Social division of labor and brain evolution group "CP"!The same nest ants, why is the "brain circuit" different?

Text ｜ "China Science News" reporter Zhang Wenjing

In the process of animal evolution, the emergence of social organizations is an important turning event, which greatly enhances the adaptability of animals.

Today, we can still find a series of continuous changes in social organizations from simple to complex. Among them, the most noticeable is human society and social insects represented by bees and ants.

Unlike human society, social insects show the phenomenon of form and physiological differentiation during development.

Recently, by constructing a single -cell single -cell cell transcription group diagram of the old ants in my country, Chinese scientists reveal the phenomenon of brain structure and functional specialization during the grade differentiation process, and reveal the plastic changes in the brain during the maturity of the queen queen. Digging key cell groups that regulate their genitals and life.

The study was published on June 16 in "Nature -Ecology and Evolution".

Ant "Super Individual"

Ant originated in the Baiji period of 140 million years ago, and there were about 20,000 species existing. They are widely distributed in all terrestrial ecosystems except the pole iceland and are one of the most successful animal groups in the process of biological evolution.

Socialism is the cornerstone of ants success. In the ants of ants, there are clear division of labor, that is, grade differentiation, such as workers and breeding ants.

French ant's social product level differentiation Liu Weiwei and other drawings

"Although the workers and queen have the same two -twice genomic group, they show the distinction of obvious form, physiology and behavior."

Li Qiye, the first author of the paper and a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Life Sciences, said, "Most ants have no reproduction ability, they are only responsible for taking care of the nest affairs, and the breeding task is borne by the breeding ant. The breeding ants have wings, the male ants died after mating, the female ant wings fall off, and become the real queen. "

Now a generally accepted view of the academic community believes that the whole nest of ants are a "super individual". Each ant is a "cell" of this super individual. The worker ant is its "body cell", and the breeding ant is its " Grass cells.

In order to further reveal the inherent mechanism of ants -grade differentiation, the research team carried out research through the sequencing technology of single -cell transcription groups based on French ants.

"The nucleus of the same individual cells has the same genetic material, but different body cells have different functions. This is the result of transcription of different genes in different cells. Therefore, the transcription of different cell transcriptions is sequenced and Analysis can determine the function of these cells. "Li Qiye said.

Support social mind

"Through the self -developed single -cell library building platform and sequencing technology, we have obtained a total of 206,367 high -quality single -type nuclear transcription group data covering the old ants, virgin breeding ants, queen queen, and male ants. "

Liu Chuanyu, author of the joint communication of the paper and researcher at the Chinese Academy of Life Sciences, said, "This is the world's first single -cell map that comprehensively covers a divided role in an ant society."

"Our research shows that compared to the unprecedented fruit flies, the abundance of mushroom cells responsible for advanced cognitive functions in the Pharaoh's brain has increased significantly. In the jumping sickle fierce ants and bees, mushroom body cells phase Better flies have also expanded and diverse differentiation. "Liu Weiwei, author of the joint communication of the paper and associate researcher at the Kunming Institute of Animal Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Unlike the division of labor in human society, the grade differentiation of ants is physiological. The team's research results show that ants not only have obvious differentiation in shape, but also have obvious differentiation in brain structure and function.

For example, the mushroom body responsible for high -level cognitive functions is very developed, and the olfactory leaves are also very developed, while the male ants are very developed as the leaves.

"This means that workers are more animals that are more inclined to smell and perception, which is in line with our general understanding of ants, while male ants depend on vision." Liu Weiwei said.

The brain changes created the queen queen

Compared with the worker ant, the queen's life is much longer, which is longer than most of the same body type.

"In the study, we saw that the virgin breeding ant was transformed into an queen after mating, and the brain had obvious plasticity changes." Liu Weiwei said, "Many cell groups have changed significantly."

Among them, the clustering of the chloroplasi cells has decreased, while the abundance of dopamine cells and its downstream neurotipptide cells increases, and the abundance of collagen cells with neuropromidomy function has also increased significantly.

"This reveals the neurological mechanism that regulates its physiological and behavioral changes in the process of queen maturity, changes in brain cell groups and the reshaping of the neural circulation, and determines the change of the duties of the queen and the extreme extension of life." Liu Weiwei express.

From the perspective of the author's joint communication author and a professor of Life Evolution Research Center of Zhejiang University, this study reminds that the social division of labor and the existing behavior difference between different individuals of ants is related to its specialization of their brains.

Zhang Guojie said that the brain of different individuals has different directions and degrees of specialization, and the function of each other is complementary to perform different social behaviors and functions, so that the entire ant colony can have reproduction, childcare, foraging, defense, etc. Comprehensive functions, so ant colors have become a real "super individual".

The natural selection role has risen to a higher organizational level of ant colony, making Ant an advantage in the survival competition of 140 million years, and has evolved into a very advantageous animal group on the planet.Related thesis information:

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01784-1

Edit | Ji Hongmei

Capture | Guo Gang

- END -