Mother knows best: reproductive regulation of caste ratio in a social hemipteran

Abstract

This study presents a novel strategy for regulating caste ratio via maternal reproduction in a parthenogenetic social aphid, Pseudoregma bambucicola. Most mothers in the colony produce only soldiers or normal nymphs, whereas a small proportion of mothers can produce both castes. Changes in the expression of key genes, including those related to reproduction, fertility, and chemical communication, may be responsible for the differentiation in maternal reproduction and caste development.

Keywords: eusociality; maternal regulation; reproductive differentiation; social insect; transcriptome.