- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The research appears in the February edition of the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
The fossil, from the Cretaceous geological period and now part of the American Museum of Natural History collection, “was an extremely cool find,” said Boudinot, who is researching evolutionary and comparative anatomy in Jena under a two-year Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship. He received his UC Davis doctorate in entomology in 2020.
Boudinot, the lead researcher and corresponding author of the paper, describes the fossil as a “relatively large piece of Kachin amber containing three wingless adult female ants plus a wingless pupa.”
“The key points are that there is a remarkable diversity of evolutionarily intermediate or ‘missing link' ants in the Cretaceous fossil record, and folks have basically assumed that they were eusocial because wingless females—presumptive workers—had been found,” Boudinot said. “The fossil we discovered cuts through the uncertainty because of the pupa; this is the first ever pupa found from Mesozoic fossils, and we confirmed through the use of cutting-edge technology (µ-CT) that it is from the same species as one of the adults. Because pupae are immobile, it is reasonable that she was dropped during transportation by the adult wingless female.”
“Importantly, the transport of larvae and pupae--termed “brood transport”--is a unique feature of ants among all Hymenoptera, and is a critical social behavior,“ Boudinot said. “This fossil is the first evidence of nursing by wingless females, very strongly indicating that advanced social organization had evolved before the origin of the modern ants in the Early Cretaceous.”
“Taken altogether, this fossil opens a totally new pathway for the study of arthropod evolution: Paleoanatomy and paleosociobiology. There is far more to learn from fossils than previously realized!”
The focal amber piece originated from a deposit in theHukawng Valley,Kachin State, northern Myanmar, dated near the Albian–Cenomanian boundary.
Co-authors are Adrian Richter and Rolf Georg Beutel, Friedrich Schiller University Jena; Julian Katzke, Roberto Keller and Evan Economo, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Japan; Júlio C M Chaul, Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil; and Shûhei Yamamoto of Hokkaido University Museum, Hokkaido University.
Yamamoto discovered the fossil, Richter and Katzke generated and rendered the µ-CT data, and Beutel, Chaul and Economo were integral for shaping the conclusions, Boudinot said. “The study also represents a breakthrough in the application of µ-CT technology for taxonomy, as we were able to make very precise comparisons among the fossilized individuals, allowing me to revise the classification of the genus †Gerontoformica.”
Globally, there are more than 14,000 described species of ants, Boudinot says "As a community, we usually throw around the figure 20,000 as our rough total estimate for three reasons: (1) there is an incredible diversity of ants in tropical ecosystems that have yet to be formally named, (2) modern sequencing technology is allowing us to gain deep insights into the population structure and relationships of living species, thus revealing considerable hidden species-level diversity, and (3) there are over a thousand subspecies names in the ant literature which need to be re-evaluated as these could actually represent proper species. There is a ton of work to do, and Phil Ward and folk are making tremendous progress!"
Regarding extinct species, Boudinot says here are "almost as many fossil ants described as non-avian dinosaurs! As of today, the number stands at about 746 fossil species; of these, only about 50 are described from Mesozoic fossil deposits. This small fraction is critical, however, as they are the key to understanding the patterns of early evolution in the ants!"
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Her seminar, from 4:10 to 5 p.m., will be hosted by Marshall McMunn of the Phil Ward ant lab. Access the seminar through this Zoom link.
"Symbiotic interactions shape animal evolution and govern patterns of biodiversity," Ramalho writes in her abstract. "Using ants as a study model, my research focuses on unraveling the role of host ecology, diet, behavior, stage of development, and phylogeny on symbiotic interactions."
Ramalho, a cell and molecular biologist from Brazil, joined the Moreau lab in January 2019. She holds three degrees from Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP): a bachelor's degree (2010), master's degree (2013) and doctorate (2017). Her doctoral thesis: "Ants' Microbiome with Emphasis in Camponotini (Hymenoptera, Formicidae."
Experienced in the areas of microbiome, genetics, genomics, and more specifically molecular biology, Ramalho focuses her research on "understanding the mechanisms that impact microbial communities, unraveling the role of ecology, diet, behavior, stage of development, and also phylogeny of the host in these symbiotic interactions," she writes on her website. "To better understand these mechanisms, I use ants as a study model. In several ant genera, symbiotic interactions with microbial communities have been shown to have profound impacts on the host. But more than that, ants can be found across the globe and have an immense diversity of behaviors and ecology. Also, ants are fascinating."
"In addition to focusing on studying the microbiome of ants, I also advocate for a more diverse and inclusive scientific community," she relates. "Quality science is done with a diverse group of scientists with different backgrounds. Being an ally of women in science and parents in science, and others underrepresented groups that seek inclusion in science and scientific dissemination, is a passion that I am very proud and pleased to be part of. I believe that the world can be a better place with science, and with all that power, science should be for EVERYONE."
