The Effects of Starvation of Honey Bee Larvae on Reproductive Quality and Wing Asymmetry of Honey Bee Drones

Abstract

Summary Starvation during larval development has a negative effect on adult worker honey bees (Apis mellifera L.), but much less is known about the quality of drones starved during their development. We verified how starvation on the second day (early starvation) or the sixth day (late starvation) of larval development affects body mass, ejaculated semen volume and forewing size, shape, size asymmetry and shape asymmetry in drones after emergence. The larvae were starved for ten hours by being separated from nursing bees with a wire mash for 10 hours either early or late during larval development. Drones starved both early and late were smaller (254.1 ± 1.97 mg and 239.4 ± 2.12 mg, respectively) than the control regularly fed individuals (260.9 ± 2.01 mg), and their wing size changed as well (control: 889.76 ± 1.06; early: 880.9 ± 1.17; late: 868.05 ± 1.48). Starvation at a later phase of larval development caused more pronounced effects than at an earlier phase. On the other hand, ejaculated semen volume (control: 0.7 ± 0.043 μl; early: 0.88 ± 0.040 μl; late: 1.08 ± 0.031 μl), wing size asymmetry (control: 0.49 ± 0.025; early: 0.51 ± 0.026; late: 0.52 ± 0.03) and wing shape asymmetry (control: 17.4 ± 0.47 x 10-3; early: 16.9 ± 0.41 x 10-3; late: 17.6 ± 0.43 x 10-3) were not affected by starvation. This suggests that drones attempt to preserve characters which are important for their future reproduction.

Nutrient Utilization during Male Maturation and Protein Digestion in the Oriental Hornet

“…The seminal fluids contain proteins, sugars, and phospholipids, and the accessory secretions are composed of cyclic peptides and fatty acids that create a viscous texture that will serve as mating plugs; these gland products are transferred to the female during copulation, where they protect the sperm and maintain its viability, but also induce physiological and behavioral changes in the female’s body that increase the chances of successful insemination by the male [ 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 ]. In honeybees, studies have demonstrated that larval nutrition plays a central role in determining male reproductive quality, while protein intake during adulthood has no effect on sperm quality [ 6 , 58 , 59 , 60 ]. Here, we show the incorporation of dietary nutrients consumed by the adult male in the reproductive glands, suggesting that nutrition during the sexual maturation period should also affect the male’s reproductive quality.…”

The effect of age and sexual maturation on thermal preferences of honey bee drones

“…Drones at the same age can differ in their rate of maturation due to various causes, not only fluctuating temperatures in the nest, but also the maternity colony, nutritional status, or body mass ( Jaycox, 1961 ; Ohtani & Fukuda, 1977 ; Crailsheim et al, 1999 ; Boes, 2010 ; Czekońska, Chuda-Mickiewicz & Samborski, 2015 ; Czekońska, Szentgyörgyi & Tofilski, 2019 ; Szentgyörgyi, Czekońska & Tofilski, 2016 ; Szentgyörgyi, Czekońska & Tofilski, 2017 ). The indicated differences can influence on the distribution of drones in the nest ( Ohtani & Fukuda, 1977 ; Kovac, Stabentheiner & Brodschneider, 2009 ).…”

“…Reproductive quality and the rate of maturation to copulation depend, to a large extent, on the nutritional status and temperature at which the drones settle during their postembryonic development ( Hrassnigg & Crailsheim, 2005 ; Czekońska, Chuda-Mickiewicz & Chorbiński, 2013 ; Czekońska, Chuda-Mickiewicz & Samborski, 2015 ; Szentgyörgyi, Czekońska & Tofilski, 2017 ; Szentgyörgyi, Czekońska & Tofilski, 2018 ), and the temperature in which drones stay until copulation ( Stürup et al, 2013 ; Rangel & Fisher, 2019 ). In the nest, some drones can stay at the range of their preferred temperatures, whereas others will only stay within the range of tolerated temperatures due to temperatures fluctuations ( Abou-Shaara et al, 2017 ; Cook et al, 2021 ) or the presence of parasites ( Duay, De Jong & Engels, 2002 ).…”

Body mass of honey bee drones developing in constant and in changing temperatures

“…The body mass of the drones depends not only on their development but also their environment after emergence (Szentgyörgyi et al 2017;Czekońska et al 2019). The factors that affect the body mass of the newly emerged drones include feeding, number of attending workers, and nest temperature (Haydak 1970;Free and Williams 1975;Hrassnigg and Crailsheim 2005;Czekońska et al 2015;Szentgyörgyi et al 2016).…”