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Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

Poster: SysEB, Phylogenetics, Morphology, and Evolution

D3565: How mean is the gene? Investigating genes correlated with social parasitism in ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Tuesday, November 11, 2025
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Pacific
Location: Exhibit Hall A-A1, OCC
Poster Display

Multiple ant lineages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), exhibit socially parasitic behaviors, in which the parasites infiltrate the nests of other ant species and exploit them for labor and resources. We investigated the evolution of the chemical mechanisms enabling this exploitation, focusing on cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) and a gene family involved in their biosynthesis. CHCs enable social insects to recognize nestmates versus non- nestmates; thus, CHC-related genes are ideal targets for understanding the genetic basis of parasite-host interactions. We investigated desaturases in select socially parasitic ants, host species, and closely related non-hosts. We hypothesized that host species would show a greater abundance and divergence of these genes due to their complex communication needs and to limit the likelihood of deception by parasites. In contrast, parasitic species were expected to show reduced gene abundances if they specialize on a single host. Gene sequences for the ant species were obtained via NCBI BLAST, and multiple sequence alignment was performed through MAFFT. Phylogenetic trees were created using IQ-TREE, and gene numbers were statistically compared between parasite, host, and non-host species. Preliminary results showed no significant differences in the numbers of these genes, but we also have begun analyzing how these genes are expressed utilizing RNA sequences. Moreover, future analysis will account for how selection acts on these traits. This work has implications for understanding the evolution of CHC synthesis in insects more broadly, which are influenced by the environment and human activity, thus improving our understanding of the vulnerability of these animals and their ecosystems.