Relaxed selection underlies genome erosion in socially parasitic ant species

Lukas Schrader; Hailin Pan; Martin Bollazzi; Morten Schiøtt; Fredrick J. Larabee; Xupeng Bi; Yuan Deng; Guojie Zhang; Jacobus J. Boomsma; Christian Rabeling

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-23178-w

Nature Communications (May 2021)

Relaxed selection underlies genome erosion in socially parasitic ant species

Lukas Schrader,
Hailin Pan,
Martin Bollazzi,
Morten Schiøtt,
Fredrick J. Larabee,
Xupeng Bi,
Yuan Deng,
Guojie Zhang,
Jacobus J. Boomsma,
Christian Rabeling

Affiliations

Lukas Schrader: Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen
Hailin Pan: BGI-Shenzhen
Martin Bollazzi: Entomología, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de la República
Morten Schiøtt: Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen
Fredrick J. Larabee: Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Xupeng Bi: BGI-Shenzhen
Yuan Deng: BGI-Shenzhen
Guojie Zhang: Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen
Jacobus J. Boomsma: Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen
Christian Rabeling: Department of Biology, University of Rochester

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23178-w
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12, no. 1
pp. 1 – 13

Abstract

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Many obligate symbionts, including parasites, have reduced genomes. A comparison of leaf-cutter ant genomes reveals parallel gene losses, particularly in olfactory receptors, in socially parasitic species compared to their closely-related hosts, consistent with relaxed selection for cooperative colony life in the parasites.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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