PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Society in eusocial insects is based on the reproductive division of labor, with a small number of reproductive individuals supported by a large number of nonreproductive individuals. Because inclusive fitness of all colony members depends on the survival and fertility of reproductive members, sterile members provide royals with special treatment. Here, we show that termite kings and queens each receive special food of a different composition from workers. Sequential analysis of feeding processes demonstrated that workers exhibit discriminative trophallaxis, indicating their decision-making capacity in allocating food to the kings and queens. Liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry analyses of the stomodeal food and midgut contents revealed king- and queen-specific compounds, including diacylglycerols and short-chain peptides. Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging analyses of 13C-labeled termites identified phosphatidylinositol and acetyl-l-carnitine in the royal food. Comparison of the digestive tract structure showed remarkable differences in the volume ratio of the midgut-to-hindgut among castes, indicating that digestive division of labor underlies reproductive division of labor. Our demonstration of king- and queen-specific foods in termites provides insight into the nutritional system that underpins the extraordinary reproduction and longevity of royals in eusocial insects.
摘要：
社会性昆虫是以生殖分工为基础的，少数生殖个体由大量非生殖个体支持。因为所有殖民地成员的包容性取决于生殖成员的生存和生育能力，无菌成员为皇室成员提供特殊待遇。这里,我们表明，白蚁国王和王后分别从工人那里获得不同组成的特殊食物。喂养过程的顺序分析表明，工人表现出歧视性的滋养轴，表明他们在向国王和王后分配食物方面的决策能力。对造口食物和中肠内容物的液相色谱串联质谱分析显示出国王和女王特异性化合物，包括二酰基甘油和短链肽。13C标记的白蚁的解吸电喷雾电离质谱成像分析鉴定了皇家食品中的磷脂酰肌醇和乙酰-l-肉碱。消化道结构的比较显示，种姓之间中肠与后肠的体积比存在显着差异，这表明消化性分工是生殖分工的基础。我们对白蚁中的国王和王后特有食物的演示提供了对营养系统的见解，该营养系统支撑了皇家昆虫的非凡繁殖和寿命。
