Modulation of sucrose response thresholds in honey bees ( Apis mellifera L.): influence of genotype, feeding, and foraging experience

Pankiw, Tanya; Waddington, Keith D.; Page, Robert E.

doi:10.1007/s003590100201

Cited by 114 publications

(85 citation statements)

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“…The association between behavior and ovary size was not very strong (R 2 ¼ 0.084; Figure 10), similar to earlier studies (Amdam et al 2006;Tsuruda et al 2008). However, this is not surprising because worker ovariole number is a physiological trait fixed during development, while the concentration of collected nectar is a flexible behavioral trait influenced by a variety of dynamic environmental factors such as current nectar availability, individual foraging experience, and current colony conditions (Seeley 1997;Pankiw et al 2001Pankiw et al , 2004.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

The Genetic Basis of Transgressive Ovary Size in Honeybee Workers

et al. 2009

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Ovarioles are the functional unit of the female insect reproductive organs and the number of ovarioles per ovary strongly influences egg-laying rate and fecundity. Social evolution in the honeybee (Apis mellifera) has resulted in queens with 200-360 total ovarioles and workers with usually 20 or less. In addition, variation in ovariole number among workers relates to worker sensory tuning, foraging behavior, and the ability to lay unfertilized male-destined eggs. To study the genetic architecture of worker ovariole number, we performed a series of crosses between Africanized and European bees that differ in worker ovariole number. Unexpectedly, these crosses produced transgressive worker phenotypes with extreme ovariole numbers that were sensitive to the social environment. We used a new selective pooled DNA interval mapping approach with two Africanized backcrosses to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlying the transgressive ovary phenotype. We identified one QTL on chromosome 11 and found some evidence for another QTL on chromosome 2. Both QTL regions contain plausible functional candidate genes. The ovariole number of foragers was correlated with the sugar concentration of collected nectar, supporting previous studies showing a link between worker physiology and foraging behavior. We discuss how the phenotype of extreme worker ovariole numbers and the underlying genetic factors we identified could be linked to the development of queen traits.T HE number of ovariole filaments per ovary is an important female reproductive character that affects fecundity across insect taxa (Richard et al. 2005;Makert et al. 2006). Social insect lineages have evolved a strong dimorphism in ovariole number between reproductive and nonreproductive castes. For example, while most families of bees consistently have 6 total ovarioles, and most species in the family Apidae have 8, the highly social species in the genus Apis (the honeybees) have queens that can have .360 total ovarioles and workers that often have ,10 (Winston 1987;Michener 2003). This queen-worker dimorphism is of primary importance because it translates into differential reproductive potential that defines the social roles of these female castes (Winston 1987) and classifies social species in general (Sherman et al. 1995). Furthermore, ovary size (i.e., ovariole number) is the most sensitive indicator of caste-specific development in honeybees (Dedej et al. 1998). The extreme increase in ovariole number for queen honeybees enables high egg-laying rates (.1500 per day) and is apparently a result of selection for increased colony reproduction (growth and fission by swarming) (Seeley 1997). Honeybee queens are thus highly specialized for egg laying, similar to queens of several other social insect taxa, such as army ants or higher termites (Hö lldobler and Wilson 1990). Honeybee workers in contrast, do not normally reproduce but perform all other essential activities including foraging for nectar, pollen, and water; caring for brood; and building, main...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

The Genetic Basis of Transgressive Ovary Size in Honeybee Workers

et al. 2009

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“…Bees that consume even low concentration nectar are called low response threshold bees and will accept low, medium and high sugar concentrations. Sucrose responsiveness is influenced by multiple factors, including the environment (recent feeding experiences) (Pankiw et al, 2001) and genetics. Page and Fondrk identified quantitative trait loci that are linked to SR and the probability of individuals foraging for pollen (Page and Fondrk, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist affects honey bee sucrose responsiveness and decreases waggle dancing

