Proportion of males sons-of-the-queen and sons-of-workers in Plebeia droryana (Hymenoptera, Apidae) estimated from data of an MDH isozymic polymorphic system

Machado, M. F. P. S.; Contel, E. P. B.; Kerr, Warwick Estevam

doi:10.1007/bf00122905

Cited by 34 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…A few observations on mating and mating attempts with physogastric queens, all made under anomalous circumstances, have since been reported (Sakagami, 1982;Engels and Engels, 1988;Campos and Melo, 1990). This is an interesting fact because stingless bees generally mate only once, according to DNA microsatellite data (Peters et al, 1999), a result in line with earlier sperm count in queen spermatheca and individual males and allozyme studies (Kerr et al, 1962;da Silva et al, 1972;Contel and Kerr, 1976;Machado et al, 1984). Paxton et al (1999), however, verified that queen mating frequency varied between 1 and 3 in M. beecheii and 1 and 6 in Scaptotrigona postica.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Testis length distinguishes haploid from diploid drones inMelipona quadrifasciata(Hymenoptera: Meliponinae)

2003

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

-Testes length in diploid and haploid larvae drones of Melipona quadrifasciata were investigated to ascertain whether it is a good character to distinguish haploid from diploid drones. Two groups of haploid and two groups of diploid drones were compared. The results show that diploid males have shorter testes than haploid males. Another interesting observation was that whereas diploid males from different groups had testes of similar sizes, haploid males produced by different queens had testes which differed significantly in size. It is suggested that measurements of the testes length could be used to determine ploidy and contribute to the understanding of the population biology of this and other related Hymenoptera species.Melipona quadrifasciata / stingless bee / diploid drone / testicule

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Testis length distinguishes haploid from diploid drones inMelipona quadrifasciata(Hymenoptera: Meliponinae)

2003

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…REs are very different from TEs because REs develop into males. The reproductive worker may or may not consume the egg laid by the queen; so, in some cases, there can be two eggs per cell (Beig, 1972;Contel and Kerr, 1976;Machado et al, 1984;Bego, 1990;Koedam et al, 1999;Sommeijer et al, 1999;Koedam et al, 2001). Beig (1972) states that, in Scaptotrigona, worker REs develop faster so that these larvae hatch and consume the fertilized eggs laid by the queen; however, in M. bicolor, 50% of cells that contain eggs from both queen and reproductive worker produce a m6027SP female, demonstrating that there is also the possibility for competition among the larvae (Koedam et al, unpublished data).…”

Section: The Provisioning and Oviposition Process In Stingless Beesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Division of labor during brood production in stingless bees with special reference to individual participation

Cepeda

2006

Apidologie

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

-The focus of this paper is the process for brood production known as the Provisioning and Oviposition Process (POP), and particularly the individual behavior observed in the facultatively polygynous stingless bee Melipona bicolor. Following individually marked bees revealed that ovarian development is correlated with individual behavior differences. While most of the eggs laid by workers are consumed by the queen (trophic eggs), workers contribute significantly in male production with reproductive eggs, illustrating the reproductive conflict at the individual level. From an evolutionary outlook, "benefactor" behaviors may evolve if workers conserve the "hope" of reproduction. This indicates that an important function of trophic eggs is to keep the ovaries active. It is also possible that ovary development represents an internal factor promoting division of labor: reproductive workers are specialized or elite bees with low response thresholds and high activity levels that restrain the participation of other workers.stingless bees / division of labor / POP / Melipona bicolor / reproductive competition / Apidae DIVISION OF LABOR IN STINGLESS BEESIt has long been acknowledged that division of labor among hymenopteran workers presents age-correlated patterns of task performance (temporal polyethism) that spatially follow a centrifugal sequence (Wilson, 1985). In stingless bees, very young bees produce wax and work in the brood nest where they were born. They move further away from it as they age until they leave the nest to become foragers. Although the age ranges during which particular tasks are executed vary across species, bees generally pass through four stages: callow, nurse bee, housekeeper and forager. The tasks associated with these stages are: (1) incubation and repairs of the brood chamber; (2) construction and provisioning of cells, cleaning of the nest, and feeding young adults and the queen; (3) further cleaning of the nest, reconstruction of the involucrum, reception and ripening of nectar, Corresponding author: ocepeda@yahoo.com and guard duty at the entrance of the nest; (4) foraging for pollen, nectar, propolis and other materials (Wille, 1983). Meliponine workers exhibit considerable flexibility in task allocation: tasks are not rigidly established but depend on the conditions of the colony. For example it is possible to force a colony consisting only of old workers to rear brood by partially re-activating the hypopharyngeal glands (Sakagami, 1982). DIVERSE APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF DIVISION OF LABORClassic works representing purely ethological descriptions on division of labor in meliponines date back to 1955. Since then, a multitude of studies have addressed general aspects of division of labor, the provisioning and oviposition process (POP), conflict between colony members, evolution of behavior, taxonomical comparisons, and systematics versus behavior (Online supplementary list . However, few focused on specialization and individual behavior.Although in many of the studies bees were ...

show abstract

“…This phenomenon is frequently observed in various species of stingless bees, and in the case of reproductive eggs, these may make a considerable contribution to a colony's male production (Beig, 1972;Machado et al, 1984;Peters et al, 1999;Drummond et al, 2000;Paxton et al, 2003;Toth et al, 2004). Workers laying reproductive eggs usually do this right after the queen has laid her egg and while sealing the brood cell (Engels and Imperatriz-Fonseca, 1990;Koedam et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Ovariole structure and oogenesis in queens and workers of the stingless beeMelipona quadrifasciata(Hymenoptera: Apidae, Meliponini) kept under different social conditions

Tanaka¹,

Santana²,

Hartfelder³

2009

Apidologie

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

-The high variability in the reproductive biology of stingless bees makes them very amenable for comparative studies with other eusocial bee taxa. We investigated the structural organization of the ovaries of Melipona quadrifasciata queens and workers kept under different social conditions by analyzing their general histology, mitotic activity, and microfilament organization. The overall dynamics of ovarian activity were similar in the two castes, and at emergence their ovarioles contained a previtellogenic follicle. Stingless bees and honey bees differ in the structural organization in the lower germarium, but they have in common synchronized mitotic activity and putative germ line stem cells in the terminal filament. Unlike honey bees, stingless bee workers lay trophic eggs in addition to reproductive eggs. The overall similarities in oogenesis between the two taxa suggest that the decision to form trophic eggs should only occur in the late stages of oogenesis.worker reproduction / follicle development / actin cytoskeleton / ovary histology

show abstract

Proportion of males sons-of-the-queen and sons-of-workers in Plebeia droryana (Hymenoptera, Apidae) estimated from data of an MDH isozymic polymorphic system

Cited by 34 publications

References 8 publications

Testis length distinguishes haploid from diploid drones inMelipona quadrifasciata(Hymenoptera: Meliponinae)

Testis length distinguishes haploid from diploid drones inMelipona quadrifasciata(Hymenoptera: Meliponinae)

Division of labor during brood production in stingless bees with special reference to individual participation

Ovariole structure and oogenesis in queens and workers of the stingless beeMelipona quadrifasciata(Hymenoptera: Apidae, Meliponini) kept under different social conditions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About