Prediction of social structure and genetic relatedness in colonies of the facultative polygynous stingless bee Melipona bicolor (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

Reis, Evelyze Pinheiro dos; Campos, Lúcio Antônio de Oliveira; Tavares, Mara Garcia

doi:10.1590/s1415-47572011005000008

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(67 reference statements)

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“…The willingness of stingless bees eventually to accept unrelated queens helps explain why some species are susceptible to infiltration by unrelated, foreign queens (Reis et al 2011;Wenseleers et al 2011;van Oystaeyen et al 2013;Jaffé et al 2014), and even the queens of other stingless bee species (Cunningham et al 2014). However, in this latter situation, it differs from queen parasitism in Melipona, since colonies are taken by force and many adult workers are killed and only callow workers and brood are enslaved and accept the incoming queen (Cunningham et al 2014).…”

Section: E) Relatednessmentioning

confidence: 99%

The queens of the stingless bees: from egg to adult

et al. 2023

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Queens play an essential role in the colonies of stingless bees. Typically, only one queen occurs in a colony at any time, and she dominates the egg laying. Their presence maintains colony cohesion and ensures the development and survivorship of these matriarchal societies. Yet there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of queen life cycles as compared to their daughters, the workers. In this review, we follow chronologically the life of queens from pre-emergence inside brood cells (caste determination), to their interaction with workers (queen selection) and males (sexual selection), and up to adulthood. Stingless bee queens can be determined either trophically or genetically. After emergence, the virgin queens undergo a selection process whereby many are executed by workers. The body size, pheromones, age and behaviour of virgin queens may play a role in queen selection. Queens then leave the nest on a nuptial flight during which they mate just once. After mating, queens are still susceptible to workers’ harassment. For example, if they produce diploid males they are killed by workers. Previous studies have successfully in vitro reared and mated virgin queens under laboratory conditions, which have revealed new insights of queen development time, the threshold of minimum and maximum provided food to larvae developing into queens, and lethal and sublethal effects of agrochemical substances. These new techniques have also provided new information about queen physiology. However, the daily routine of queens inside colonies demands further well-designed experiments to capture other patterns of behaviour which remain poorly understood, including their interactions with other queens, workers and even males.

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Section: E) Relatednessmentioning

confidence: 99%

The queens of the stingless bees: from egg to adult

et al. 2023

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“…Colony size may be causally related to cuticular hydrocarbon profiles through genetic diversity. Polygynous colonies are often larger (Buczkowski and Bennett, 2008;dos Reis et al, 2011;Boulay et al, 2014) and the genetic diversity associated with polygyny may result in greater CHC diversity or variation in olfactory receptors, though evidence from the ant Formica exsecta suggests that polygyny may actually reduce CHC diversity (Martin et al, 2009). It is possible that the differences between D. bicolor and D. insanus stem not only from colony size directly, but from polygyny and associated differences in colony-level genetic diversity.…”

Section: Evidence For Colony Size-driven Differences In Sensory Structuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Olfactory System Morphology Suggests Colony Size Drives Trait Evolution in Odorous Ants (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae)

et al. 2021

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In social insects colony fitness is determined in part by individual worker phenotypes. Across ant species, colony size varies greatly and is thought to affect worker trait variation in both proximate and ultimate ways. Little is known about the relationship between colony size and worker trait evolution, but hypotheses addressing the role of social structure in brain evolution suggest workers of small-colony species may have larger brains or larger brain regions necessary for complex behaviors. In previous work on odorous ants (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) we found no correlation between colony size and these brain properties, but found that relative antennal lobe size scaled negatively with colony size. Therefore, we now test whether sensory systems scale with colony size, with particular attention to olfactory components thought to be involved in nestmate recognition. Across three species of odorous ants, Forelius mccooki, Dorymyrmex insanus, and D. bicolor, which overlap in habitat and foraging ecology but vary in colony size, we compare olfactory sensory structures, comparing those thought to be involved in nestmate recognition. We use the visual system, a sensory modality not as important in social communication in ants, as a control comparison. We find that body size scaling largely explains differences in eye size, antennal length, antennal sensilla density, and total number of olfactory glomeruli across these species. However, sensilla basiconica and olfactory glomeruli in the T6 cluster of the antennal lobe, structures known to be involved in nestmate recognition, do not follow body size scaling observed for other structures. Instead, we find evidence from the closely related Dorymyrmex species that the larger colony species, D. bicolor, invests more in structures implicated in nestmate recognition. To test for functional consequences, we compare nestmate and non-nestmate interactions between these two species and find D. bicolor pairs of either type engage in more interactions than D. insaus pairs. Thus, we do not find evidence supporting a universal pattern of sensory system scaling associated with changes in colony size, but hypothesize that observed differences in the olfactory components in two closely related Dorymyrmex species are evidence of a link between colony size and sensory trait evolution.

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“…Notably, polygyny is not mandatory in M. bicolor , and the number of queens within a colony can fluctuate [ 15 ]. Additionally, workers in M. bicolor colonies may accept queens from different genetic backgrounds [ 16 ], and they may contribute to male production by laying unfertilized eggs [ 17 ]. As a result, polygynic colonies of M. bicolor exhibit greater genetic diversity and weak kinship connections [ 15 , 16 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights from Melipona bicolor hybrid genome assembly: a stingless bee genome with chromosome-level scaffold

Araujo,

Ogihara,

Martins

et al. 2024

BMC Genomics

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Background The highly eusocial stingless bees are crucial pollinators of native and agricultural ecosystems. Nevertheless, genomic studies within this bee tribe remain scarce. We present the genome assembly of the stingless bee Melipona bicolor. This bee is a remarkable exception to the typical single-queen colony structure, since in this species, multiple queens may coexist and share reproductive duties, resulting in genetically diverse colonies with weak kinship connections. As the only known genuinely polygynous bee, M. bicolor’s genome provides a valuable resource for investigating sociality beyond kin selection. Results The genome was assembled employing a hybrid approach combining short and long reads, resulting in 241 contigs spanning 259 Mb (N50 of 6.2 Mb and 97.5% complete BUSCOs). Comparative analyses shed light on some evolutionary aspects of stingless bee genomics, including multiple chromosomal rearrangements in Melipona. Additionally, we explored the evolution of venom genes in M. bicolor and other stingless bees, revealing that, apart from two genes, the conserved repertoire of venom components remains under purifying selection in this clade. Conclusion This study advances our understanding of stingless bee genomics, contributing to the conservation efforts of these vital pollinators and offering insights into the evolutionary mechanisms driving their unique adaptations.

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Prediction of social structure and genetic relatedness in colonies of the facultative polygynous stingless bee Melipona bicolor (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

Cited by 7 publications

References 49 publications

The queens of the stingless bees: from egg to adult

The queens of the stingless bees: from egg to adult

Olfactory System Morphology Suggests Colony Size Drives Trait Evolution in Odorous Ants (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae)

Insights from Melipona bicolor hybrid genome assembly: a stingless bee genome with chromosome-level scaffold

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