Breaking trait scaling via the evolution and regulation of dimorphic decoupling in ants.

Authors

Erica Vong, Shannon Parisien, Hélène Orfali, Rajendhran Rajakumar

Published in

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Volume 123. Issue 41. Pages e2612172123. Oct 13, 2026. Epub Oct 06, 2026.

Abstract

The evolution of allometry, changing how morphological traits scale to body size, has fueled adaptive radiations. In ants, allometry has facilitated the repeated evolution of a worker-soldier caste system. Here, we reveal an unexpected morphological pattern and its superorganismal regulation within the hyperdiverse genus Pheidole. We uncovered that antennal sizing between the small worker and the big soldier is identical, lacking intercaste scaling (antennae-body scaling is decoupled) yet retaining intracaste scaling. Furthermore, we have pinpointed the evolutionary origin of this decoupling. Finally, manipulations of social environment, developmental hormones, and interorgan signaling influence the modularity-integration of trait-body covariation, uncovering head-to-body decoupling and the production of novel nanoworkers and nanosoldiers. Collectively, this challenges our previous understandings of trait covariation, modularity, and their regulation, from individual to society and across species.

PMID:
42837464
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 07 Oct 2026.

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