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Epistasis between adults and larvae underlies caste fate and fitness in a clonal ant

Author

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  • Serafino Teseo

    (Laboratoire d’Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, EA4443, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité
    Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes et Spéciation)

  • Nicolas Châline

    (Laboratoire d’Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, EA4443, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité
    FFCLRP, Universidade de São Paulo (USP)
    Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Mello Moraes, 1721, Cidade Universitária)

  • Pierre Jaisson

    (Laboratoire d’Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, EA4443, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité)

  • Daniel J.C. Kronauer

    (Laboratory of Insect Social Evolution, The Rockefeller University
    Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University)

Abstract

In social species, the phenotype and fitness of an individual depend in part on the genotype of its social partners. However, how these indirect genetic effects affect genotype fitness in competitive situations is poorly understood in animal societies. We therefore studied phenotypic plasticity and fitness of two clones of the ant Cerapachys biroi in monoclonal and chimeric colonies. Here we show that, while clone B has lower fitness in isolation, surprisingly, it consistently outcompetes clone A in chimeras. The reason is that, in chimeras, clone B produces more individuals specializing in reproduction rather than cooperative tasks, behaving like a facultative social parasite. A cross-fostering experiment shows that the proportion of these individuals depends on intergenomic epistasis between larvae and nursing adults, explaining the flexible allocation strategy of clone B. Our results suggest that intergenomic epistasis can be the proximate mechanism for social parasitism in ants, revealing striking analogies between social insects and social microbes.

Suggested Citation

  • Serafino Teseo & Nicolas Châline & Pierre Jaisson & Daniel J.C. Kronauer, 2014. "Epistasis between adults and larvae underlies caste fate and fitness in a clonal ant," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 5(1), pages 1-8, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:5:y:2014:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms4363
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4363
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    Cited by:

    1. Brittany Kraft & Valerie A Lemakos & Joseph Travis & Kimberly A Hughes & John FitzpatrickHandling editor, 2018. "Pervasive indirect genetic effects on behavioral development in polymorphic eastern mosquitofish," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 29(2), pages 289-300.
    2. Patrick K Piekarski & Stephany Valdés-Rodríguez & Daniel J C Kronauer, 2023. "Conditional indirect genetic effects of caregivers on brood in the clonal raider ant," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 34(4), pages 642-652.
    3. Iryna Ivasyk & Leonora Olivos-Cisneros & Stephany Valdés-Rodríguez & Marie Droual & Hosung Jang & Robert J. Schmitz & Daniel J. C. Kronauer, 2023. "DNMT1 mutant ants develop normally but have disrupted oogenesis," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.

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