{"677470":{"#nid":"677470","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Genome Sequencing Could Unlock Answers to Yellow Jacket Behavior ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe most recognizable yellow jacket at Georgia Tech is made of fabric and foam, but Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.goodismanlab.biology.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EMike Goodisman\u003C\/a\u003E and a team of researchers revealed a far more complex cellular structure by successfully sequencing the genome of two local species of yellow jacket wasps \u2014 \u003Cem\u003EVespula squamosa\u003C\/em\u003E (the southern yellow jacket) and \u003Cem\u003EVespula maculifrons\u003C\/em\u003E (the eastern yellow jacket).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHaving the genome sequences of yellow jacket wasps expands biologists\u0027 understanding of the behaviors and evolution of social insects, including the intricacies of the caste system made up of queens, males, and workers.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The genome is fundamental for a lot of questions that we ask,\u0022 Goodisman said. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/aesa\/advance-article\/doi\/10.1093\/aesa\/saae023\/7823582\u0022\u003Epublished in \u003Cem\u003EAnnals of the Entomological Society of America\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, identifies rates of gene evolution among the different species, which Goodisman says could offer explanations for the various roles each wasp plays in their colonies as well as their ability to adapt and thrive in different environments. Variations in the genomes will also help scientists dissect the interactions between the two local species.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESouthern and eastern yellow jacket queens produce all caste members in the colony, and while mated queens from both species hibernate in the winter following the decline of their colonies, \u003Cem\u003EV. squamosa\u003C\/em\u003E will stay in hibernation slightly longer. Southern queens then actively seek out established eastern yellow jacket nests, kill the resident queen, and take over her colony. Goodisman and his research team hope the genome provides insight into the southern queens\u2019 parasitic behavior.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe typical colony will survive six to eight months, but in certain climates, colonies can outlast the winter months to become \u0022supercolonies.\u0022 These larger colonies take on multiple queens as they grow to the size of a couch or a car. Goodisman\u0027s team will use the genome to look for clues as to how these supercolonies thrive for multiple years and how natural selection operates in the two species.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThroughout the study, Goodisman relied on the Georgia Tech community\u0027s shared interest in the social insect to gather the necessary samples. Through ads in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/whistle\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EThe Whistle\u003C\/a\u003E and other campus publications, he collected yellow jacket wasps\u2019 nests from faculty, staff, and alumni, in addition to samples from around the region. DNA was extracted from individual wasp samples and then sent to the University of Georgia for DNA sequencing. The resulting genomes, which are about 200 million base pairs in length, were then jointly analyzed by scientists at Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen you get the data back, you get these long sequences of the building blocks of DNA. Part of the game is putting that together like a puzzle, and then we analyze the sequence to figure out what it means,\u201d he said.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith the genome sequenced, the team can then compare the local species to each other and all species of yellow jacket wasps worldwide. Unlike honeybees, yellow jacket wasps are not considered significant pollinators, but because their diet consists of insects and carrion, Goodisman explains that understanding their place in the ecosystems they inhabit is equally important.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe is enthused to be on a campus that shares his interest in the group of social insects known as Hymenoptera. That interest led him to study insects like fruit flies at Cornell University and fire ants at the University of Georgia before beginning his postdoctoral research on other members of the Hymenoptera order.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, when discussing his research with members of the Georgia Tech community, he finds himself answering one question more than any other. His response is always the same. \u0022Because of the stinger, Buzz is anatomically female.\u0022\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd while he can\u0027t definitively say which species of yellow jacket the mascot would be, Goodisman said Buzz\u0027s feisty nature would lean toward the more aggressive and charismatic southern yellow jacket, \u003Cem\u003EV. squamosa\u003C\/em\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"A Georgia Tech professor and his team are cracking the code on the Institute\u0027s most recognizable social insect. "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA Georgia Tech professor and his team are cracking the code on the Institute\u0027s most recognizable social insect.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A Georgia Tech professor and his team are cracking the code on the Institute\u0027s most recognizable social insect. "}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2024-10-16 14:31:34","changed_gmt":"2024-10-16 14:53:00","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-10-16T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-10-16T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675286":{"id":"675286","type":"image","title":"Vespula maculifrons queen, gyne, and males. ","body":"\u003Cp\u003EPhoto courtesy of Goodisman Research Group.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1728593899","gmt_created":"2024-10-10 20:58:19","changed":"1728593899","gmt_changed":"2024-10-10 20:58:19","alt":"Vespula maculifrons queen, gyne, and males. ","file":{"fid":"258893","name":"Vmac-queen-gyne-and-males-in-nest.LG_-1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/10\/10\/Vmac-queen-gyne-and-males-in-nest.LG_-1_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/10\/10\/Vmac-queen-gyne-and-males-in-nest.LG_-1_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":174335,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/10\/10\/Vmac-queen-gyne-and-males-in-nest.LG_-1_0.jpg?itok=-cyqUHdn"}}},"media_ids":["675286"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/aesa\/advance-article\/doi\/10.1093\/aesa\/saae023\/7823582","title":" Genomic analyses of the southern and eastern yellowjacket wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) reveal evolutionary signatures of social life "},{"url":"https:\/\/www.goodismanlab.biology.gatech.edu\/","title":"Goodisman Lab"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2223","name":"yellow jackets"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:Steven.gagliano@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano\u003C\/a\u003E - Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Steven.gagliano@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}