Dryad
Published February 16, 2016 | Version v1
Dataset Open

Data from: The genomes of two key bumblebee species with primitive eusocial organisation

Creators

  • 1. Illinois State University
  • 2. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich
  • 3. Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  • 4. Ghent University
  • 5. University of Otago
  • 6. University of Missouri
  • 7. Arizona State University
  • 8. University of Copenhagen
  • 9. University of Hohenheim
  • 10. University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
  • 11. University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
  • 12. Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
  • 13. University of Geneva
  • 14. Westfalian Wilhelms University, Institute of Evolution and Biodiversity, Muenster, Germany*
  • 15. Georgetown University
  • 16. Centre for Genomic Regulation
  • 17. University of Greifswald
  • 18. National Center for Biotechnology Information
  • 19. University of East Anglia
  • 20. Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
  • 21. University of Sao Paulo
  • 22. Edinburgh Genomics
  • 23. University College London
  • 24. National University of Ireland, Maynooth
  • 25. University of Bristol
  • 26. Land and Water
  • 27. Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Dublin, Ireland*
  • 28. Zoological Society of London
  • 29. United States Department of Agriculture
  • 30. North Carolina State University
  • 31. Federal Institute of São Paulo
  • 32. The Ohio State University
  • 33. Oxford Brookes University
  • 34. Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
  • 35. University of Southampton
  • 36. University of Leicester
  • 37. Federal University of São Carlos
  • 38. Sao Paulo State University
  • 39. University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  • 40. National Centre of Scientific Research Demokritos
  • 41. Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
  • 42. Baylor College of Medicine
  • 43. Molecular Genetic Technology Program, School of Health Professions, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA*
  • 44. University of Chicago
  • 45. Johns Hopkins University
  • 46. Guangzhou University

Description

Background: The shift from solitary to social behavior is one of the major evolutionary transitions. Primitively eusocial bumblebees are uniquely placed to illuminate the evolution of highly eusocial insect societies. Bumblebees are also invaluable natural and agricultural pollinators, and there is widespread concern over recent population declines in some species. High-quality genomic data will inform key aspects of bumblebee biology, including susceptibility to implicated population viability threats. Results: We report the high quality draft genome sequences of Bombus terrestris and Bombus impatiens, two ecologically dominant bumblebees and widely utilized study species. Comparing these new genomes to those of the highly eusocial honeybee Apis mellifera and other Hymenoptera, we identify deeply conserved similarities, as well as novelties key to the biology of these organisms. Some honeybee genome features thought to underpin advanced eusociality are also present in bumblebees, indicating an earlier evolution in the bee lineage. Xenobiotic detoxification and immune genes are similarly depauperate in bumblebees and honeybees, and multiple categories of genes linked to social organization, including development and behavior, show high conservation. Key differences identified include a bias in bumblebee chemoreception towards gustation from olfaction, and striking differences in microRNAs, potentially responsible for gene regulation underlying social and other traits. Conclusions: These two bumblebee genomes provide a foundation for post-genomic research on these key pollinators and insect societies. Overall, gene repertoires suggest that the route to advanced eusociality in bees was mediated by many small changes in many genes and processes, and not by notable expansion or depauperation.

Notes

RAD tag (SgrAI) derived SNPs from Bombus impatiens
RAD tag (SgrAI) derived SNPs from Bombus impatiens from Sadd et al. (2015) "The genomes of two key bumblebee species with primitive eusocial organisation"
Filtered_Bombus_imp_AEgenome.vcf

Files

README_for_Filtered_Bombus_imp_AEgenome.txt

Files (4.4 MB)

Name Size Download all
md5:9bc9e78e537c3015bb2116ce2277e4f9
4.4 MB Download
md5:a00413df900668e8b2322e7e9a43962d
2.4 kB Preview Download

Additional details

Related works

Is cited by
10.1186/s13059-015-0623-3 (DOI)