Mandibular gland components of european and africanized honey bee queens (Apis mellifera L.)

Pankiw, Tanya; Winston, Mark L.; Plettner, Erika; Slessor, K. N.; Pettis, Jeff; Taylor, Orley R.

doi:10.1007/bf02033573

Cited by 78 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Values are presented mean±SD to ease comparisons with previous studies Mandibular gland pheromones of Apis mellifera adansonii honeybees which on average only had around 100 μg of 9-ODA (Pankiw et al 1996). This is very important and shows how conserved pheromones of the mandibular glands are in queens compared to those of workers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Mandibular gland pheromone contents in workers and queens of Apis mellifera adansonii

2015

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-Secretions from the mandibular glands of honeybees have been studied extensively, with those of queens dominated by ώ-9 fatty acids and ώ-10 fatty acids dominating those of non-laying workers. Apis mellifera adansonii (Latreille) is one of the widely distributed subspecies of African honeybees. However, its mandibular gland pheromones have not been analysed previously. Using gas chromatography, we analysed the composition of mandibular gland pheromones in workers and queens of A. mellifera adansonii from Nigeria. Qualitatively, workers and queens have similar pheromone profiles to those previously reported in other African subspecies of honeybees. We found 9-ODA and high amounts of its precursor 9-hydroxy-2 (E )-decenoic acid (9-HDA) in workers, thus showing that they produce queen-like signals under queen-right conditions. We also found geographic variation in the pheromone profiles and morphometric characters of these workers, suggesting different pheromone and morphoclusters from the different ecological and climatological regions inhabited by A. m. adansonii in Nigeria.African honeybees / queen-right / mandibular gland secretions / pheromone clusters / morphoclusters

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Mandibular gland pheromone contents in workers and queens of Apis mellifera adansonii

2015

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“…Virgin queens produce a form of QMP in which HVA levels are very low, often below detection levels (8,32,33). If HVA is responsible for effecting QMP-induced changes in brain dopamine levels (see Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Each strip contains 10 queen equivalents of QMP, a dose that mimics a live queen (8). One queen equivalent contains 200 g of (E)-9-oxodec-2-enoic acid, 80 g of (E)-9-hydroxydec-2-enoic acid (15% ϩ9-HDA and 85% Ϫ9-HDA), 20 g of HOB, and 2 g of HVA (33). Bees were placed in cages (8 cm ϫ 3.5 cm ϫ 1 cm) and exposed to QMP for 2 days.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Queen pheromone modulates brain dopamine function in worker honey bees

Beggs

Glendining²,

Marechal³

et al. 2007

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

150

139

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Honey bee queens produce a sophisticated array of chemical signals (pheromones) that influence both the behavior and physiology of their nest mates. Most striking are the effects of queen mandibular pheromone (QMP), a chemical blend that induces young workers to feed and groom the queen and primes bees to perform colony-related tasks. But how does this pheromone operate at the cellular level? This study reveals that QMP has profound effects on dopamine pathways in the brain, pathways that play a central role in behavioral regulation and motor control. In young worker bees, dopamine levels, levels of dopamine receptor gene expression, and cellular responses to this amine are all affected by QMP. We identify homovanillyl alcohol as a key contributor to these effects and provide evidence linking QMPinduced changes in the brain to changes at a behavioral level. This study offers exciting insights into the mechanisms through which QMP operates and a deeper understanding of the queen's ability to regulate the behavior of her offspring.Apis mellifera ͉ biogenic amines ͉ neuroethology ͉ neuromodulation ͉ pheromonal communication C omplex social interactions require systems of communication that are reliable and unambiguous. The honey bee, Apis mellifera, employs Ͼ50 substances to communicate with and to organize its colony, and the information that is conveyed between colony members is both subtle and sophisticated (1-3).Maintaining colony organization is a primary role of the queen, whose pheromones enable her to regulate not only the behavior but also the physiology of her nest mates. The most striking effects are those of queen mandibular pheromone (QMP), a chemical blend that induces young workers to feed and groom the queen (Fig. 1) and primes bees to perform colonyrelated tasks (4, 5). The retinue of workers that attend the queen facilitates the distribution of QMP throughout the colony, where it inhibits the rearing of new queens (6), helps prevent the development of worker ovaries (7), influences comb-building activities, (8) and affects the biosynthesis of juvenile hormone (9) [and hence the age-related behavioral ontogeny of recipient workers (10)]. Despite QMP's central role in the normal functioning and organization of honey bee colonies, very little is known about the cellular mechanisms through which it operates.We were intrigued by one of the key components of QMP, homovanillyl alcohol (HVA) (4). HVA (4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylethanol) bears a striking structural resemblance to dopamine (see Fig. 1 Right), a biogenic amine that plays a central role in insect behavioral regulation and motor control (11-18). The presence of this compound within the pheromone blend suggested to us that dopamine function in the brain of recipient bees might be affected by exposure to QMP. To test this hypothesis, we exposed young workers to QMP and examined its effects on brain dopamine levels, levels of dopamine receptor gene expression, and cellular responses to this amine. The results provide compelling evidence that QMP al...

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“…Moreover, newly emerged, unmated queens produce a mandibular gland pheromone similar to that of workers (Crewe 1982). In general, the QMP underlies dramatic changes in its quantity and composition during ongoing maturation and ontogenesis with a shift from worker-to queen-like characteristics Pankiw et al 1996;Engels et al 1997;Apsegaite and Skirkevicius 1999). The mandibular gland pheromone bouquet is therefore not only influenced by caste (Plettner et al 1995 but also by the reproductive capacity of an individual.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of the queen mandibular gland pheromone in honeybees (Apis mellifera): honest signal or suppressive agent?

Strauss

Scharpenberg

Crewe

et al. 2008

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Queen pheromones interfere with worker reproduction in social insects. However, there is still an unresolved question as to whether this pheromone acts as an "honest" signal for workers, giving a reliable indication of the queen's reproductive value, or as a suppressive agent, inhibiting worker reproduction independent of the queen's reproductive capacity. In honeybees (Apis mellifera), the queen's mandibular gland secretion, a mix of fatty acids and some aromatic compounds, is crucial for regulating the reproductive division of labor in the colony inhibiting ovary development in workers. We quantified the mandibular gland secretions of virgin, drone-laying, and naturally mated queens using gas chromatography to test whether the queens' mating, ovary activation, or the reproductive value for workers correlated with the composition of the secretion. Although the absolute amounts of the "queen substance" 9-oxo-2(E)-decenoic acid (9-ODA) were similar among the three groups, the proportions of 9-ODA decreased with increasing reproductive quality. Furthermore, the ratios of queen to worker compounds were similar in all three treatment groups, irrespective of the reproductive capacity. A multivariate analysis including all six compounds could not separate drone-laying queens from naturally mated ones, both with active ovaries but only the latter ensuring colony survival. We suggest that the mandibular gland pheromones are unlikely to function as reliable indicators of queen reproductive value and rather operate as an agent to suppress worker reproduction. This does not exclude the possibility that other "honest" pheromone signals exist in the honeybee colony, but these would have to arise from other semiochemicals, which could be produced by both the queen and the brood.

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Mandibular gland components of european and africanized honey bee queens (Apis mellifera L.)

Cited by 78 publications

References 18 publications

Mandibular gland pheromone contents in workers and queens of Apis mellifera adansonii

Mandibular gland pheromone contents in workers and queens of Apis mellifera adansonii

Queen pheromone modulates brain dopamine function in worker honey bees

The role of the queen mandibular gland pheromone in honeybees (Apis mellifera): honest signal or suppressive agent?

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