Abstract:Previous experimental studies demonstrated that small drones (SD) had lower paternity share since they were not successful in mating with queens as large drones (LD) in the mating arena. However, it remains unclear whether spermatozoa of SD can compete in vivo with those of LD if SD have mating opportunity. We, therefore, tested the spermatozoal competitiveness of SD against LD by instrumentally inseminating the queens with varying proportions of semen from LD and SD. Sister queens from a Buckfast colony and L… Show more
“…Gencer and Kahya mixed the sperm of two types of male bees of A. mellifera in different proportions for artificial insemination of queens. The paternal frequencies in the offspring of SDs were all lower than expected, while large males produced more offspring than expected [89]. Although SDs remained slightly behind LDs in regard to sperm competition, this does not imply that SDs reared in LWCs are useless.…”
Section: Body Sizementioning
confidence: 63%
“…Although SDs remained slightly behind LDs in regard to sperm competition, this does not imply that SDs reared in LWCs are useless. In addition, the concentration of sperm in the ejaculate affects the reproductive success of drones, and evolution forces drones to produce not only plentiful but also particularly concentrated semen [89].…”
Bumblebees and honeybees are very important pollinators and play a vital role in agricultural and natural ecosystems. The quality of their colonies is determined by the queens and the reproductive drones of mother colonies, and mated drones transmit semen, including half of the genetic materials, to queens and enhance their fertility. Therefore, factors affecting drone fecundity will also directly affect progeny at the colony level. Here, we review environmental and bee-related factors that are closely related to drone reproductive ability. The environmental factors that mainly affect the sperm count and the viability of males include temperature, nutrients and pesticides. In addition, the inherent characteristics of male bees, such as body size, weight, age, seminal fluid proteins and proteins of the spermathecal fluid, contribute to mating success, sperm quality during long-term storage in the spermathecae and the reproductive behaviors of queens. Based on the results of previous studies, we also suggest that the effects of somatotype dimorphism in bumblebee males on sperm quality and queen fecundity and the indispensable and exploitable function of gland proteins in the fecundity of males and queens should be given more attention in further studies.
“…Gencer and Kahya mixed the sperm of two types of male bees of A. mellifera in different proportions for artificial insemination of queens. The paternal frequencies in the offspring of SDs were all lower than expected, while large males produced more offspring than expected [89]. Although SDs remained slightly behind LDs in regard to sperm competition, this does not imply that SDs reared in LWCs are useless.…”
Section: Body Sizementioning
confidence: 63%
“…Although SDs remained slightly behind LDs in regard to sperm competition, this does not imply that SDs reared in LWCs are useless. In addition, the concentration of sperm in the ejaculate affects the reproductive success of drones, and evolution forces drones to produce not only plentiful but also particularly concentrated semen [89].…”
Bumblebees and honeybees are very important pollinators and play a vital role in agricultural and natural ecosystems. The quality of their colonies is determined by the queens and the reproductive drones of mother colonies, and mated drones transmit semen, including half of the genetic materials, to queens and enhance their fertility. Therefore, factors affecting drone fecundity will also directly affect progeny at the colony level. Here, we review environmental and bee-related factors that are closely related to drone reproductive ability. The environmental factors that mainly affect the sperm count and the viability of males include temperature, nutrients and pesticides. In addition, the inherent characteristics of male bees, such as body size, weight, age, seminal fluid proteins and proteins of the spermathecal fluid, contribute to mating success, sperm quality during long-term storage in the spermathecae and the reproductive behaviors of queens. Based on the results of previous studies, we also suggest that the effects of somatotype dimorphism in bumblebee males on sperm quality and queen fecundity and the indispensable and exploitable function of gland proteins in the fecundity of males and queens should be given more attention in further studies.
“…The concentration of sperm presented on the endophallus is predictive of a drone's reproductive success [66,67]. More concentrated sperm increase a drone's probability of getting sperm pumped through the oviducts into the spermatheca, which are then used for fertilization.…”
Section: Importance and Determinants Of Sperm Concentration And Quality To Dronesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Since sperm competition is likely non-existent or limited in honey bees [37], drones producing more sperm have a greater probability of fertilizing eggs. For example, sperm inseminated at higher quantities had greater paternal frequencies than sperm at lower quantities [66,67]. Additional studies found smaller drones had lower reproductive success, and they attributed this to lower sperm quantity [68].…”
Section: Importance and Determinants Of Sperm Concentration And Quality To Dronesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…As mentioned above, several sperm traits likely provide fitness benefits for males. For example, highly concentrated sperm is likely to increase a drone's probability of fertilization [66,67] and longer sperm may be better suited for long-term storage. Despite this, we still do not know which sperm traits vary and how they impact drone reproductive success.…”
Section: On the Need To Connect Sperm Quality To Fertility In Beesmentioning
Bees are economically and ecologically important pollinating species. Managed and native bee species face increasing pressures from human-created stressors such as habitat loss, pesticide use, and introduced pathogens. There has been increasing attention towards how each of these factors impacts fertility, especially sperm production and maintenance in males. Here, we turn our attention towards another important factor impacting phenotypic variation: genetics. Using honey bees as a model, we explore the current understanding of how genetic variation within and between populations contributes to variation in sperm production, sperm maintenance, and insemination success among males. We conclude with perspectives and future directions in the study of male fertility in honey bees and non-Apis pollinators more broadly, which still remain largely understudied.
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