AI Article Synopsis
- Several ant species show genetic influences on caste determination, but termites have been thought to rely primarily on environmental factors.
- Research by Hayashi et al. reveals that in the termite species Reticulitermes speratus, caste commitment follows a genetic model with two alleles at a sex-linked locus.
- This genetic caste determination system likely spreads through colony-level selection and may offer insights into the molecular biology of caste determination across termites, although it may not be universally applicable.
Article Abstract
Several ant species are known with genetic effects on caste determination but, for termites, the role of environment has been assumed to be omnipotent. Now Hayashi et al. report that commitment to the nymph and worker pathways in Reticulitermes speratus follows a simple model involving two alleles at a sex-linked locus. The spread of this system of genetic caste determination seems best explained by selection at the colony level. This remarkable system may be widely applicable throughout termites, although it cannot be universal, and may provide a window into causal aspects of the molecular biology of caste determination.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bies.20732 | DOI Listing |
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