Multivalent Myteries: How Termite Chromosome Chains Shape Evolution

  • Termites challenge long-standing assumptions about insect social evolution. One important difference compared to the social ants, bees and wasps lies in their chromosomes: termites are diploid, with X/Y sex differentiation observed in most species and males playing active roles across all castes and life stages. Adding to their uniqueness, termites exhibit multivalent chromosome chains during male meiosis—an intriguing and seldom seen feature of eukaryote evolution. These chains, in addition to other chromosomal formations, such as bivalent rings and rods, may serve to suppress recombination, thereby mitigating against the potentially harmful effects of inbreeding. Again, this positions termites as an important contrasting study system to other social insect groups, where recombination rates tend to be elevated. Multivalent chromosome chains may also play a significant role in speciation processes by increasing the likelihood of chromosomal translocations and promotingTermites challenge long-standing assumptions about insect social evolution. One important difference compared to the social ants, bees and wasps lies in their chromosomes: termites are diploid, with X/Y sex differentiation observed in most species and males playing active roles across all castes and life stages. Adding to their uniqueness, termites exhibit multivalent chromosome chains during male meiosis—an intriguing and seldom seen feature of eukaryote evolution. These chains, in addition to other chromosomal formations, such as bivalent rings and rods, may serve to suppress recombination, thereby mitigating against the potentially harmful effects of inbreeding. Again, this positions termites as an important contrasting study system to other social insect groups, where recombination rates tend to be elevated. Multivalent chromosome chains may also play a significant role in speciation processes by increasing the likelihood of chromosomal translocations and promoting genomic islands of divergence. In European Reticulitermes, variability in chain length and stability both between and within species provides a compelling model system for studying the evolutionary importance of multivalent chromosome chains at intra- and interspecific levels and at different evolutionary time scales. To investigate these dynamics, we collected over 200 colonies of Reticulitermes species across the Mediterranean, generating de novo reference genomes, comprehensive population genomic as well as karyotypic data from three recently diverged species. Our findings shed light on the intricate relationship between chromosomal architecture and evolutionary mechanisms in termites, offering new insight into how genome structure shapes species evolution.zeige mehrzeige weniger

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Autor*innen:Mara Jean JulsethORCiD
Koautor*innen:Moora R., Julian Nico Thiem, Yvonne de Laval, Ann Kathrin HuylmansORCiD, Dino McMahonORCiD
Dokumenttyp:Posterpräsentation
Veröffentlichungsform:Präsentation
Sprache:Englisch
Jahr der Erstveröffentlichung:2025
Organisationseinheit der BAM:4 Material und Umwelt
4 Material und Umwelt / 4.3 Molekulare und angewandte Entomologie
DDC-Klassifikation:Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / Ingenieurwissenschaften / Sanitär- und Kommunaltechnik; Umwelttechnik
Freie Schlagwörter:Chromosome evolution; Termites
Themenfelder/Aktivitätsfelder der BAM:Umwelt
Umwelt / Umwelt-Material-Interaktionen
Veranstaltung:ESEB 2025 Congress
Veranstaltungsort:Barcelona, Spain
Beginndatum der Veranstaltung:17.08.2025
Verfügbarkeit des Dokuments:Datei im Netzwerk der BAM verfügbar ("Closed Access")
Datum der Freischaltung:09.12.2025
Referierte Publikation:Nein
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