A Post-pleistocene Calibrated Mutation Rate from Insect Museum Specimens.

Quantifying the age of recent species divergence events can be challenging in the absence of calibration points within many groups. The katydid species provides the opportunity to calibrate a post-Pleistocene, taxa specific mutation rate using a known biogeographic event, the Mohawk-Hudson Divide. DNA was extracted from pinned museum specimens of from both Midwest and Atlantic populations and the mitochondrial gene COI sequenced using primers designed from extant specimens.

Character State Reconstruction of Call Diversity in the Neoconocephalus Katydids Reveals High Levels of Convergence.

The katydid genus Neoconocephalus is characterized by high diversity of the acoustic communication system. Both male signals and female preferences have been thoroughly studied in the past. This study used Bayesian character state reconstruction to elucidate the evolutionary history of diverse call traits, based on an existing, well supported phylogenetic hypothesis.

Evidence of positive selection in mitochondrial complexes I and V of the African elephant.

As species evolve, they become adapted to their local environments. Detecting the genetic signature of selection and connecting that to the phenotype of the organism, however, is challenging. Here we report using an integrative approach that combines DNA sequencing with structural biology analyses to assess the effect of selection on residues in the mitochondrial DNA of the two species of African elephants.

Insulin-like peptide genes in honey bee fat body respond differently to manipulation of social behavioral physiology.

Nutrient sensitive insulin-like peptides (ILPs) have profound effects on invertebrate metabolism, nutrient storage, fertility and aging. Many insects transcribe ILPs in specialized neurosecretory cells at changing levels correlated with life history. However, the major site of insect metabolism and nutrient storage is not the brain, but rather the fat body, where functions of ILP expression are rarely studied and poorly understood.

Genotype effect on regulation of behaviour by vitellogenin supports reproductive origin of honeybee foraging bias.

In honeybee colonies, food collection is performed by a group of mostly sterile females called workers. After an initial nest phase, workers begin foraging for nectar and pollen, but tend to bias their collection towards one or the other. The foraging choice of honeybees is influenced by vitellogenin (vg), an egg-yolk precursor protein that is expressed although workers typically do not lay eggs.

The making of a queen: TOR pathway is a key player in diphenic caste development.

Background: Honey bees (Apis mellifera) provide a principal example of diphenic development. Excess feeding of female larvae results in queens (large reproductives). Moderate diet yields workers (small helpers).