The artificial insemination of bumblebee queens

Baer, Boris; Schmid‐Hempel, Paul

doi:10.1007/pl00001699

Cited by 41 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…However, this seems not particularly likely as multiple mating seems an occasional and derived trait in Bombus bumblebees. One way to significantly advance our understanding of sperm length evolution may be to set up selection lines for sperm length, an approach that is feasible (albeit laborious) because an artificial insemination technique for B. terrestris has been developed (Baer & Schmid-Hempel, 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heritability of sperm length in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Baer¹,

Jong

Schmid‐Hempel

et al. 2006

Genetica

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Sperm length is highly variable, both between and within species, but the evolutionary significance of this variation is poorly understood. Sexual selection on sperm length requires a significant additive genetic variance, but few studies have actually measured this. Here we present the first estimates of narrow sense heritability of sperm length in a social insect, the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. In spite of a balanced and straightforward rearing design of colonies, and the possibility to replicate measurements of sperm within single males nested within colonies, the analysis proved to be complex. Several appropriate statistical models were derived, each depending on different assumptions. The heritability estimates obtained ranged from h 2 = 0.197 ± 0.091 to h 2 = 0.429 ± 0.154. All our estimates were substantially lower than previous estimates of sperm length heritability in non-social insects and vertebrates.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heritability of sperm length in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Baer¹,

Jong

Schmid‐Hempel

et al. 2006

Genetica

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“…This cellular response is a commonly used measure of immunity and involves haemocytes attaching to a foreign particle, melanising and eventually forming a capsule around it. We modified the protocol used previously with bumblebees (Allander and Schmid-Hempel, 2000;Doums and Schmid-Hempel, 2000;Baer and Schmid-Hempel, 2003a;Gerloff et al, 2003), and utilised equipment designed for the artificial insemination of bees (Baer and Schmid-Hempel, 2000). Ants were anaesthetized with CO 2 and held in place in a plastic holder.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examination of the immune responses of males and workers of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex echinatior and the effect of infection

et al. 2005

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Summary. Parasites represent significant challenges to social insects. The high density, interaction rate and relatedness of individuals within colonies are all predicted to make social insect colonies particularly vulnerable to parasites. To cope with this pressure, social insects have evolved a number of defence mechanisms. These include the immune response, which, aside from in bumblebees, has been relatively little studied in social insects. Here we compare the immune responses of males and workers of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex echinatior and examine the effect upon immunocompetence of prior exposure to a virulent parasite. Males have a far lower immune response than workers, suggesting either haploid susceptibility or reduced investment in immunity by the short-lived males. There was also significantly less variation in the immune response of males than of workers, which may be due to leaf-cutting ant workers being more variable in age or more genetically diverse within colonies. When exposed to the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium, workers expressed a substantially reduced immune response 96 h after infection, suggesting that the immune system was either depleted by having to respond to the Metarhizium infection or was depressed by the parasite. The results suggest that the immune response is a costly and limited process, but further experiments are needed to distinguish between the alternative explanations for the effects observed.

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“…B. terrestris and B. hypnorum males have also been found to transfer a mating plug during mating (Duvoisin et al, 1999;Baer et al, 2001;Brown et al, 2002). Recently, artificial insemination became possible (Baer and Schmid-Hempel, 2000).…”

Section: Matingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A century of advances in bumblebee domestication and the economic and environmental aspects of its commercialization for pollination

Velthuis¹,

Doorn²

2006

Apidologie

770

849

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-This paper reviews a century of progress in techniques of bumblebee rearing, starting with those used to encourage bumblebee queens to initiate a colony in artificial domiciles and including those needed for the commercial production of large numbers of colonies for the pollination of agricultural crops. Five species of bumblebees are currently used for crop pollination, the major ones being Bombus terrestris from Eurasia and Bombus impatiens from North America. As a result of their frequent use in foreign territories, there have been reports of B. terrestris becoming established, as well as interactions and/or competition with local (bumble-) bee fauna. Of the many vegetable, fruit and seed crops that bumblebees pollinate, greenhouse tomatoes are of predominant importance. In 2004, 40 000 ha of tomato crops were pollinated, with a crop value of e 12 000 million. The growers benefit from bumblebee pollination because of lower production costs, increased yields, and improved fruit quality. The interrelationship between commercial mechanisms and ecological risks is discussed.bumblebee / pollination / commercial rearing / economic value / ecological impact

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The artificial insemination of bumblebee queens

Cited by 41 publications

References 17 publications

Heritability of sperm length in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Heritability of sperm length in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Examination of the immune responses of males and workers of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex echinatior and the effect of infection

A century of advances in bumblebee domestication and the economic and environmental aspects of its commercialization for pollination

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