Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior

Hormonal gatekeeping via the blood brain barrier governs behavior

The paper shows the blood-brain barrier regulates social behavior in ants by controlling hormone levels via a key enzyme, with implications for conserved mechanisms across species.

"Same same but different"Exploring evolutionary and ecological causes of eye diversification in bumblebees

This study quantifies visual trait diversity in bumblebees, finding that ecological factors like social parasitism and habitat drive eye diversification rather than phylogenetic relationships.

Chromosome-level genome assembly and annotation of two lineages of the ant Cataglyphis hispanica: stepping stones towards genomic studies of hybridogenesis and thermal adaptation in desert ants

The paper presents chromosome-level genome assemblies for two hybridogenetic lineages of Cataglyphis hispanica using long-read sequencing and 3C data, enabling studies of thermal adaptation and reproductive systems.

From group to individual - Genotyping by pool sequencing eusocial colonies

This paper presents statistical methods to estimate genetic ancestry and reconstruct queen genotype from pool sequencing data of eusocial colonies, achieving high accuracy with low error rates.

Genetic evidence for parthenogenesis in small carpenter bee, Ceratina dallatoreana in its native distribution area

The paper confirms parthenogenesis in Ceratina dallatoreana through genetic analysis showing offspring are clones of mothers with no males detected.

Nuclear Translocation of Vitellogenin in the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

This study shows that a structural subunit of honey bee vitellogenin translocates into cell nuclei and binds DNA, influencing immunity and behavior genes.

Caste, sex, and parasitism influence brain plasticity in a social wasp

This study investigates how caste, sex, and parasitism influence brain plasticity in the social wasp Polistes dominula, finding sex-specific and caste-related differences in brain region sizes and parasite-induced changes.

Genomic and transcriptomic analyses of the subterranean termite Reticulitermes speratus: gene duplication facilitates social evolution

This study analyzes the genome, transcriptome, and methylome of Reticulitermes speratus, showing gene duplication contributes to caste-specific functions and social evolution.

Regulation of oogenesis in the queen honey bee (Apis mellifera)

The paper shows honey bee queens use different oogenesis checkpoints than workers but share the same molecular pathways for terminating oocyte development.

Soldier neural architecture is temporarily modality-specialized but poorly predicted by repertoire size in the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula

The paper examines neural investment in defense-specialized soldiers of the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula, finding that relative visual brain investment varies with task demands but not with repertoire size.

Convergent loss of chemoreceptors across independent origins of slave-making in ants

This study identifies convergent loss of odorant receptors in slave-making ants, suggesting adaptive gene loss linked to parasitic lifestyle and reduced chemical perception.

Nano-CT characterization reveals coordinated growth of a rudimentary organ necessary for soldier development in the ant Pheidole hyatti

The paper uses nano-CT to show that soldier larvae in Pheidole hyatti have coordinated growth of rudimentary forewing discs with other imaginal discs and larval size, differing from minor workers.

Dynamic neurogenomic responses to social interactions and dominance outcomes in female paper wasps

The paper examines transcriptional responses in the central brain and optic lobe of female paper wasps after social interactions, finding stronger responses in the central brain and gene expression changes related to aggression and reproduction in losers.

Differential investment in visual and olfactory brain regions mirrors the sensory needs of a paper wasp social parasite and its host

The paper compares sensory brain region investment between a paper wasp and its social parasite to understand how sensory systems adapt to different life histories and behavioral needs.

The complete mitochondrial genome of a parthenogenetic ant Monomorium triviale (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The paper sequences the mitochondrial genome of the parthenogenetic ant M. triviale, revealing gene order rearrangements and providing genomic resources for phylogenetic and taxonomic studies.

DNA methylation is not a driver of gene expression reprogramming in young honey bee workers

The paper examines DNA methylation patterns in honey bees under different social contexts and finds no significant differences in methylomes between queenright and queenless colonies, suggesting DNA methylation is not a driver of gene expression reprogramming.

Assessment and comparison of two different methods to extract nucleic acids from individual honey bees

The paper compares two nucleic acid extraction methods from individual honey bees, finding one yields more DNA and RNA without affecting quality.

A combined RAD-Seq and WGS approach reveals the genomic basis of yellow colour variation in bumble bee Bombus terrestris

The paper identifies a SNP in the cut gene responsible for yellow coloration in bumble bees, showing it affects protein structure without major external phenotypes.

Conserved hormonal and molecular mechanisms underlying behavioural maturation in open- and cavity-nesting honey bees

The paper compares behavioural maturation and hormonal/molecular changes in two honey bee species, finding similar mechanisms but differences in the pace of maturation.

From plants to ants: Fungal modification of leaf lipids for nutrition and communication in the leaf-cutter ant fungal garden ecosystem

This study uses lipidomics to analyze leaf-cutter ant fungal gardens, showing lipids play roles in energy transfer and inter-kingdom communication through differential fatty acid responses.

The molecular basis of socially-mediated phenotypic plasticity in a eusocial paper wasp

The paper analyzes gene expression changes in paper wasps after queen loss, finding transcriptomic shifts without detectable phenotypic changes.

Trade-offs between sperm viability and immune protein expression in honey bee queens (Apis mellifera)

The paper investigates trade-offs between sperm viability and immune protein expression in honey bee queens, finding a negative correlation between lysozyme levels and sperm viability.

Individual differences in honey bee behavior enabled by plasticity in brain gene regulatory networks

The paper identifies brain gene regulatory network plasticity as a mechanism underlying individual differences in honey bee behavior.

Queen pheromone modulates the expression of epigenetic modifier genes in the brain of honey bee workers

This study shows that queen pheromone upregulates epigenetic modifier genes in honeybee worker brains, suggesting pheromones influence gene expression via epigenetic mechanisms.

High-Quality Genome Assembly and Annotation of the California Harvester Ant Pogonomyrmex californicus (Buckley, 1867)

This paper presents a high-quality genome assembly and annotation of the California harvester ant Pogonomyrmex californicus, enabling studies on social polymorphism and adaptation to arid environments.

Automated monitoring of animal behaviour with barcodes and convolutional neural networks

The paper combines barcode tracking with convolutional neural networks to monitor honeybee behavior and identify distinct social networks in food exchange.

The ant fungus garden acts as an external digestive system

The paper maps chemical modifications in an ant fungus garden as plant material passes through, revealing its role in nutrient uptake.

Genus-wide characterization of bumblebee genomes reveals variation associated with key ecological and behavioral traits of pollinators

The paper characterizes bumblebee genomes across 17 species to identify genetic variation linked to ecological and behavioral traits, revealing insights into genome structure, evolution, and adaptation.

Genomic architecture and evolutionary conflict drive allele-specific expression in the social supergene of the red fire ant

The paper investigates allele-specific expression in the social supergene of red fire ants, finding most genes show no social form dependence but some exhibit signs of gene degeneration or evolutionary conflict.

Brain microRNAs among social and solitary bees

The paper examines the relationship between social organization and lineage-specific microRNAs in bees, finding that novel miRNAs may coevolve with genes but do not significantly influence social evolution.