Cited by 5Insect and Arachnid Ecology and BehaviorNeurobiology and Insect Physiology ResearchDevelopmental Biology and Gene Regulation

Nano‐CT imaging of larvae in the ant Pheidole hyatti reveals coordinated growth of a rudimentary organ necessary for soldier development

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Koch, Sophie, Tahara, Rui, Vasquez‐Correa, Angelly, Abouheif, Ehab·2021·Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution

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Abstract

The growth of imaginal discs in holometabolous insects is coordinated with larval growth to ensure the symmetrical and proportional development of the adult appendages. In ants, the differential growth of these discs generates distinct castes‐the winged male and queen castes and the wingless worker caste. In the hyperdiverse ant genus Pheidole , the worker caste is composed of two morphologically distinct subcastes: small‐headed minor workers and larger, big‐headed, soldiers. Although these worker subcastes are completely wingless, soldier larvae develop rudimentary forewing discs that function in generating the disproportionate head‐to‐body scaling and size of soldiers. It remains unclear, however, how rudimentary forewing discs in soldier larvae are coordinated with other imaginal discs. Here we show, using quantitative nano‐CT imaging and three‐dimensional analyses, that the increase in the volume of the soldier rudimentary forewing discs is coordinated with larval size as well as with the increase in the volume of the leg and eye‐antennal (head) discs. However, relative to larval size, we found that when the rudimentary forewing discs appear during the last larval instar, they are relatively smaller but increase in volume faster than that of the head (eye‐antennal) and leg discs. These findings show that the rudimentary wing disc in soldier larvae has evolved novel patterns of inter‐organ coordination as compared with other insects to generate the big‐headed soldier caste in Pheidole . More generally, our study raises the possibility that novel patterns of inter‐organ coordination are a general feature of rudimentary organs that acquire novel regulatory functions during development and evolution.

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  • Conventional laboratory micro-CT scanning of ants takes about 12 hours per scan on average.

    “scans of ants using conventional micro-CT would take about 12 hours each on average 45 , 46”

    From High-throughput phenomics of global ant biodiversity (2026) · cites this paper as [46]

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  1. Dong, P. D., Dicks, J. S., & Panganiban, G. (2002). Distal-less and homothorax regulate multiple targets to pattern the Drosophila antenna. Development, 129(8), 1967-1974.
  2. Passera, L., & Suzzoni, J. P. (1978). Obtaining of sexual brood after JH treatment in ant Pheidole- -pallidula -(NYL) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires Des Seances De L Academie Des Sciences Serie D, 286(8), 615-618.
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Authors
Koch, S., Tahara, R., Vasquez‐Correa, A., & Abouheif, E.
Affiliations
  • McGill University (CA)
  • Department of Biology McGill University Montréal Quebec Canada
Corresponding author
Abouheif, Ehab
Venue
Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2021-09-21
Volume
336
Issue
7
Pages
540-553
ISSN
  • 1552-5007 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-5015
OpenAlex
W3200139893
Cited by
5
References
83
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 1
FWCI
0.42
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B Molecular and Developmental Evolution (publishedVersion)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
Keywords
soldier caste, larval growth, caste differentiation, eye-antennal disc, leg disc, ant development
MeSH terms
Animals, Ants, Larva, Male, Morphogenesis, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, Wings, Animal, Nanotechnology, Imaginal Discs

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