Convergent genetic architecture underlies social organization in ants.

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Serval ID
serval:BIB_9E0A1438C486
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Convergent genetic architecture underlies social organization in ants.
Journal
Current Biology
Author(s)
Purcell J., Brelsford A., Wurm Y., Perrin N., Chapuisat M.
ISSN
1879-0445 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
0960-9822
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2014
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
24
Number
22
Pages
2728-2732
Language
english
Abstract
Complex adaptive polymorphisms are common in nature, but what mechanisms maintain the underlying favorable allelic combinations [1-4]? The convergent evolution of polymorphic social organization in two independent ant species provides a great opportunity to investigate how genomes evolved under parallel selection. Here, we demonstrate that a large, nonrecombining "social chromosome" is associated with social organization in the Alpine silver ant, Formica selysi. This social chromosome shares architectural characteristics with that of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta [2], but the two show no detectable similarity in gene content. The discovery of convergence at two levels-the phenotype and the genetic architecture associated with alternative social forms-points at general genetic mechanisms underlying transitions in social organization. More broadly, our findings are consistent with recent theoretical studies suggesting that suppression of recombination plays a key role in facilitating coordinated shifts in coadapted traits [5, 6].
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
06/10/2014 10:47
Last modification date
21/11/2022 8:27
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