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Whether fire pismire bow to one queen or take many rulers depend on one retentive strand of genes , a new study find .
The gene sequence is the first " societal chromosome " ever discovered , according to study researcher Yannick Wurm of Queen Mary , University of London , who called the DNA sequence a " supergene . "
A 616-gene sequence (“social chromosome”) determines whether a single queen or many will rule a colony of fire ants,Solenopsis invictaI. Here, a queen, three smaller workers and one pupa.
" This was a very surprising discovery , " Wurm said in a statement . " standardised difference in chromosomal structure are linked to wing form in butterflies and to cancer in humans , but this is the first supergene ever name that determinessocial behavior . "
Choosing queen
The fire antSelenopsis invictais one of many fire ant mintage known for filthy stings . The coinage is aboriginal to South America and invasive elsewhere . One of its odder traits is a particular tractableness about its societal structure . Some member of the species live in colonies with a unmarried queen , while others tolerate hundreds of queens . [ Gallery : Stunning photo of the World ’s Ants ]
Worker fire ants with only the B variant of the social chromosome will accept a single queen also with only the B variant (described as “BB”). But if the queen has the other variant, the so-called Bb queen, she will be attacked by these BB workers (shown here).
The raw genetic analytic thinking , published Thursday ( Jan. 17 ) in the journal Nature , regain that a sequence of genes on a certain chromosome determines which social organization is acceptable to the ants . Much in the same way that thehuman sex chromosomesvary between X and Y , the ant chromosomes depart between B and b.
If all the workers in a colony carry the B form only , they will accept a unmarried queen that also carry only the B variance ( marked as BB , because the chromosomes add up in pairs ) . But if some actor in the settlement have a bun in the oven the b version of the chromosome , the colony will admit multiple fag — but only those fag with a mismatch " Bb " set of chromosome .
Smelly queens ?
The chromosomal differences have been linked to a identification number of anatomic differences in the pismire , Wurm and his colleague indite , from the queen ’s fecundity to the size of male worker and the structure of their sperm . These differences could explain how the pismire " have it off " what sort of monarchy to accept .
" Odor is in all likelihood involved , " Wurm told LiveScience . " We hump the nance smell dissimilar . "
The two different genes may also confer their own advantages . BB queens mate and disperse to their own dependency when they reach maturity , making them good at occupy new areas , the investigator wrote . Bb pouf fall in others near their maternal dependency and , working together , produce more worker overall . This might make them more successful in previously colonize areas .
Wurm and his colleagues be after to cut into deeper into the chromosome to find out which of the 616 genes in the societal episode are responsible for the difference between ants . They also desire to find out if similar sequences represent social roles in other species . And the differences are n’t just academic . Thefire ants have spreadinto the southern United States as well as Australia andChina , where they are major pests .
" Our discovery could serve in germinate novel plague - control strategies , " Wurm say . " For instance , a pesticide could artificially deactivate the genes in the societal chromosome and induce societal lawlessness within the colony . "
