Comparison of spermatheca morphology between reproductive and non-reproductive females in social wasps.
TL;DR: The morphological appearance of the spermatheca in representative species of these three subfamilies of social wasps is examined, finding no differences between reproductive and non-reproductive wasps.
About: This article is published in Arthropod Structure & Development.The article was published on 2008-05-01. It has received 25 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Stenogastrinae & Vespidae.
Citations
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TL;DR: Focusing on lifetime monogamy as a universal precondition for the evolution of obligate eusociality simplifies the theory and may help to resolve controversies about levels of selection and targets of adaptation.
Abstract: All evidence currently available indicates that obligatory sterile eusocial castes only arose via the association of lifetime monogamous parents and offspring. This is consistent with Hamilton’s rule (brs . roc), but implies that relatedness cancels out of the equation because average relatedness to siblings (rs )a nd offspring (ro) are both predictably 0.5. This equality implies that any infinitesimally small benefit of helping at the maternal nest (b), relative to the cost in personal reproduction (c) that persists throughout the lifespan of entire cohorts of helpers suffices to establish permanent eusociality, so that group benefits can increase gradually during, but mostly after the transition. The monogamy window can be conceptualized as a singularity comparable with the single zygote commitment of gametes in eukaryotes. The increase of colony size in ants, bees, wasps and termites is thus analogous to the evolution of multicellularity. Focusing on lifetime monogamy as a universal precondition for the evolution of obligate eusociality simplifies the theory and may help to resolve controversies about levels of selection and targets of adaptation. The monogamy window underlines that cooperative breeding and eusociality are different domains of social evolution, characterized by different sectors of parameter space for Hamilton’s rule.
333 citations
TL;DR: Male behavior in social Hymenoptera is reviewed beyond sex stereotypes: the subtle role of "drones" in the colony, the lack of armaments and ornaments, the explosive mating crowds, the "endurance" race, the cognitive bases of the "choosy" male and his immune defense.
45 citations
TL;DR: To reveal the prolonged sperm storage mechanisms of social Hymenoptera, enriched genes in the sperm-storage organ (spermatheca) relative to those in body samples in Crematogaster osakensis queens are identified using the RNA-sequencing method.
Abstract: Females of social Hymenoptera only mate at the beginning of their adult lives and produce offspring until their death. In most ant species, queens live for over a decade, indicating that ant queens can store large numbers of spermatozoa throughout their long lives. To reveal the prolonged sperm storage mechanisms, we identified enriched genes in the sperm-storage organ (spermatheca) relative to those in body samples in Crematogaster osakensis queens using the RNA-sequencing method. The genes encoding antioxidant enzymes, proteases, and extracellular matrix-related genes, and novel genes that have no similar sequences in the public databases were identified. We also performed differential expression analyses between the virgin and mated spermathecae or between the spermathecae at 1-week and 1-year after mating, to identify genes altered by the mating status or by the sperm storage period, respectively. Gene Ontology enrichment analyses suggested that antioxidant function is enhanced in the spermatheca at 1-week after mating compared with the virgin spermatheca and the spermatheca at 1-year after mating. In situ hybridization analyses of 128 selected contigs revealed that 12 contigs were particular to the spermatheca. These genes have never been reported in the reproductive organs of insect females, suggesting specialized roles in ant spermatheca.
32 citations
TL;DR: The size and structure of the sperm storage organ, the spermatheca, in three thelytokous parthenogenetic myrmicine ant species, Pristomyrmex punctatus, Pyramica membranifera and Monomorium triviale, and compared it with that of their related sexually reproducing species are investigated.
Abstract: Gotoh, A., Billen, J., Tsuji, K., Sasaki, T. and Ito, F. 2011. Histological study of the spermatheca in three thelytokous parthenogenetic ant species, Pristomyrmex punctatus, Pyramica membranifera and Monomorium triviale (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). —Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 00:1–8.
The evolution of obligate parthenogenesis may induce the degeneration of female mating ability and subsequently affect the morphology of the female reproductive organs related to mating and/or sperm storage. Here, we investigated the size and structure of the sperm storage organ, the spermatheca, in three thelytokous parthenogenetic myrmicine ant species, Pristomyrmex punctatus, Pyramica membranifera and Monomorium triviale, and compared it with that of their related sexually reproducing species. So far, mated individuals have never been found in these three species, which appears to be in line with their parthenogenetic status. Although the spermatheca appears to be useless in these species, we could not find any evidence on the degeneration in size and morphology of their spermathecae. The spermathecal reservoir still has the columnar hilar epithelium, which is one of the major features for a functional spermatheca in ants.
19 citations
Cites background from "Comparison of spermatheca morpholog..."
...In the other hymenopteran species, the reservoir wall shows a uniform thickness (Wheeler and Krutzsch 1994; Pabalan et al. 1996; Schoeters and Billen 2000; Martins et al. 2005; Gotoh et al. 2008)....
