NEUROANT

"NEUROanatomy, neurochemistry and genotype: genetic diversity and division of labour in leaf-cutting ANTs"

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The discovery and characterizations of neuromechanisms that mediate the genotypic changes in behaviour is a premier paradigm in biology today. The difficulty in finding defined answers rests in the multiplication of confounding factors (environment, individual behavioural flexibility, genotypic variation and polygenetic traits) and the limited sample size for comparison. This project will use social insect colonies to overcome these issues to answer this question. The project will use the leaf-cutting ant, Acromrymex echinatior, as the model species because this ant has recently been shown to exhibit genetic influences on caste specialization, has colonies headed by single queens mated to multiple males, thus producing genetically diverse offspring, and has colony sizes that will produce numerous individuals from each paternal line. Therefore, ants from a single colony share a common environment, the same maternal genotype on average but can differ in their paternal genotype, and are behaviourally specialized. We will use molecular techniques to characterize the genotypic variations among behaviourally specialized ants of different patrilines from single colonies. We will combine this with testing whether there are neuroanatomical and neurochemical differences between these ants to establish the neuromechanisms underpinning genetic variation in division of labour. Ant brains will be assayed utilizing serial sectioning at the light and electron microscopy levels for brain morphology and immunocytochemistry, visualized with laser confocal microscopy and HPLC for direct measurement for biogenic amine analysis. This study will provide answers to the neuromechanisms governing genotypically derived behaviours.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

A European study has provided evidence of neural mechanisms that determine the behaviour and role of male leaf-cutting ants.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Recent research has discovered that genotype in the leaf-cutting ant, Acromyrmex echinatior, influences certain aspects of caste specialisation. In general, studies are confounded by factors such as input of environment, behavioural flexibility and genotypic variation. Ants from a single colony fulfil model requirements. They have a single queen that produces offspring from multiple mates (each a patriline), a common environment and are behaviourally specialised.

EU-funded NEUROANT project researchers used microsatellite sequencing to characterise the genotypes between the different castes. To determine the neuromechanisms behind genetic variation in division of labour, they tested for neurochemical and neuroanatomical differences.

Results showed that gross brain morphology differed very little between the specialised workers (there are four castes) or between patrilines. However, there were differences in biogenic amine levels for dopamine, serotonin and octopamine.

Foragers had higher levels of both dopamine and octopamine, and a higher octopamine to serotonin ratio than waste management workers. Patriline did not appear to have a strong direct effect on the levels of the biogenic amines, but did affect body size.

The study has provided concrete data on how neurochemistry may play an important role in behaviour that is genetically determined. However, genetic effects on behavioural specialisation could be influenced by other factors.