud J, Jourdan H, Le Breton J, Keller L (2005) Clonal reproduction by males and females in the little fire ant. Nature 435: 1230-1234. doi: 10. 1038/nature03705.
7. Hayashi Y, Lo N, Miyata H, Kitade O (2007) Sex-linked genetic influence on caste determination in a termite. Science 318: 985-987. doi: 10. 1126/science. 1146711.
8. Hölldobler B, Wilson EO (1990) The ants. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
9. Hughes WOH, Boomsma J (2008) Genetic royal cheats in leaf-cutting ant societies. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105: 5150-5153. doi: 10. 1073/pnas. 0710262105.
10. Julian GE, Fewell JH, Gadau J, Johnson RA, Larrabee D (2002) Genetic determination of the queen caste in an ant hybrid zone. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 99: 8157-8160. doi: 10. 1073/pnas. 112222099.
11. Kerr WE (1950) Genetic determination of castes in genus Melipona. Genetics 35: 143-152.
12. Korb J, Weil T, Hoffmann K, Foster KR, Rehli M (2009) A gene necessary for reproductive suppression in termites. Science 324: 758. doi: 10. 1126/science. 1170660.
13. Lüscher M (1960) Hormonal control of caste differentiation in termites. Ann N Y Acad Sci 89: 549-563.
14. Matsuura K (2010) Sexual and asexual reproduction in termites. In: Bignell DE, Roisin Y, Lo N (eds) Biology of termites: a modern synthesis. Springer, Heidelberg, pp 255-277.
15. Matsuura K, Fujimoto M, Goka K (2004) Sexual and asexual colony foundation and the mechanism of facultative parthenogenesis in the termite Reticulitermes speratus (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae). Insectes Soc 51: 325-332. doi: 10. 1007/s00040-004-0746-0.
16. Matsuura K, Vargo EL, Kawatsu K, Labadie PE, Nakano H, Yashiro T, Tsuji K (2009) Queen succession through asexual reproduction in termites. Science 323: 1687. doi: 10. 1126/science. 1169702.
17. Matsuura K, Himuro C, Yokoi T, Yamamoto Y, Vargo EL, Keller L (2010) Identification of a pheromone regulating caste differentiation in termites. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 107: 12963-12968. doi: 10. 1073/pnas. 1004675107.
18. Miura T, Kamikouchi A, Sawata M, Takeuchi H, Natori S, Kubo T, Matsumoto T (1999) Soldier caste-specific gene expression in the mandibular glands of Hodotermopsis japonica (Isoptera: Termopsidae). Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 24: 13874-13879.
19. Ohkawara K, Nakayama M, Satoh A, Trindl A, Heinze J (2006) Clonal reproduction and genetic caste differences in a queen-polymorphic ant, Vollenhovia emeryi. Biol Lett 2: 359-363. doi: 10. 1098/rsbl. 2006. 0491.
20. Pearcy M, Aron S, Doums C, Keller L (2004) Conditional use of sex and parthenogenesis for worker and queen production in ants. Science 306: 1780-1783. doi: 10. 1126/science. 1105453.
21. Robinson GE, Page RE (1988) Genetic determination of gurding and undertaking in honeybee colonies. Nature 333: 356-358.
22. Roisin Y, Pasteels JM (1986) Reproductive mechanisms in termites: polycalism and polygyny in Nasutitermes polygynus and N. costalis. Insectes Soc 33: 149-167.
23. Smith CR, Anderson KE, Tillberg CV, Gadau J, Suarez AV (2008) Caste determination in a polymorphic social insect: nutritional, social, and genetic factors. Am Nat 172: 497-507. doi: 10. 1086/590961.
24. Thorne BL (1984) Polygyny in the neotropical termite Nasutitermes corniger: life history consequences of queen mutualism. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 14: 117-136.
25. Thorne BL, Traniello JFA, Adams ES, Bulmer M (1999) Reproductive dynamics and colony structure of subterranean termites of the genus Reticulitermes (Isoptera Rhinotermitidae): a review of the evidence from behavioral, ecological, and genetic studies. Ethol Ecol Evol 11: 149-169.
26. Vargo EL (2000) Polymorphism at trinucleotide microsatellite loci in the subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes. Mol Ecol 9: 817-820.
27. Vargo EL, Husseneder C (2009) Biology of subterranean termites: insights from molecular studies of Reticulitermes and Coptotermes. Annu Rev Entomol 54: 379-403. doi: 10. 1146/annurev. ento. 54. 110807. 090443.
28. Vargo EL, Labadie PE, Matsuura K (2011) Asexual queen succession in the subterranean termite Reticulitermes virginicus. Proc R Soc Lond B. doi: 10. 1098/rspb. 2011. 1030.
29. Volny VP, Gordon DM (2002) Genetic basis for queen-worker dimorphism in a social insect. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 99: 6108-6111. doi: 10. 1073/pnas. 092066699.
30. Weil T, Korb J, Rehli M (2009) Comparison of queen-specific gene expression in related lower termite species. Mol Biol Evol 26: 1841-1850. doi: 10. 1093/molbev/msp095.
31. Wheeler DE (1986) Developmental and physiological determinants of caste in social Hymenoptera: evolutionary implications. Am Nat 128: 13-34.
32. Zhou X, Oi FM, Scharf ME (2006) Social exploitation of hexamerin: RNAi reveals a major caste-regulatory factor in termites. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103: 4499-4504. doi: 10. 1073/pnas. 0508866103.
33. Zimet M, Stuart AM (1982) Sexual dimorphism in the immature stages of the termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Sociobiology 7: 1-7.