Hughes William O H, Sumner Seirian, Van Borm Steven, Boomsma Jacobus J
Department of Population Ecology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Aug 5;100(16):9394-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1633701100. Epub 2003 Jul 23.
Division of labor is fundamental to the success of all societies. The most striking examples are the physically polymorphic worker castes in social insects with clear morphological adaptations to different roles. These polymorphic worker castes have previously been thought to be a classic example of nongentically controlled polymorphism, being mediated entirely by environmental cues. Here we show that worker caste development in the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex echinatior has a significant genetic component. Individuals of different patrilines within the same colony differ in their propensities to develop into minor or major workers. The mechanism appears to be plastic, with caste destiny resulting from interplay between nurture and nature. Unlike the few other recently discovered examples of a genetic influence on caste determination, the present result does not relate to any rare or exceptional circumstances, such as interspecific hybridization. The results suggest that a significant role of genetics may have been overlooked in our understanding of other complex polymorphisms of social insects.
分工是所有社会成功的基础。最显著的例子是群居昆虫中身体多态的工蚁等级，它们在形态上对不同角色有明显的适应性。这些多态的工蚁等级以前被认为是非基因控制多态性的经典例子，完全由环境线索介导。在这里，我们表明切叶蚁Acromyrmex echinatior的工蚁等级发育有显著的遗传成分。同一蚁群内不同父系的个体发育成小工蚁或大工蚁的倾向不同。这种机制似乎具有可塑性，等级命运是由先天与后天的相互作用导致的。与最近发现的其他一些基因对等级决定有影响的例子不同，目前的结果与任何罕见或特殊情况无关，比如种间杂交。这些结果表明，在我们对群居昆虫其他复杂多态性的理解中，遗传学的重要作用可能被忽视了。
