Societies, mutualists, & parasites - part 3

Question 1

Diversity of non-social parasites

Answer 1

• Endoparasites
• Animal ectoparasites

Question 2

diversity of non-social parasites - endoparasites example

Answer 2

Fungal parasite that makes “zombie ants”

Question 3

diversity of non-social parasites - animal ectoparasites example

Answer 3

• ant nest beetles
• rove beetles and army ants

Question 4

Diversity in the categories of social parasitism

Answer 4

• Social mutualism turned social parasitism.
• Xenobiosis.
• Temporary social parasitism.
• Dulosis.
• Inquilinism.

Question 5

endoparasites - fungal parasite that makes zombie ants

Answer 5

• Ophiocordyceps
• can cause extreme behavioral modification in its ant hosts

Question 6

Ophiocordyceps - what aids it’s dispersal

Answer 6

a “zombie ant” extended phenotype aids its dispersal to new hosts

Question 7

Ophiocordyceps - what does it exploit in the ants

Answer 7

exploits the social foraging and organization of the ant colony

Question 8

animal ectoparasites

Answer 8

• Many non-social animal parasites of societies are “predators within”.
• All employ some form of invisibility, mimicry, or attractiveness.

Question 9

Ectoparasites - In some cases, the _________________ have ______________________________, parasitizing a diversity of social hosts.

Answer 9

• parasitic lineages
• diversified into large numbers of species

Question 10

ectoparasites: ant nest beetles - what do beetles use to infiltrate nests

Answer 10

attractiveness to infiltrate ant nests and move freely within, while preying on ant larvae.

Question 11

ectoparasites: ant nest beetles - how do the beetles use attractiveness to infiltrate

Answer 11

The beetle “stridulate” to attract host ants, and produce appeasing chemicals in special glands on the head and antennae.

Question 12

ectoparasites - rove beetles and army ants

Answer 12

• they are mimetic predators within and consume larvae and adult ants
• striking example of convergence

Question 13

ectoparasites - how is it an example of convergence

Answer 13

multiple evolutionary events resulting in the same mimic forms within different army ant hosts

Question 14

Diversity in the categories of social parasitism - Social mutualism turned social parasitism

Answer 14

ant-aphid example

Question 15

social mutualism turned social parasitism - ant-aphid

Answer 15

• Discovery of a novel “caste” within a certain aphid species that is carried into the brood pile of the ants.
• In the brood pile the individuals of this novel caste drink blood from the ant larvae

Question 16

diversity in the categories of social parasitism - xenobiosis definition

Answer 16

social parasitism where the parasite society nests inside or near to the the nest of the host society and steals resources from the host — kleptoparasitism.

Question 17

xenobiosis - what may the resources include

Answer 17

• may include the shelter itself
• can include more direct interactions in the form of solicited, regurgitated food

Question 18

xenobiosis - Hosts and parasites are typically __________________

Answer 18

distantly related

Question 19

xenobiosis - what is it typically dependent on

Answer 19

• it often depends on chemical mimicry
• especially for xenobiosis within the host nest, often through within-nest acquisition of odor chemicals

Question 20

xenobiosis example

Answer 20

Megalomyrmex ants

Question 21

xenobiosis - Megalomyrmex ants

Answer 21

• they are xenobiotic social parasites of fungus gardening ants.
• Megalomyrmex ants eat the fungus of their host (and some larvae).

Question 22

Diversity in the categories of social parasitism - temporary social parasitism

Answer 22

Founding individual of the parasitic species infiltrates an existing society of another species and replaces the reproductive as a founding strategy

Question 23

temporary social parasitism - what do they parasitize

Answer 23

the whole social mechanism of brood rearing in the colony founding stage.

Question 24

temporary social parasitism - why is this called ‘temporary’

Answer 24

• the mixed-species nests as the orphaned host workers slowly die off
• then the nest is entirely replaced by parasite workers that perform normal worker tasks.

Question 25

temporary social parasitism - Typically _________________ species

Answer 25

closely related

Question 26

temporary social parasitism - why do they have to be closely related

Answer 26

the parasite needs to have similar traits and brood rearing mechanisms in order to infiltrate the host colony

Question 27

temporary social parasitism - example

Answer 27

Ant species Bothriomyrmex decapitans

Question 28

diversity in the categories of social parasitism - Dulosis definition

Answer 28

Permanent social parasitism where the replacement of the host reproductive with the parasite is followed by subsequent acquisition of new host larvae from raided nearby host colonies.

Question 29

dulosis - what does it parasitize

Answer 29

the whole social mechanism of brood rearing throughout the parasites life.

Question 30

Dulotic species are _____________ to their host, and often parasitize _____________ species.

Answer 30

• closely related
• multiple host

Question 31

dulosis - results in _________________________________ of parasite and host, and often multiple host species

Answer 31

permanent mixed-species nests

Question 32

diversity of social parasitism - Inquilinism definition

Answer 32

A permanent social parasitism in which a specialized reproductive parasite relies entirely on the social mechanisms of the host

Question 33

inquilinism - Typically, inquilines have effectively ___________, with workers no longer produced

Answer 33

lost sociality

Question 34

inquilinism - example

Answer 34

Teleutomyrmex schneideri

Question 35

inquilinism - Teleutomyrmex schneideri

Answer 35

• As queen lays eggs, parasite is latched onto the rear of the queen and lays eggs into egg pile of queen
• It’s so dependent on the host that it loses sociality

Question 36

What do we expect to see with respect to trait evolution and species production as mutualisms and parasitisms evolve?

Answer 36

We might expect to see coupled evolutionary transitions in the traits of mutualism and parasitism partners through time

Question 37

How could we study trait evolution and species production as mutualisms as parasitisms evolve?

Answer 37

• We can study the evolution of mutualisms and parasitisms by comparing phylogenetic trees of partners
• looking for signature of co-evolution.

Question 38

define coevolution

Answer 38

The reciprocal evolution in two or more interacting species of adaptations selected by the interactions between these species.

Question 39

identifying mutualism and parasitism partners through time

Answer 39

• Timing of traits involved in mutualistic/parasitic partnership
• Evolution of associations (emanine the tips)

Question 40

identifying mutualism and parasitism partners through time - timing of traits involved

Answer 40

shows that they co-evolved if the timing is the same

Question 41

identifying mutualism and parasitism partners through time - evolution of associations

Answer 41

• there can be a:
• One-to-one host-parasite relationship
• One host to many closely related (monophyletic) parasites
• Many closely related (monophyletic) hosts to one parasite
• One host to many distantly related (polyphyletic) parasites
• “Co-speciation” of host and parasite lineages