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Moreno E, Arenas A. Foraging task specialization in honey bees (Apis mellifera): the contribution of floral rewards to the learning performance of pollen and nectar foragers. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb246979. [PMID: 38873739 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Social insects live in communities where cooperative actions heavily rely on the individual cognitive abilities of their members. In the honey bee (Apis mellifera), the specialization in nectar or pollen collection is associated with variations in gustatory sensitivity, affecting both associative and non-associative learning. Gustatory sensitivity fluctuates as a function of changes in motivation for the specific floral resource throughout the foraging cycle, yet differences in learning between nectar and pollen foragers at the onset of food collection remain unexplored. Here, we examined nectar and pollen foragers captured upon arrival at food sources. We subjected them to an olfactory proboscis extension reflex (PER) conditioning using a 10% sucrose solution paired (S10%+P) or unpaired (S10%) with pollen as a co-reinforcement. For non-associative learning, we habituated foragers with S10%+P or S10%, followed by dishabituation tests with either a 50% sucrose solution paired (S50%+P) or unpaired (S50%) with pollen. Our results indicate that pollen foragers show lower performance than nectar foragers when conditioned with S10%. Interestingly, performance improves to levels similar to those of nectar foragers when pollen is included as a rewarding stimulus (S10%+P). In non-associative learning, pollen foragers tested with S10%+P displayed a lower degree of habituation than nectar foragers and a higher degree of dishabituation when pollen was used as the dishabituating stimulus (S10%+P). Altogether, our results support the idea that pollen and nectar honey bee foragers differ in their responsiveness to rewards, leading to inter-individual differences in learning that contribute to foraging specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilia Moreno
- Grupo de Fisiología del Comportamiento y Sociobiología de Abejas, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada (IBBEA), CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Andrés Arenas
- Grupo de Fisiología del Comportamiento y Sociobiología de Abejas, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada (IBBEA), CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina
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2
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Kuszewska K, Woloszczuk A, Woyciechowski M. Reproductive Cessation and Post-Reproductive Lifespan in Honeybee Workers. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:287. [PMID: 38785769 PMCID: PMC11117506 DOI: 10.3390/biology13050287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The post-reproductive lifespan is an evolutionary enigma because the cessation of reproduction in animals seems contrary to the maximization of Darwinian fitness. Several theories aim to explain the evolution of menopause, one of which suggests that females of a certain age receive more fitness benefits via indirect selection (kin selection) than they would directly from continuing reproduction. Post-reproductive lifespans are not very common in nature but have been described in humans, nonhuman primates, a few species of toothed whales, guppies, and in some insect societies consisting of clonal colony members, such as aphid and ant societies. Here, we provide evidence that menopause also exists in honeybee societies. Our study shows that workers with a short life expectancy (older and/or injured workers) invest fewer resources and less time in their own reproduction than workers with a long life expectancy (younger and/or uninjured workers), even if their colony is hopelessly queenless. These results are consistent with the kin selection explanation for the evolution of menopause and help us understand the net effects of relatedness and social cooperation in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Kuszewska
- Department of Zoology and Animal Welfare, Faculty of Animal Science, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
| | - Anna Woloszczuk
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
| | - Michal Woyciechowski
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
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3
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Mattiacci A, Goñalons CM, Masciocchi M, Corley JC. Gustatory responsiveness in Vespula germanica workers: exploring the interplay between sensory perception and task specialization. INSECT SCIENCE 2024; 31:587-598. [PMID: 37534855 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Workers' task specialization and division of labor are critical features of social insects' ecological success. It has been proposed that the division of labor relies on response threshold models: individuals varying their sensitivity (and responsiveness) to biologically relevant stimuli and performing a specific task when a stimulus exceeds an internal threshold. In this work, we study carbohydrate and protein responsiveness and their relation to worker task specialization in Vespula germanica, an invasive social wasp. The sucrose and peptone responsiveness of two different subcastes, preforagers and foragers, was determined by stimulating the antenna of the wasps with increasing concentrations of the solution and quantifying whether each concentration elicited a licking response. We studied responsiveness in five different ways: (1) response threshold, (2) concentration 50 (concentration to which at least 50% of wasps responded), (3) maximum response, (4) mean scores and (5) median scores. Our results suggest that V. germanica foragers are more sensitive to sucrose (lower thresholds) than preforager workers. However, we found no differences for peptone thresholds (i.e., a protein resource). Nonetheless, this is the first study to investigate response thresholds for protein resources. The intercaste variation in sucrose responsiveness shown in our work contributes to the existing knowledge about response threshold theory as a mechanism for task specialization observed in V. germanica.
