Social evolution. Genomic signatures of evolutionary transitions from solitary to group living.

Science
Authors
Keywords
Abstract

The evolution of eusociality is one of the major transitions in evolution, but the underlying genomic changes are unknown. We compared the genomes of 10 bee species that vary in social complexity, representing multiple independent transitions in social evolution, and report three major findings. First, many important genes show evidence of neutral evolution as a consequence of relaxed selection with increasing social complexity. Second, there is no single road map to eusociality; independent evolutionary transitions in sociality have independent genetic underpinnings. Third, though clearly independent in detail, these transitions do have similar general features, including an increase in constrained protein evolution accompanied by increases in the potential for gene regulation and decreases in diversity and abundance of transposable elements. Eusociality may arise through different mechanisms each time, but would likely always involve an increase in the complexity of gene networks.

Year of Publication
2015
Journal
Science
Volume
348
Issue
6239
Pages
1139-43
Date Published
2015 Jun 05
ISSN
1095-9203
URL
DOI
10.1126/science.aaa4788
PubMed ID
25977371
Links
Grant list
DP1 OD006416 / OD / NIH HHS / United States
Howard Hughes Medical Institute / United States