BRAIN GENE EXPRESSION MIRRORS THE COMPLEXITY AND PLASTICITY OF SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT IN FIRE ANT QUEENS

In this study we compared the neurogenomic states of fire ant queens that founded a new colony in group vs. queens that founded alone. We found that grouped queens significantly differ from isolated queens for the structure of gene networks and the patterns of gene expression in their brains. Furthermore, we show that founding in large groups, a more cognitively demanding social environment, is associated with larger changes in brain gene expression.