The chromosome-level genome provides insights into the evolution and adaptation of extreme aggression

Abstract

Extremely aggressive behavior, as the special pattern, is rare in most species and characteristic as contestants severely injured or killed ending the combat. Current studies of extreme aggression are mainly from the perspectives of behavioral ecology and evolution, while lacked the aspects of molecular evolutionary biology. Here, a high-quality chromosome-level genome of the parasitoid Anastatus disparis was provided, which the males exhibit extreme mate-competition aggression. The integrated multiomics analysis highlighted that neurotransmitter dopamine overexpression, energy metabolism (especially from lipid) and antibacterial activity are likely major aspects of evolutionary formation and adaptation for extreme aggression in A. disparis. Conclusively, our study provided new perspectives for molecular evolutionary studies of extreme aggression as well as a valuable genomic resource in Hymenoptera.