ASU SoLS Faculty: Gro Amdam

Evolution and regulation of social life-histories

My research group uses the advanced eusocial honey bee as a model system to study the origins of social life-histories. We want to understand how integration of genetic, physiological and environmental factors that pace life-cycle progression in solitary organisms are adopted and altered to give rise to social life-styles.

Our current work focuses on regulation of social behavior and longevity in castes of primary reproductives (queens) and non-reproductive helpers (workers). We study the roles of TOR (target of rapamycin) and insulin/insulin-like signaling, which are conserved and central control-pathways for nutrient-, energy-, and growth factor responses. These signaling systems have pleiotropic effects as regulators of solitary life-history traits, including reproduction and lifespan. Our findings suggest they were targets for natural selection during honey bee social evolution; that as a result, their conserved action has in part been changed; and that they currently act to control central aspects of reproductive caste differentiation, social behavior, and plasticity in aging.

My group extends to the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, where I am Associate Professor-II. At the University of Life Sciences , we study aging processes that are affected by the social environment of the honey bee. Our current emphasis is on plasticity of physiological, structural and cognitive senescence in the brain.

Selected Publications

Hunt, J.H., Kensinger, B.J., Kossuth, J.A., Henshaw, M.T., Norberg, K., Wolschin, F., and Amdam G.V. (2007) A diapause pathway underlies the gyne phenotype in Polistes wasps, revealing an evolutionary route to caste-containing insect societies. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104,14020-14025

Patel, A., Fondrk, K.F., Kaftanoglu O., Emore, C., Hunt, G. Frederick, K. and Amdam, G.A. (2007) The making of a queen: TOR pathway is a key player in diphenic caste development. PLoS ONE 6, e509

Nelson C.M., Ihle K.E., Fondrk, K.M., Page, R.E. and Amdam, G.V. (2007) The gene vitellogenin has multiple coordinating effects on social organization. PLoS Biology 5, 673-677

The Honeybee Genome Sequencing Consortium (2006) Insights into social insects from the genome of the honey bee Apis mellifera. Nature 443, 931-949

Seehuus, S.-C., Norberg, K., Gimsa, U., Krekling, T. and Amdam, G.V. (2006) Reproductive protein protects sterile honey bee workers from oxidative stress. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103, 962-967

Amdam, G.V., Csondes, A., Fondrk, M.K. and Page, R.E. (2006) Complex social behaviour derived from maternal reproductive traits. Nature 439, 76-78

Hunt, H.J. and Amdam, G.V. (2005) Bivoltinism as an antecedent to eusociality in the paper wasp genus Polistes. Science 308, 264-267

Amdam, G.V., Norberg, K., Fondrk, M.K. and Page, R.E. (2004) Reproductive ground plan may mediate colony-level selection effects on individual foraging behavior in honey bees. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101, 11350-11355

Amdam, G.V., Norberg, K., Hagen, A. and Omholt, S.W. (2003) Social exploitation of vitellogenin. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100, 1799-1802