Ramalho co-authored "Attractivity or Repellence: Relation Between the Endophytic Fungi of Acalypha, Colocasia and the Leaf-Cutting Ants--Atta sexdens," published in April 2021 in Advances in Entomology.
Other recent publications include:
Ramalho, M.O., Kim, Z.; Wang, S.; Moreau, C. S.: "Wolbachia across Social Insects: Patterns and Implications." Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saaa053
Ramalho, M.O.; Moreau, C.S.: "The Evolution and Biogeography of Wolbachia in Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Diversity, 12, 426. 2020.
https://doi.org/10.3390/d12110426
Caruzo, M.B.R.; Ramalho, M.O.; Philipp, J.; Bragagnolo, C.: "Maternity, Science, and Pandemic: an Urgent Call for Action!" Hoehnea, 47: e812020. 2020.
https://doi.org/10.1590/2236-8906-81/2020
Cooperative Extension specialist Ian Grettenberger coordinates the spring seminars, which take place every Wednesday at 4:10 p.m. He may be reached at imgrettenberger@ucdavis.edu for any technical issues.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The web page, Live Talks and Demonstrations, provides more information and the Zoom links. All presentations are free and family friendly.
Here's what's on tap from Feb. 13 through Feb. 24:
Saturday, Feb. 13, 10 a.m. to noon:
Live Demonstration: Museum Bird Preparation
Irene Engilis collections manager of the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, and a team of students and staff will show how to prepare a dead bird as a scientifically valuable museum specimen. They will answer questions about the process and how they study birds both in the museum and in the wild.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Saturday, Feb. 13, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Live Talk: All About Yeasts
This will include a 20 minute pre-recorded presentation from 10 a.m. to 10:20, followed by a live question-and-answer session. Emeritus Professor Marc-André Lachance, recently retired from Western University in Ontario, Canada and a UC Davis alumnus, will talk about his global yeast-collecting expeditions.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Saturday, Feb. 13, 11 a.m. to noon
Live Talk and Questions and Answers: All About Ants
Doctoral students Jill Oberski and Ziv Lieberman of the Phil Ward lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will discuss ants and host a question-and-answer session, followed by a 15-minute talk by doctoral student Zach Griebenow about his research on ant evolution.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Saturday, Feb. 13, Noon to 2 p.m.
Live Demonstration: Museum Bird Preparation by Irene Engilis collections manager of the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, and a team of students and staff will show how to prepare a dead bird as a scientifically valuable museum specimen. They will answer questions about the process and how they study birds both in the museum and in the wild.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Saturday, Feb. 13, 1 to 2 p.m.
Live Talk: Raptor Diversity
Julie Cotton, education director of the California Raptor Center, will answer questions and discuss birds of prey, wildlife rehabilitation and the diversity of raptors.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Saturday, Feb. 13, 2 to 4 p.m.
Live Talks: Anthropology and Ask an Anthropologist
- Faculty and staff from the Department of Anthropology will present a series of talks. Questions are encouraged throughout the event, and there will also be a special time at the end to "Ask An Anthropologist."
- 2 to 2:15: "Animal Ecology in Precontact California"--Jelmer Eerkens
- 2:15 to 2:30: "Gorillas, Poop, and Nematodes--Neetha Iyer
- 2:30 to 2:45: "Reconstructing Human Evolution: A 3-D Jigsaw Puzzle--Mayowa Adegboyega,
- 2:45 to 3 p.m: "Paleolithic Stone Tool Technology at Nihewan Basin, P.R. China"--Corey Johnson
- 3 to 3:15 p.m. "Zoonotic Disease and Andean Camelid Domestication"--Kathy Morucci https://www.youtube.com/watch/Q4076iRb9tk
- 3:15 to 3:30: Netting Dovekies in NW Greenland--Erika Ebel
- 3:30 to 3:45, "Spirits of the Animals: Precontact and Contemporary Inuit Art"-- Christyann Darwent
- 3:45-4:00 p.m. Ask an Anthropologist
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Monday, Feb. 15, noon to 1 p.m.
Live Talk: All About Heliconius Butterflies (Repeat by popular demand)
UC Davis postdoctoral fellow Kathy Darragh will deliver her second live talk on Heliconius butterflies, answering questions about these tropical butterflies. She earlier presented a talk on Feb. 7. Click here for the presentation in Spanish. She holds a bachelor's degree in zoology and a doctorate from the University of Cambridge (England). During her Ph.D. she studied in the lab of Chris Jiggins, investigating the pheromones of Heliconius butterflies, focusing on chemical ecology, behavior and genetics.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Thursday, Feb. 18, 1 to 2 p.m.
