Exploring ecological influences on ant communication genetics through course-based undergraduate research (CURE)

In social insects, many colony tasks are facilitated by chemical communication (e.g. nestmate recognition, division of labor, coordinated defense), which has led to a diverse repertoire of genes and proteins associated with the production and detection of pheromones. In many cases, ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are predicted to have diversified these communicative genes or modified their expression to succeed in wide-ranging environmental conditions, various colony sizes, and unique life history strategies. However, it remains unclear how these modifications are reflected in the genomes of most species. We investigated the variation in genes associated with chemical communication in 27 ant genomes as the central project of a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). Students grouped focal species into ecologically meaningful categories, selected focal gene families involved in pheromone synthesis or reception, and collected sequence data using NCBI BLAST. We then performed multiple sequence alignment using MAFFT and refined datasets by removing gene duplicates and isoforms. Refined alignments were analyzed phylogenetically in IQ-TREE, and the resulting gene trees were visualized using FigTree. Gene counts were statistically compared across species grouped by ecological factors using Student’s t-tests or ANOVA to assess how ecological differences might influence gene family expansion and contraction. Notably, climate type was significantly associated with variation in desaturase (desat) gene abundance, although most other relationships showed no support. Paired pre- and post-course surveys indicated gains in students’ understanding of the scientific method, confidence in cooperative problem-solving, and proficiency with online bioinformatics tools through their participation in the CURE.