Widespread occurrence of the micro-organism Wolbachia in ants.
For more than 20 years, sex allocation in hymenopteran societies has been a major topic in insect sociobiology. A recurring idea was that relatedness asymmetrics arising from their haplodiploid sex determination system would lead to various parent-offspring conflicts over optimal reproduction. A possible weakness of existing theory is that only interests of nuclear genes are properly accounted for. Yet, a diversity of maternally transmitted elements manipulate the reproduction of their host in many solitary arthropod groups. The bacterium Wolbachia is a striking example of such a selfish cytoplasmic element, with effects ranging from reproductive incompatibility between host strains, induction of parthenogenesis and feminization of males. This paper reports on a first PCR-based Wolbachia screening in ants. Out of 50 Indo-Australian species, 50% screened positive for an A-group strain. One of these species also harboured a B-group strain in a double infection. Various factors that might explain the unusually high incidence of Wolbachia in ants are discussed. In general, Wolbachia may represent a widespread and previously unrecognized party active in the conflicts of interest within social insect colonies.
Zoological Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. tom.wenseleers@bio.kuleuven.ac.be
T
T
Wenseleers
F
F
Ito
S
S
Van Borm
R
R
Huybrechts
F
F
Volckaert
J
J
Billen
D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D012734:Disorders of Sex Development; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012098:Reproduction; D012287:Rickettsiaceae / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D019849:Sex Determination Processes; D012919:Social Behavior; D013045:Species Specificity