Collaborative Research: Integrative Approach to Understanding the Emergence of Alternate Social Phenotypes through Greenbeard Effects in the Fire Ant

合作研究：通过火蚁绿胡子效应理解替代社会表型出现的综合方法

• 批准号: 2310983
• 负责人: Takao Sasaki
• 金额: $ 75.98万
• 依托单位: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-01 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2310983&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Integrative; Approach; Understanding

Cooperation has been a longstanding evolutionary problem because cooperators suffer an individual fitness loss to provide benefits to other individuals in the group. A notable solution to this problem involves the greenbeard effect, first conceived of by W.D. Hamilton in the early 1960s as a thought experiment to explain the evolution of altruism, and later popularized by R. Dawkins. The main tenet of the greenbeard effect is that there exists a hypothetical gene, or set of linked genes, that expresses a perceptible trait (e.g., green beard), enables the bearer to recognize this trait in others, and causes the bearer to behave differently towards others depending on whether or not they possess this trait (e.g., individuals with green beard help other “green beard” individuals but not ones without green beard). In recent years, these “greenbeard” genes have been discovered in diverse organisms. Yet, because most of these are unicellular microbes, such as amoebae, yeast, and bacteria, we still know little if and how the complex, intricately coordinated, consequential behaviors emerge based on the greenbeard status of group members in their environment. The fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is one of a few social animals in which a greenbeard effect has been documented. In this project, therefore, we will investigate the relationship between a greenbeard signal and the individual and collective behaviors that it modulates, using the fire ant, as a model system. A diversity of educational and outreach programs is proposed, including participation in the EcoReach program that provides educational materials for K-12 teachers, outreach at the annual Insectival and to a lifelong learning program for adults, as well as research opportunities for graduate students and undergraduates, including some from nearby HBCUs. Social animals work together to the advantage of their group. This cooperative behavior poses an evolutionary problem, however, because cooperators typically suffer an individual fitness loss to provide benefits to other individuals in the group. Researchers have suggested a potential solution for this problem—cooperation can evolve if a gene expresses a perceptible trait (e.g., green beard), enables the bearer to recognize this trait in others, and causes the bearer to behave differently towards others depending on the possession of this trait. The main objective of the proposed project is to investigate the relationship between a greenbeard signal and the individual and collective behaviors that it modulates using the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, as a model system. The fire ant is one of only a few social animals in which a greenbeard effect has been documented and the underlying greenbeard factor, known as the Sb supergene, has been identified. Using this unique model system, we aim to (1) learn what distinctive cuticular chemicals constitute greenbeard signals in different classes of nestmates, (2) identify contexts in which workers use such signals during one-on-one social interactions, and (3) reveal how colonies composed of workers with a mix of greenbeard genotypes collectively determine the emergent colony organization.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

合作一直是一个长期的进化问题，因为合作者遭受了个人的健身损失，为小组中的其他人提供好处。解决此问题的一个显着解决方案涉及绿胡子效应，该效应首先是由W.D. Hamilton在1960年代初期构想的，作为一个思想实验，以解释利他主义的演变，后来被R. Dawkins推广。绿胡子效应的主要原则是存在一个假设的基因或一组链接的基因，表达了一个可感知的特征（例如绿胡须），使携带者能够在他人身上识别这种特征，并使承载者对他人对他人的行为不同，因为他们是否有这种特征，而不是绿色的贝尔德（Beard Beard），但没有绿色的人（例如，绿bore弱的人），但没有任何帮助。近年来，这些“绿胡子”基因已在潜水生物体中发现。但是，由于其中大多数是单细胞微生物，例如变形虫，酵母菌和细菌，因此我们仍然不知道是否以及如何基于环境中小组成员的绿色状态而出现复杂的，复杂的协调性，相应的行为。消防蚂蚁solenopsis Invicta是少数几种已记录绿胡子效应的社交动物之一。因此，在这个项目中，我们将研究绿胡子信号与使用消防蚂蚁作为模型系统调节的个人和集体行为之间的关系。提出了各种各样的教育和推广计划，包括参与ECORECH计划，该计划为K-12教师提供教育材料，在年度昆虫上和成人终身学习计划以及研究生和本科生的研究机会，包括一些来自HBCUS的研究机会。社交动物共同努力，为他们的小组提供优势。但是，这种合作行为提出了一个进化问题，因为合作者通常会遭受个人的健身损失，从而为小组中的其他人提供好处。研究人员提出了解决这个问题的潜在解决方案 - 如果基因表达了可感知的特征（例如绿胡须），则可以进化，使承载者能够在他人中识别出这种特征，并使承载者根据这种特征的潜力对他人的行为不同。拟议的项目是调查绿胡子信号与个人和集体行为之间的关系，它们使用红色导入的火蚂蚁（Solenopsis Invicta）作为模型系统进行调节。消防蚂蚁是仅记录了绿胡子效应的仅有的少数几个社交动物之一，并且已经确定了潜在的绿胡子因素（称为SB超值）。使用这种独特的模型系统，我们的目标是（1）了解哪些独特可爱的化学物质在不同类别的巢穴中构成了绿色的信号，（2）确定在一对一的社交互动中使用这些信号的背景，（3）殖民者揭示了由工人组成的殖民者如何共同确定了统一的统计范围，以表现出统一的统计。使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响评估标准进行评估。