Males vs workers: testing the assumptions of the haploid susceptibility hypothesis in bumblebees

Ruiz-González, Mario X.; Brown, Mark J. F.

doi:10.1007/s00265-006-0192-2

Cited by 38 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…These global findings support previous studies demonstrating differences between honey bee drone and worker susceptibility to pathogens [45]–[46], [59]–[60], [71], as well as similar studies on bumble bees ( Bombus spp.) that observed no clear trend of sex-specific pathogen susceptibility differences [10]. Previous reports of a co-dependent interaction between N. apis and BQCV [46] were not replicated here with N. ceranae and BQCV.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 88%

Sex-Specific Differences in Pathogen Susceptibility in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)

et al. 2014

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Sex-related differences in susceptibility to pathogens are a common phenomenon in animals. In the eusocial Hymenoptera the two female castes, workers and queens, are diploid and males are haploid. The haploid susceptibility hypothesis predicts that haploid males are more susceptible to pathogen infections compared to females. Here we test this hypothesis using adult male (drone) and female (worker) honey bees (Apis mellifera), inoculated with the gut endoparasite Nosema ceranae and/or black queen cell virus (BQCV). These pathogens were chosen due to previously reported synergistic interactions between Nosema apis and BQCV. Our data do not support synergistic interactions between N. ceranae and BQCV and also suggest that BQCV has limited effect on both drone and worker health, regardless of the infection level. However, the data clearly show that, despite lower levels of N. ceranae spores in drones than in workers, Nosema-infected drones had both a higher mortality and a lower body mass than non-infected drones, across all treatment groups, while the mortality and body mass of worker bees were largely unaffected by N. ceranae infection, suggesting that drones are more susceptible to this pathogen than workers. In conclusion, the data reveal considerable sex-specific differences in pathogen susceptibility in honey bees and highlight the importance of ultimate measures for determining susceptibility, such as mortality and body quality, rather than mere infection levels.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 88%

Sex-Specific Differences in Pathogen Susceptibility in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)

et al. 2014

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“…This fundamental asymmetry has led to the 'haploid susceptibility hypothesis' (O'Donnell & Beshers, 2004): because of their haploidy, males are provided with less genetic variation to face new immune challenges and therefore they are more susceptible to diseases. Few empirical studies have tested this hypothesis in social hymenoptera (Baer et al, 2005;Baer & Schimd-Hempel, 2006;Gillespie, 2010;Laughton, Boots & Siva-Jothy, 2011;Retschnig et al, 2014), confirming a higher susceptibility of males under both field and laboratory conditions (but see Ruiz-González & Brown, 2006). In all these cases, however, it was not clear whether the higher susceptibility showed by males was a direct consequence of their haploid condition (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Testing male immunocompetence in two hymenopterans with different levels of social organization: ‘live hard, die young?’

Cappa

Beani

Cervo

et al. 2014

Biol J Linn Soc Lond

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Males are under different selective pressures than females, which results in differences in the physiology of the two sexes to maximize their fitness. In terms of immunity, males are typically considered as the 'sicker sex', where immunocompetence is reduced to favour increased reproductive output. However, male social Hymenoptera are also haploid and therefore lack allelic variation at the individual level, which can also lead to reduced immunocompetence. Over the last decade, several studies have provided evidence for a higher susceptibility to disease in males of social Hymenoptera, without clarifying whether this susceptibility was a direct consequence of their haploid condition or the result of a 'live hard, die young' overall evolutionary strategy. In the present study, we used an experimental approach of bacterial challenge to test the immune response of males and females in two species of social Hymenoptera (honey bees, Apis mellifera; paper wasps, Polistes dominula), where males show very different life-history traits. Drones benefit from colony protection for most of their life, whereas P. dominula males leave their colonies and have to survive for weeks at leks. If the haploid condition is responsible for a higher susceptibility in males, we should expect a lower immune response in males of both species compared to females. Conversely, if the immunocompetence depends on the life-history traits of males, an opposite trend is expected in males of the two species. Our results do not support the 'haploid susceptibility hypothesis' but are in accordance with the different life history of males from the two species.

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“…Genome ploidy could also influence gene expression or affect pathogen/parasite recognition (Nuismer and Otto 2004;Borges et al 2012); it is possible that ploidy difference can lead to different susceptibility to Nosema across B. auricomus sexes/castes. The idea that haploid males may be more susceptible to parasite infection than females (O'Donnell and Beshers 2004) has also been tested in some Bombus species using Crithidia and N. bombi (Ruiz-Gonzalez and Brown 2006;Rutrecht and Brown 2008). In these studies, males and females exhibited no significant difference in infection level.…”

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confidence: 86%

A scientific note on Nosema bombi infection intensity among different castes within a Bombus auricomus nest

Chu

Cameron

2016

Apidologie

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Males vs workers: testing the assumptions of the haploid susceptibility hypothesis in bumblebees

Cited by 38 publications

References 57 publications

Sex-Specific Differences in Pathogen Susceptibility in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)

Sex-Specific Differences in Pathogen Susceptibility in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)

Testing male immunocompetence in two hymenopterans with different levels of social organization: ‘live hard, die young?’

A scientific note on Nosema bombi infection intensity among different castes within a Bombus auricomus nest

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