Ovarian development related to pollen feeding in workers of the bumblebee Bombus ignitus (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Tanaka, Chisato S.; Ikemoto, Mito; Nikkeshi, Aoi; Kanbe, Yuya; Mitsuhata, Masahiro; Yokoi, Tomoyuki

doi:10.1007/s13355-018-0597-1

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Successful ovary development requires proteins and lipids, which bees acquire primarily from pollen ( Richards 1994 ; Vogt et al. 1998 ; Heinrich 2004 ; Cane 2016 ; Tanaka et al. 2019 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bumble Bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) Queen Nest Searching Occurs Independent of Ovary Developmental Status

Sarro

Tripodi

Woodard

2022

Integrative Organismal Biology

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Studies on the physiological states of wild-caught organisms are essential to uncovering the links between ecological and physiological processes. Bumble bee queens emerge from overwintering in the spring. At this time, queens develop their ovaries and search for a nest site in which to start a colony. Whether these two processes, ovary development and nest-searching, interact with or influence one another remains an unresolved question in behavioral physiology. We explored the hypothesis that ovary development and nest-searching might be mechanistically connected, by testing whether (1) ovary development precedes nest-searching behavior; (2) nest occupation precedes ovary development; or (3) ovary development and nest-searching occur independently, in bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) queens. We collected queens either nest-searching (and thus prior to occupying a nest) or pollen-collecting (and thus provisioning an occupied nest) and measured their degree of ovary activation. We further screened these queens for parasites or other symbionts, to identify additional factors that may impact their reproductive success at this time. We found that queens searched for and occupied nests at all stages of ovary development, indicating that these processes occur independently in this system. Nest-searching queens were more likely to have substantial mite loads than pollen-collecting queens, who had already located and occupied a nest. However, mite loads did not significantly predict ovary developmental status. Collectively, our work shows that nesting status and symbionts alone are insufficient to explain the variation in spring bumble bee queen ovary development. We propose that ovary development and nest-searching occur opportunistically, which may enable queens to begin laying eggs earlier in the season than if these processes occurred in discrete succession.

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“…Successful ovary development requires proteins and lipids, which bees acquire primarily from pollen ( Richards 1994 ; Vogt et al. 1998 ; Heinrich 2004 ; Cane 2016 ; Tanaka et al. 2019 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bumble Bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) Queen Nest Searching Occurs Independent of Ovary Developmental Status

Sarro

Tripodi

Woodard

2022

Integrative Organismal Biology

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“…Thirty workers from each cage were dissected, yielding a total of 90 bees per treatment. Both ovaries were examined in each bee, and their development was categorized into four stages, according to Hoover et al (2006) and Tanaka et al (2019) as follows: Stage I, immature ovary with thread-like or slightly swollen ovaries, egg cells are undistinguished from nutritive cells; Stage II, egg cells are smaller than nutritive cells; Stage III, egg cells are larger than nutritive cells; and Stage IV, well-developed ovaries, with at least one ovariole containing a mature egg cell ( Figure S2D–G ) [ 3 , 33 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollen Source Affects Development and Behavioral Preferences in Honey Bees

Ding

et al. 2021

Insects

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With the availability of various plants in bloom simultaneously, honey bees prefer to collect some pollen types over others. To better understand pollen’s role as a reward for workers, we compared the digestibility and nutritional value of two pollen diets, namely, pear (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd.) and apricot (Armeniaca sibirica L.). We investigated the visits, pollen consumption, and pollen extraction efficiency of caged Apis mellifera workers. Newly emerged workers were reared, and the effects of two pollen diets on their physiological status (the development of hypopharyngeal glands and ovaries) were compared. The choice-test experiments indicated a significant preference of A. mellifera workers for apricot pollen diets over pear pollen diets (number of bees landing, 29.5 ± 8.11 and 9.25 ± 5.10, p < 0.001 and pollen consumption, 0.052 ± 0.026 g/day and 0.033 ± 0.013 g/day, p < 0.05). Both pollen diets had comparable extraction efficiencies (67.63% for pear pollen and 67.73% for apricot pollen). Caged workers fed different pollen diets also exhibited similar ovarian development (p > 0.05). However, workers fed apricot pollen had significantly larger hypopharyngeal glands than those fed pear pollen (p < 0.001). Our results indicated that the benefits conferred to honey bees by different pollen diets may influence their foraging preference.

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“…In wild nature, bumblebees obtain their macronutrients including carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids from floral nectar and pollen, to meet their nutritional demands [ 28 ]. Pollen is an important food to promote the development of their ovaries [ 29 ]. It provides proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and micronutrients needed for the growth and development of larvae, pupae, and colonies [ 30 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pollen with a high ratio of protein and lipids can improve the collecting motivation of B. impatiens workers [ 36 ]. Nutrient-rich pollen can promote the health of bumblebees’ development and reproduction [ 29 , 37 ]. However, some research on B. breviceps feeding did not refer to the required pollen and nutrition [ 38 , 39 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Higher Essential Amino Acid and Crude Protein Contents in Pollen Accelerate the Oviposition and Colony Foundation of Bombus breviceps (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Ren

Chang

Han

et al. 2023

Insects

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Pollen is an important source of nutrition for bumblebees to survive, reproduce, and raise their offspring. To explore the nutritional requirements for the egg laying and hatching of queenright Bombus breviceps colonies, camellia pollen, oilseed rape pollen, apricot pollen, and mixtures of two or three types of pollen in equal proportions were used to feed the queens in this study. The results showed that the camellia pollen with a higher essential amino acid content was superior to the pollen with a lower essential amino acid content in the initial egg-laying time (p < 0.05), egg number (p < 0.05), larval ejection (p < 0.01), time of first worker emergence (p < 0.05), and the average weight of workers in the first batch (p < 0.01). It took less time for colonies under the camellia pollen and camellia–oilseed rape–apricot pollen mix treatments, both with a higher crude protein content, to reach ten workers in the colony (p < 0.01). On the contrary, the queens fed apricot pollen never laid an egg, and larvae fed oilseed rape pollen were all ejected—both pollens with a lower essential amino acid content. The results emphasize that the diet should be rationally allocated to meet the nutritional needs of local bumblebees at various stages when guiding them to lay eggs, hatch, and develop a colony.

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Ovarian development related to pollen feeding in workers of the bumblebee Bombus ignitus (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Cited by 11 publications

References 12 publications

Bumble Bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) Queen Nest Searching Occurs Independent of Ovary Developmental Status

Bumble Bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) Queen Nest Searching Occurs Independent of Ovary Developmental Status

Pollen Source Affects Development and Behavioral Preferences in Honey Bees

Higher Essential Amino Acid and Crude Protein Contents in Pollen Accelerate the Oviposition and Colony Foundation of Bombus breviceps (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

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