Ergatoid queen development in the ant Myrmecina nipponica: Modular and heterochronic regulation of caste differentiation.
Ergatoid queen development in the ant Myrmecina nipponica: Modular and heterochronic regulation of caste differentiation.
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蚂蚁蚁后的 Ergatoid 发育：种姓分化的模块化和异时性调节。
DOI：
10.1098/rspb.2010.0142
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发表时间：
2010
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Seigo Higashi and Toru Miura.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Satoshi Miyazaki;Takahiro Murakami;Takuya Kubo ;Noriko Azuma;Seigo Higashi and Toru Miura.
社会性昆虫的种姓多酚现象为我们研究发育途径的可塑性和稳健性提供了极好的机会。一些蚂蚁物种进化出了不寻常的等级，表现出介于翅后和无翅工蚁之间的中间形态。在一些低温的栖息地，日本蚁产生这样的中间繁殖体（即类蛙），它们可以交配和储存精子，但不能飞行。为了深入了解与类门蛙产生相关的发育和进化方面，我们对在种姓分化过程中复眼、性腺和翅膀的胚胎后发育进行了形态学和组织学检查。在复眼中，工蜂后和麦角虫工蜂的差异在第三幼虫龄就已经被识别出来了。在性腺中，蜂王-工蜂分化开始于幼虫期，而麦角-工蜂分化开始于蛹前期和蛹期。在整个胚胎后期发育过程中，类门线虫的翅膀发育通常与工蜂相似。我们的研究结果表明，身体部位分化的发育速度和时间在不同的种姓和身体部位之间存在差异。这些差异表明，异质发育调节对模块化身体部位的重排是新种姓产生的原因，这被认为是对特定生态位的适应。
Caste polyphenism in social insects provides us with excellent opportunities to examine the plasticity and robustness underlying developmental pathways. Several ant species have evolved unusual castes showing intermediate morphologies between alate queens and wingless workers. In some low-temperature habitats, the antMyrmecina nipponicaproduces such intermediate reproductives (i.e. ergatoids), which can mate and store sperm but cannot fly. To gain insight into the developmental and evolutionary aspects associated with ergatoid production, we conducted morphological and histological examinations of the post-embryonic development of compound eyes, gonads and wings during the process of caste differentiation. In compound eyes, both the queen-worker and ergatoid-worker differences were already recognized at the third larval instar. In gonads, queen-worker differentiation began at the larval stage, and ergatoid-worker differentiation began between the prepupal and pupal stages. Wing development in ergatoids was generally similar to that in workers throughout post-embryonic development. Our results showed that the developmental rate and timing of differentiation in body parts differed among castes and among body parts. These differences suggest that the rearrangement of modular body parts by heterochronic developmental regulation is responsible for the origination of novel castes, which are considered to be adaptations to specific ecological niches.