Live Talk: 'Murder Hornets' with Lynn Kimsey
Professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, will discuss Asian giant hornets (Vespa mandarinia), recently discovered in Canada and Washington State. The news media has nicknamed them "murder hornets." Says Kimsey: "l will focus on the biology of common pest paper wasps, like western yellowjacket, European paper wasp and the bald-faced hornet and of course, true hornets and whether they're a threat to California."
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Saturday, Feb. 20, 11 a.m. to noon
Live Talk, Questions and Answers: All About Ants, Part II
Entomology professor Phil Ward will host a fun and lively question-and-answer session, "All About Ants," based on his many years collecting and studying ants from around the world.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Tuesday, Feb. 23, 12:15 to 12:45
Live Talk: All About Bees and Gardens
This will be a live question-and-answer session with Christine Casey, manager of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. She will discuss what's blooming in the Davis garden and what bees are active.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 1 to 2 p.m. (postponed)
Live Talk: Botanical Conservatory in Spanish
Ernesto Sandoval, collections manager will spotlight the Botanical Conservatory. He earlier presented a program in English.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
About UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Month
The 10th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Month program is all virtual this year via live talks and demonstrations, and pre-recorded presentations. It's being celebrated throughout the month of February. The science-based event traditionally occurs on only one day--the Saturday of Presidents' Weekend, when families and friends gather on campus to learn first-hand about the UC Davis museums and collections. The 2020 event drew more than 4000 to the campus.
This year's biodiversity event is featuring 12 museums or collections:
- Anthropology Museum
- Arboretum and Public Garden
- Bohart Museum of Entomology
- Botanical Conservatory
- California Raptor Center
- Center for Plant Diversity
- Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven
- Nematode Collection
- Marine Invertebrate Collection
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology
- Paleontology Collection
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection
For more information and the schedule, access these two formats on the UC Davis Biodiversity program website: (1) live talks and demonstrations and (2) pre-recorded talks and activities. Information on the biodiversity museum events also appear on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, @BioDivDay.
To help support the Biodiversity Museum event, contributions are being accepted through a month-long crowdfunding campaign program at https://crowdfund.ucdavis.edu/project/24310.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
That's just some of the information to be showcased at the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Month program on Saturday, Feb. 13 from 11 a.m. to noon when three doctoral students in the Phil Ward lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, take the helm. Oberski, a fourth-year doctoral student, and Ziv Lieberman, a first-year doctoral student, will talk about the diversity of ants and field questions, followed by doctoral candidate Zach Griebenow's presentation on his research.
Then on Saturday, Feb. 20, from 11 a.m. to noon, Professor Phil Ward will host "All About Ants," billed as a "fun and lively question and answer session." The programs are free and family friendly. See http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html for the Zoom links.
Zach Griebenow
Griebenow grew up in rural Kentucky and received his bachelor's degree in entomology in 2017 from The Ohio State University, undertaking undergraduate research with distinction on species boundaries in the Puerto Rican fauna of the subterranean termite Heterotermes (Griebenow et al. 2017).
"As so everyone in the Ward lab, I study how different groups of ants are related to one another, and why they look and behave the way that they do," he said. "Specifically I study an obscure group called the Leptanillinae, which have no common name. As ants go, they are strange, and we know very little about them. So far, I have confidently teased out the major evolutionary relationships among leptanilline ants (Griebenow 2020; Griebenow, in press), but there is a lot more work to be done, particularly in comprehending the often bizarre structural modifications seen in the male Leptanillinae (legs that look like toothbrushes, etc.)."
Ziv Lieberman
Lieberman, born and raised in California, studied at the College of Marin before transferring to UC Davis to major in evolution, ecology and biodiversity, with a minor in insect evolution and ecology. "Prior to UC Davis, I spent several years working abroad for the California Academy of Science documenting historical ant specimens," Lieberman said. "At the end of my undergrad, I published my first paper, a revision of the poorly-understood (and very cute) African species of the ant genus Discothyrea."
In the Ward lab, Lieberman studies "ant evolution, specifically focusing on connecting evolutionary relationships (the ant 'family tree') with anatomy, using a combination of next-generation imaging techniques and large-scale genetic analyses. In particular, I am interested in describing and comparing internal anatomical features which are usually ignored, and understanding how these traits contribute to biodiversity."
Jill Oberski
Oberski grew up in Minnesota. "I was fascinated by insects from a very young age," she said. "I attended Macalester College, spent a few confused years on a pre-med track, and ultimately discovered a career in entomology was feasible and worth pursuing. This has led me to Phil Ward's ant systematics lab at UC Davis, where I'm now a PhD candidate."
