AI Article Synopsis
- In social insects like termites, interactions among colony members cause differences in body structure and function known as caste differentiation, influenced by hormones like juvenile hormone and ecdysone.
- Developmental genes, particularly Hox and appendage-patterning genes, play a crucial role in shaping these caste-specific morphologies by providing spatial cues during development.
- The article examines recent research on these physiological and developmental mechanisms driving caste differentiation, highlighting their importance in the evolution of termite social structures.
Article Abstract
In social insects, interactions among colony members trigger caste differentiation with morphological modifications. During caste differentiation in termites, body parts and caste-specific morphologies are modified during postembryonic development under endocrine controls such as juvenile hormone (JH) and ecdysone. In addition to endocrine factors, developmental toolkit genes such as Hox- and appendage-patterning genes also contribute to the caste-specific body part modifications. These toolkits are thought to provide spatial information for specific morphogenesis. During social evolution, the complex crosstalks between physiological and developmental mechanisms should be established, leading to the sophisticated caste systems. This article reviews recent studies on these mechanisms underlying the termite caste differentiation and addresses implications for the evolution of caste systems in termites.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2024.101183 | DOI Listing |
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