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...In addition, spermatheca size relative to body size in ant queens is prominently larger and shows unique structures among social Hymenoptera (Wheeler and Krutzsch 1994; Gotoh et al. 2008)....
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...E-mail: aya.got@nibb.ac.jp...
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TL;DR: The morphological features of degeneration in honeybee workers are different from those of the vestigial spermatheca in ant workers, indicating that morphological worker virginity has evolved in a different way.
Abstract: Reduction of reproductive organs in workers is one of the most important traits for caste specialization in social insects. In this study, we investigated the morphology of the sperm storage organ, the spermatheca, in workers of the honeybees Apis cerana and Apis mellifera from Japan. All examined workers of the two species retain a small spermatheca. Ultrastructural observations indicate that the spermatheca of honeybee workers consists of conspicuous muscular layers which correspond with the sperm pump and that the epithelium surrounded by these muscular layers represents the spermatheca duct. As this epithelium shows intact cellular morphology, we conclude that the spermatheca duct and the sperm pump do not degenerate, whereas the spermatheca reservoir has completely degenerated. All workers of A. cerana and most workers of A. mellifera lack the spermatheca gland completely. A few workers of A. mellifera possess the opening of the spermatheca gland, but its structure seems to be degenerated. The spermathecal width including the muscular layers showed a weak, but significant positive correlation with ovariole numbers in A. cerana, but not in A. mellifera. The degree of spermatheca gland degeneration seems to be unrelated to ovariole number. The morphological features of degeneration in honeybee workers are different from those of the vestigial spermatheca in ant workers, indicating that morphological worker virginity has evolved in a different way.
19 citations
Cites background or methods from "Comparison of spermatheca morpholog..."
...Thin sections (70 nm) were made with a Leica EM UC6 ultramicrotome and double-stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate (Gotoh et al. 2008)....
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...To date, caste dimorphism in the spermatheca is found only in ants and honeybees among social Hymenoptera (Snodgrass 1956; Schoeters and Billen 2000; Gobin et al. 2006, 2008; Gotoh et al. 2008)....
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...This feature is different from the spermatheca reservoir in other Hymenoptera and honeybee queens, in which a swollen-shaped spermatheca reservoir is found (Dallai 1975; Wheeler and Krutzsch 1994; Schoeters and Billen 2000; Martins et al. 2005; Gotoh et al. 2008)....
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...In some stenogastrine, polistine, and vespine wasp species which belong to Vespoidea, morphological degeneration of the spermatheca in nonreproductives have never been found, although nonreproductive females of polistine and vespine wasps never mate as far as we know (Gotoh et al. 2008)....
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...…of spermatheca morphology between reproductives and nonreproductives have received more attention recently (Schoeters and Billen 2000; Gobin et al. 2006, 2008; Gotoh et al. 2008), although the degree of the caste differences imply significant meanings for the evolution of caste dimorphism....
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References
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TL;DR: The present review is devoted to the exocrine glands derived from epidermis; glands associated with the preoral cavity (mandibular, salivary, etc) and genital apparatus are not dealt with except for the sake of comparison.
Abstract: The present review is devoted to the exocrine glands derived from epidermis; glands associated with the preoral cavity (mandibular, salivary, etc) and genital apparatus are not dealt with except for the sake of comparison. As defined, the epidermal glands manifest an exceptional diversity as far as location, morphology, and func tion are concerned. In the past, the studies were mainly anatomical, very rarely cytological, but the interest in insect glands was recently renewed by the chemical approach and the recognized importance of the secretions as far as behavior and physiology are concerned. Concurrently, the high resolution of the transmission electron microscope permitted a far more precise elucidation of the structures, with the hope of establishing some correlations between these structures and the func tions. Additionally, the scanning electron microscope appeared well suited for the examination of some cuticular differentiations.
716 citations
"Comparison of spermatheca morpholog..." refers background in this paper
...The junction between each secretory cell and its accompanying duct cell is formed by the end apparatus, as is characteristic for class-3 exocrine glands in the classification of Noirot and Quennedey (1974)....
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...…Hymenopteran species (Dallai, 1975; Wheeler and Krutzsch, 1994; Pabalan et al., 1996; Martins and Serr~ao, 2002; Martins et al., 2005; Gobin et al., 2006), and consists of class-3 secretory cells that open via accompanying duct cells into the spermathecal gland ducts (Noirot and Quennedey, 1974)....
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01 Jan 1996
TL;DR: The evolution of eusociality, including a review of the social status of Ropalidia marignata, and behavioural screening and the evolution of polygyny in paper wasps.