"My research centers on the ant genus Dorymyrmex, which is commonly found all over the Americas," Oberski said. "Even though they're extremely common (Davis itself is home to two species!), we have no idea how many species there really are. In addition to discovering and naming these species, I'm really interested in biogeography and ancient history: Where did Dorymyrmex originate? How are the North American species related to the South American species? And how did they disperse before the isthmus of Panama was connected?"
Professor Ward teaches California insect diversity, insect taxonomy and field ecology, and introductory biology (the tree of life). His research interests include systematics, biogeography and evolution of ants; ant-plant mutualisms; phylogeny and speciation. He holds a bachelor of science degree in biology from Queens University, Canada (1973) and a doctorate in zoology from the University of Sydney, Australia (1979).
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 10th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum program is all virtual this year via webinars and pre-recorded presentations, and takes place throughout the month of February. The science-based event traditionally occurs on only one day--the Saturday of Presidents' Weekend, when families and friends gather on campus to learn first-hand about the UC Davis museums and collections.
This year's biodiversity event is showcasing 12 museums or collections:
- Anthropology Museum
- Arboretum and Public Garden
- Bohart Museum of Entomology
- Botanical Conservatory
- California Raptor Center
- Center for Plant Diversity
- Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven
- Nematode Collection
- Marine Invertebrate Collection
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology
- Paleontology Collection
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection
For more information and the schedule, access these two formats on the UC Davis Biodiversity program website: (1) live talks and demonstrations and (2) pre-recorded talks and activities. Information on the biodiversity museum events also appear on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, @BioDivDay.
To help support the Biodiversity Museum event, contributions are being accepted through a month-long crowdfunding campaign program at https://crowdfund.ucdavis.edu/project/24310.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Moreau is the Moser Professor of Biosystematics and Biodiversity, Departments of Entomology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. and the curator of the Cornell University Insect Collection.
"Moreau and colleagues were the first to establish the origin of the ants at 140 million years ago using molecular sequence data (40 million years older than previous estimates), and that the diversification of the ants coincided with the rise of the flowering plants (angiosperms)," according to an entry in Wikipedia. "In addition, Moreau and Charles D. Bell showed that the tropics have been and continue to be important for the evolution of the ants. Moreau and colleagues have demonstrated the importance of gut-associated bacteria in the evolutionary and ecological success of ants through targeted bacterial and microbiome sequencing, including showing that bacterial gut symbionts are tightly linked with the evolution of herbivory in ants."
Her honors are many. In 2018 she was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Also in 2018, she was featured in National Geographic as a "Woman of Impact." In 2015, she was included in "15 Brilliant Women Bridging the Gender Gap in Science."
A native of New Orleans, Moreau holds degrees (bachelor and master's) from San Francisco State University and a doctorate in biology from Harvard University (2007). At Harvard, she studied with major professors E. O. Wilson and Naomi Pierce. Wilson featured her in his 2013 book, Letter to a Young Scientist.
"There was no bravado in Corrie, no trace of overweening pride, no pretension," Wilson wrote. "The story of Corrie Saux Moreau's ambitious undertaking is one I feel especially important to bring to you. It suggests that courage in science born of self-confidence (without arrogance!), a willingness to take a risk but with resilience, a lack of fear of authority, a set of mind that prepares you to take a new direction if thwarted, are of great value – win or lose."
Moreau will cover diverse topics in her talk. "To fully understand the macro evolutionary factors that have promoted the diversification and persistence of biological diversity, varied tools and disciplines must be integrated," she says in her abstract. "By combining data from several fields, including molecular phylogenetics/phylogenomics, comparative genomics, biogeographic range reconstruction, stable isotyope analyses, and microbial community sequencing to study the evolutionary history of the insects, we are beginning to understand the drivers of speciation and the interconnectedness of life. Comparative phylogenetic analysis reveals the interconnectedness of ants and plants and that ants diversified after the rise of the angiosperms. Comparative genomics has permitted the exploration of the role of symbiosis on genome evolution and behavioral gene evolution demonstrating that Red Queen dynamics are at play in obligate mutualisms..."
"Microbial contributions to ants are not limited to diet enrichment," she says, "and we find evidence for their role in cuticle formation. These multiple lines of evidence are illuminating a more complete picture of ant evolution and providing novel insights into the role that symbiosis plays to promote biological diversity."
UC Davis graduate student Marshall McMunn of the Phil Ward lab is the host. Community ecologist Rachel Vannette, assistant professor (rlvannette@ucdavis.edu), coordinates the weekly seminars. See seminar schedule.