(Press-News.org) Contact information: Tom Wenseleers
tom.wenseleers@bio.kuleuven.be
32-163-23964
KU Leuven
Single class of queen pheromones stops worker reproduction in ants, bees and wasps
Study increases our understanding of the evolution of sociality in insects
A new study by a team of KU Leuven and international researchers has found that the chemical structure of queen pheromones in wasps, ants and some bees is strikingly similar, even though these insects are separated by millions of years of evolution and each evolved eusociality independently of the other. The results suggest that queen pheromones used by divergent groups of social insects evolved from conserved signals of a common solitary ancestor.
Writing in the 17 January issue of Science, the researchers say the new insights "could contribute greatly to our understanding of the evolution of eusociality" in insects. Eusociality is characterised by cooperative brood care, overlapping adult generations and division of labour between fertile queens and sterile workers.
The researchers began by searching for sterility-inducing queen pheromones in representative species of wasps, bees, and ants. After identifying candidate queen pheromones by analysing chemical profiles of queens and workers, they created synthetic samples of the pheromones and tested them to see whether they inhibited worker reproduction.
They found that the synthetic odours mimicked the effect of the presence of a live queen in a nest – fewer workers' ovaries were activated and more regressed when exposed to the odour treatment than in non-odour controls.
The queen pheromones of all three species belonged to a single class of chemicals: saturated hydrocarbons. To further investigate their findings across a larger sample of social insect species, the researchers then conducted a systematic review of fertility- and queen-linked odours in 64 species using data from previously published studies. The findings matched up: saturated hydrocarbons were the single most common class of chemicals overproduced by queens or fertile individuals. From this, the researchers concluded that saturated hydrocarbons act as a conserved class of queen pheromones in ants, bees and wasps – a surprising finding because these insects started diverging some 145 million years ago and each evolved eusociality independently.
How to explain the chemo-structural similarity of queen pheromones across distantly related species? "Our thinking is that queen pheromones in social insects likely evolved from 'fertility cues' used by female individuals of solitary insect species. These cues were probably used to attract male mates," says corresponding author Tom Wenseleers. "That hypothesis is strengthened by the fact that some of the compounds we studied also function as mate attractants in solitary insect species. And this ultimately supports the hypothesis that fertility signals, which eventually evolved to become queen pheromones that regulate reproduction, have remained the same since the last common solitary ancestor of all social insects, which lived approximately 145 million years ago," says Wenseleers.
### END
Single class of queen pheromones stops worker reproduction in ants, bees and wasps
Study increases our understanding of the evolution of sociality in insects
2014-01-17
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Study reveals the role of sex in spread of deadly disease
2014-01-17
Study reveals the role of sex in spread of deadly disease
Research involving scientists at the University of York has provided important new information about transmission of human leishmaniasis, a group of infectious diseases which kills more than 100,000 people ...
Monitoring inactive hepatitis B patients is cost-effective strategy for Shanghai
2014-01-17
Monitoring inactive hepatitis B patients is cost-effective strategy for Shanghai
A novel study determined that monitoring inactive chronic hepatitis B (HBV) carriers is a cost-effective strategy for China. However, results published in Hepatology, a journal of the American Association ...
NASA satellite imagery shows some punch left in System 94S
2014-01-17
NASA satellite imagery shows some punch left in System 94S
The tropical low pressure area known as System 94S still has some punch in it as the low-level center of circulation continues to track over Western Australia and the Northern Territory. NASA's Aqua satellite ...
BUSM study associates pro-inflammatory molecules with early death in HIV patients
2014-01-17
BUSM study associates pro-inflammatory molecules with early death in HIV patients
(Boston) – A study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) provides new insight into the impact that pro-inflammatory molecules have on ...
Streamflow alteration impacts fish diversity in local rivers
2014-01-17
Streamflow alteration impacts fish diversity in local rivers
A new USGS study quantifies change in fish diversity in response to streamflow alteration in the Tennessee River basin.
The USGS study highlights the importance of the timing, magnitude, ...
Fetal exposure to nicotine increases long-term risk of obesity
2014-01-17
Fetal exposure to nicotine increases long-term risk of obesity
Many women are encouraged to quit smoking when they become pregnant using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) whether as gum, transdermal patches, nasal spray or lozenges. But new research ...
Kids teased in PE class exercise less a year later
2014-01-17
Kids teased in PE class exercise less a year later
A new study found that children who were bullied during P.E. class or other physical activities were less likely to participate in physical activity one year later.
Overweight or obese children who experienced ...
Study finds troubling relationship between drinking and PTSD symptoms in college students
2014-01-17
Study finds troubling relationship between drinking and PTSD symptoms in college students
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The estimated 9 percent of college students who have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are likely to drink more alcohol than peers without ...
Survival rates of kids suffering cardiac arrest improve with new training approach
2014-01-17
Survival rates of kids suffering cardiac arrest improve with new training approach
STANFORD, Calif. — Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford have found a new way to boost the survival ...
Natural 3D counterpart to graphene discovered
2014-01-17
Natural 3D counterpart to graphene discovered
Researchers at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source find new form of quantum matter
The discovery of what is essentially a 3D version of graphene – the 2D sheets of carbon through which electrons race at ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Fig trees convert atmospheric CO2 to stone
Intra-arterial tenecteplase for acute stroke after successful endovascular therapy
Study reveals beneficial microbes that can sustain yields in unfertilized fields
Robotic probe quickly measures key properties of new materials
Climate change cuts milk production, even when farmers cool their cows
Frozen, but not sealed: Arctic Ocean remained open to life during ice ages
Some like it cold: Cryorhodopsins
Demystifying gut bacteria with AI
Human wellbeing on a finite planet towards 2100: new study shows humanity at a crossroads
Unlocking the hidden biodiversity of Europe’s villages
Planned hydrogen refuelling stations may lead to millions of euros in yearly losses
Planned C-sections increase the risk of certain childhood cancers
Adults who have survived childhood cancer are at increased risk of severe COVID-19
Drones reveal extreme coral mortality after bleaching
New genetic finding uncovers hidden cause of arsenic resistance in acute promyelocytic leukemia
Native habitats hold the key to the much-loved smashed avocado’s future
Using lightning to make ammonia out of thin air
Machine learning potential-driven insights into pH-dependent CO₂ reduction
Physician associates provide safe care for diagnosed patients when directly supervised by a doctor
How game-play with robots can bring out their human side
Asthma: patient expectations influence the course of the disease
UNM physician tests drug that causes nerve tissue to emit light, enabling faster, safer surgery
New study identifies EMP1 as a key driver of pancreatic cancer progression and poor prognosis
XPR1 identified as a key regulator of ovarian cancer growth through autophagy and immune evasion
Flexible, eco-friendly electronic plastic for wearable tech, sensors
Can the Large Hadron Collider snap string theory?
Stuckeman professor’s new book explores ‘socially sustainable’ architecture
Synthetic DNA nanoparticles for gene therapy
New model to find treatments for an aggressive blood cancer
Special issue of Journal of Intensive Medicine analyzes non-invasive respiratory support
[Press-News.org] Single class of queen pheromones stops worker reproduction in ants, bees and waspsStudy increases our understanding of the evolution of sociality in insects