Eiri

Nieh

2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

105

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There was an error published in J. Exp. Biol. 215, 2022-2029 In the final sentence of paragraph 4 of 'Effects on SR' in the Results section, the total number of proboscis extensions is given, rather than percentages. The correct sentence is published below.On average, control nectar foragers had a lower mean total PER bee −1 (4.1±2.3 responses) than control pollen foragers (4.8±2.1 responses).The authors apologise for any confusion this may have caused. 2081

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“…The longer duration and the more vigorous movements involved in pollen collection may account for the larger peptide changes detected. The peptides that are regulated in association with both nectar and pollen collection perhaps are involved in more general aspects of foraging behavior, e.g., the initiation and termination of the behavioral sequence, or changes in response thresholds to food stimuli as a consequence of food collection (27,32,33). Other peptides that responded to just pollen collection may have a more specialized function.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative peptidomics reveal brain peptide signatures of behavior

Brockmann

Annangudi²,

Richmond³

et al. 2009

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

126

148

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The honey bee genome predicts Ϸ100 peptides from 36 prohormones, but the functions of many of these peptides are unknown. We used differential isotope labeling combined with mass spectrometric analysis to quantify Ϸ50% of known bee brain peptides in the context of foraging, with 8 showing robust and dynamic regulation. Some showed differences in brain abundance as a function of experience; specifically, nectar and pollen collection led to quick changes in abundance. These changes were related to the act of food collection, not ingestion, because foragers bring food back to the hive for storage rather than eating it themselves. Other peptide differences in brain abundance were seen in bees that either flew to a nectar feeder or a pollen feeder, but did not yet collect any food. These differences likely reflect well-known predispositions of some bees to collect either nectar or pollen, but not both. Tachykinin, PBAN, and sNPF were among the peptides with the strongest changes in association with nectar and pollen foraging. These peptides are known to be involved in regulating food intake in solitary insects, suggesting an evolutionary connection between that behavior and social foraging. These results demonstrate that it is now possible to use quantitative peptidomics to help determine which brain peptides are bioactive and to elucidate their function in the regulation of behavior.Apis mellifera ͉ behavioral maturation ͉ foraging ͉ neuropeptides B rain peptides play an important role in orchestrating physiological and behavioral processes in animals by functioning as neurohormones, neuromodulators, and neurotransmitters (1). These cell-cell signaling peptides are produced from their corresponding precursor genes by cleavage at specific sites followed by additional posttranslational modifications, a complex process that can make bioactive peptides difficult to predict (2). The availability of genome sequences has led to a new, high-throughput approach for neuropeptide discovery: algorithms that predict cleavage sites in peptide precursors (3, 4) followed by sequencing from brain samples with mass spectrometry (5-7). Applying this methodology to the honey bee genome, Hummon et al. (6) predicted 36 peptide-encoding genes and confirmed 100 endogenous peptides in the bee brain, numbers similar to what is known for other animals such as the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and the house mouse (Mus musculus) (7,8).As with other species, however, the physiological and behavioral functions of most (neuro)peptides in the honey bee are unknown (2, 9-11). Until very recently, most brain peptides were discovered one at a time via biochemical techniques, and functional experiments focused on physiological effects (12). Recent advances in peptidomics have greatly accelerated peptide characterization (13-15). However, corresponding high-throughput approaches to discover peptide function have been much less common. A goal of this study was to determine whether combining a recently established quantitative peptidomic method with...

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Modulation of sucrose response thresholds in honey bees ( Apis mellifera L.): influence of genotype, feeding, and foraging experience

Cited by 114 publications

References 0 publications

The Genetic Basis of Transgressive Ovary Size in Honeybee Workers

The Genetic Basis of Transgressive Ovary Size in Honeybee Workers

A nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist affects honey bee sucrose responsiveness and decreases waggle dancing

Quantitative peptidomics reveal brain peptide signatures of behavior

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