T. A. Linksvayer

Emergent Collective Behavior Evolves More Rapidly Than Individual Behavior Among Ant Species

The paper compares evolutionary rates of collective and individual behavior in ants, finding faster and more varied evolution in collective behavior.

Genomic signatures of recent convergent transitions to social life in spiders

This study identifies genomic changes associated with the transition to social life in spiders by comparing 22 species, finding shifts in selection and elevated molecular evolution rates in social species.

The collective behavior of ant groups depends on group genotypic composition

This study shows that ant group behavior depends on specific genotype combinations, not just individual genetics, and that relatedness within groups affects aggression.

Ant collective behavior is heritable and shaped by selection

The paper estimates heritability and fitness consequences of collective behaviors in pharaoh ants, finding moderate heritability and evidence of directional selection.

Ant cuticular hydrocarbons are heritable and associated with variation in colony productivity

The paper estimates heritability and fitness consequences of cuticular hydrocarbons in pharaoh ants, finding genetic correlations and directional selection.

Comparative genomics identifies putative signatures of sociality in spiders

This study identifies genomic signatures of sociality in spiders by comparing social and solitary species, finding expanded gene families and accelerated evolution in social species.

Transcriptomic basis and evolution of ant nurse-larval social regulatory interactions

The paper characterizes the social interactome regulating ant larval development by analyzing nurse and larval transcriptomes, finding parallel expression dynamics and genes with social regulatory effects.

Convergent eusocial evolution is based on a shared reproductive groundplan plus lineage-specific plastic genes

This study identifies shared and lineage-specific genes involved in eusociality by comparing transcriptomic profiles of pharaoh ants and honey bees.

The bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia increases reproductive investment and accelerates the life cycle of ant colonies

This study shows that Wolbachia infection increases reproductive investment and accelerates the life cycle of pharaoh ant colonies.