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Direct and indirect genetic effects of a social supergene
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  • Samuel Arsenault,
  • Oksana Riba Grognuz,
  • DeWayne Shoemaker,
  • Brendan Hunt,
  • Laurent Keller
Samuel Arsenault
University of Georgia
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Oksana Riba Grognuz
University of Lausanne
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DeWayne Shoemaker
University of Tennessee
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Brendan Hunt
University of Georgia

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Laurent Keller
University of Lausanne
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Abstract

Indirect genetic effects describe phenotypic variation that results from differences in the genotypic composition of social partners. Such effects represent heritable sources of environmental variation in eusocial organisms because individuals are typically reared by their siblings. In the fire ant Solenopsis invicta, a social supergene exhibits striking indirect genetic effects on worker regulation of colony queen number, such that the genotypic composition of workers at the supergene determines whether colonies contain a single or multiple queens. We assessed the direct and indirect genetic effects of this supergene on gene expression in brains and abdominal tissues from lab-reared workers and compared these with previously published data from field-collected pre-reproductive queens. We found that direct genetic effects caused larger gene expression changes and were more consistent across tissue types and castes than indirect genetic effects. Indirect genetic effects influenced the expression of many loci but were generally restricted to the abdominal tissues. Further, indirect genetic effects were only detected when the genotypic composition of social partners differed throughout the development and adult life of focal workers, and were often only significant with relatively lenient statistical cutoffs. Our study provides insight into direct and indirect genetic effects of a social supergene on gene regulatory dynamics across tissues and castes in a complex society.
03 Nov 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
03 Nov 2022Submitted to Molecular Ecology
03 Nov 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
08 Dec 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
15 Dec 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
15 Dec 20221st Revision Received
16 Dec 2022Editorial Decision: Accept