title: Conserved class of queen pheromones stops social insect workers from reproducing.
abstract: A major evolutionary transition to eusociality with reproductive division of labor between queens and workers has arisen independently at least 10 times in the ants, bees, and wasps. Pheromones produced by queens are thought to play a key role in regulating this complex social system, but their evolutionary history remains unknown. Here, we identify the first sterility-inducing queen pheromones in a wasp, bumblebee, and desert ant and synthesize existing data on compounds that characterize female fecundity in 64 species of social insects. Our results show that queen pheromones are strikingly conserved across at least three independent origins of eusociality, with wasps, ants, and some bees all appearing to use nonvolatile, saturated hydrocarbons to advertise fecundity and/or suppress worker reproduction. These results suggest that queen pheromones evolved from conserved signals of solitary ancestors.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Zoological Institute, University of Leuven, Naamsestraat 59-Box 2466, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Oystaeyen
authors.forename: Ricardo Caliari
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Luke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Holman
authors.forename: Jelle S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: van Zweden
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.forename: Cintia A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Oi
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: d'Ettorre
authors.forename: Mohammadreza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khalesi
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Billen
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wäckers
authors.forename: Jocelyn G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Millar
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wenseleers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D001516:Bees / Q000502:physiology*; D001681:Biological Assay; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010675:Pheromones / Q000145:classification / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014863:Wasps / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D010675:Pheromones