Abstract: 1. Polistes: analysis of a society 2. Phylogeny and biogeography of Polistes 3. Learning, individual programs, and higher-level rules in construction of behaviour of Polistes 4. Ecological factors influencing the colony cycle of Polistes 5. Social parsitism and its evolution in Polistes 6. Lek-like courtship in paper-wasps 'a prolonged, delicate, and troublesome affair' 7. Homing in paper wasps 8. The evolution of exocrine gland function in wasps 9. Kin recognition in social waps 10. The role of cuticular hydrocarbons in social insects: is it the same in paper wasps? 11. Selective altruism towards closer over more distant relatives in colonies of the primitively eusocial wasp, Polistes 12. Behavioural screening and the evolution of polygyny in paper wasps 13. The origin and maintenance of eusociality: the advantage of extended parental care 14. Polistes in perspective: comparative social biology and evolution in Belanogaster and Stenogastrinae 15. The evolution of eusociality, including a review of the social status of Ropalidia marignata 16. Wasps make nests: nests make conditions 17. Wasp societies as microcosms for the study of development and evolution 18. Some epistemological reflections on Polistes as a model organisms References
373 citations
"Comparison of spermatheca morpholog..." refers background in this paper
...Most polistine wasps show primitive eusociality, in which body size is not remarkably different between reproductives and non-reproductives, and non-foundress females (¼workers) can mate in some species (Reeve, 1991; Yamane, 1996; Suzuki, 1998)....
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...Keywords: Spermatheca; Caste difference; Hymenoptera; Vespidae; Social wasps...
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...(G) bar¼ 1 mm). cs¼Connective tissue sheath, ct¼ cuticle, dc¼ duct cells in sperma thecal gland duct. the non-foundress females of some polistine species have the opportunity to mate (Reeve, 1991; Yamane, 1996; Suzuki, 1998)....
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TL;DR: The purpose of the present review is to examine the social behavior of the Vespidae and to discuss the features that appear to have been important to evolution within the group.
Abstract: Social wasps have been attracting increasing attention from biologists in recent years, stimulated in part by the development of a body of theory on the origins and evolution of sociality in the Hymenoptera. The purpose of the present review is to examine the social behavior of the Vespidae and to discuss the features that appear to have been important to evolution within the group. Previous reviews have dealt with various aspects of social wasp biology (1, 69, 117, 131, 133). The origins of sociality, including theoretical aspects, have been amply reviewed (3, 13, 14, 40, 81, 135, 150, 153) and are not considered here. Defense and nesting behavior in the wasps have been recently reviewed (74) and are also omitted. The most widely accepted classification is that of Richards (115), who divided the Vespoidea into the Masaridae, Eumenidae, and Vespidae, and the last family into the Stenogastrinae [7 genera, approximately 66 species (143)], Polistinae [29 genera, approximately 750 species (117, 119, 142)], and Vespinae [4 genera, approximately 55 species (1, 117)]. Richards fur ther subdivides the Polistinae into three tribes: Ropalidiini [R opalidia , 112 species (117)], Polistini [Polistes, Su/copolistes, 154 species (117)], and Polybiini [26 genera, 450 species (119)]. The weight of recent opinion is that on structural, developmental, and behavioral grounds the Stenogastrinae are not closely allied to the Polistinae and Vespinae, but properly belong either as a subfamily of the Eumenidae or as a separate family within the
213 citations
"Comparison of spermatheca morpholog..." refers background in this paper
...In contrast, vespine wasps display the most advanced form of eusociality; with a distinctive size difference between reproductives and non-reproductives (Jeanne, 1980), non-foundress females never mate to our knowledge....
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TL;DR: Correlative and experimental studies indicate that differences in nutrition during larval development are often the basis of pre-imaginal caste determination, which has important implications for the roles of subfertility and manipulation by nest mates in the evolution of eusocial behavior.
Abstract: Wasps (Vespidae) exhibit a range of social complexity, from solitary living to eusocial colonies, and thus are exemplary for studies of the evolutionary origin and maintenance of social behavior in animals. Integral to the definition of eusociality is the presence of reproductive castes, group members that differ qualitatively in their ability to reproduce in a social setting. Behavioral and morphological evidence suggests that caste determination, the developmental process by which differences in fecundity are established, occurs to a large extent before adult emergence (pre-imaginally) in many species of Vespidae, in both basal and advanced taxa within the clade (Vespinae+Polistinae), which includes most eusocial species. Pre-imaginal determination has been documented in many taxa (e.g. independent-founding Polistinae) where it was not thought to occur. Correlative and experimental studies indicate that differences in nutrition during larval development are often the basis of pre-imaginal caste determination. Pre-imaginal caste determination has important implications for the roles of subfertility and manipulation by nest mates in the evolution of eusocial behavior.
211 citations
"Comparison of spermatheca morpholog..." refers background in this paper
...Furthermore, spermathecal 200 A. Gotoh et al. / Arthropod Structure & Development 37 (2008) 199e209 morphology of social Hymenoptera provides an important insight into the evolution of caste specialization....
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