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Affiliation(s)
- Analía Mattiacci
- Grupo de Ecología de Poblaciones de Insectos, IFAB (CONICET, INTA EEA Bariloche), Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Carolina Mengoni Goñalons
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maité Masciocchi
- Grupo de Ecología de Poblaciones de Insectos, IFAB (CONICET, INTA EEA Bariloche), Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Juan C Corley
- Grupo de Ecología de Poblaciones de Insectos, IFAB (CONICET, INTA EEA Bariloche), Bariloche, Argentina
- Departamento de Ecología, Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Universidad Nacional Del Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina
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4
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Liu F, Zhao H, Li Q, Wu L, Cao D, Zhang Y, Huang ZY. MicroRNA ame-let-7 targets Amdop2 to increase sucrose sensitivity in honey bees (Apis mellifera). Front Zool 2023; 20:41. [PMID: 38110949 PMCID: PMC10726540 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-023-00519-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As an important catecholamine neurotransmitter in invertebrates and vertebrates, dopamine plays multiple roles in the life of the honey bee. Dopamine receptors (DA), which specifically bind to dopamine to activate downstream cascades, have been reported to be involved in honey bee reproduction, division of labour, as well as learning and motor behaviour. However, how dopamine receptors regulate honey bee behavior remains uninvestigated. RESULTS The expression level of Amdop2 in the brain increased with the age of worker bees, which was just the opposite trend of ame-let-7. Inhibition of ame-let-7 through feeding an inhibitor upregulated Amdop2 expression; conversely, overexpression of ame-let-7 through a mimic downregulated Amdop2. Moreover, knockdown of Amdop2 in forager brain led to significantly higher sucrose responsiveness, which is similar to the phenotype of overexpression of ame-let-7. Finally, we confirmed that ame-let-7 directly targets Amdop2 in vitro by a luciferase reporter assay. CONCLUSIONS ame-let-7 is involved in the dopamine receptor signaling pathway to modulate the sucrose sensitivity in honey bees. Specifically, it down-regulates Amdop2, which then induces higher responses to sucrose. These results further unraveled the diverse mechanisms of the dopamine pathway in the regulation of insect behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Liu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510260, People's Republic of China.
| | - Hongxia Zhao
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510260, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiang Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510260, People's Republic of China
| | - Lixian Wu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510260, People's Republic of China
| | - Dainan Cao
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510260, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuan Zhang
- Yunnan Academy of Biodiversity, Southwest Forestry University, 650224, Kunming, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Zachary Y Huang
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
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5
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Bachert A, Scheiner R. The ant's weapon improves honey bee learning performance. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8399. [PMID: 37225773 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35540-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Formic acid is the main component of the ant's major weapon against enemies. Being mainly used as a chemical defense, the acid is also exploited for recruitment and trail marking. The repelling effect of the organic acid is used by some mammals and birds which rub themselves in the acid to eliminate ectoparasites. Beekeepers across the world rely on this effect to control the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. Varroa mites are considered the most destructive pest of honey bees worldwide and can lead to the loss of entire colonies. Formic acid is highly effective against Varroa mites but can also kill the honeybee queen and worker brood. Whether formic acid can also affect the behavior of honey bees is unknown. We here study the effect of formic acid on sucrose responsiveness and cognition of honey bees treated at different live stages in field-relevant doses. Both behaviors are essential for survival of the honey bee colony. Rather unexpectedly, formic acid clearly improved the learning performance of the bees in appetitive olfactory conditioning, while not affecting sucrose responsiveness. This exciting side effect of formic acid certainly deserves further detailed investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonia Bachert
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Gießen, Schubertstraße 81, 35392, Gießen, Germany
| | - Ricarda Scheiner
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany.
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6
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Moreno E, Arenas A. Changes in resource perception throughout the foraging visit contribute to task specialization in the honey bee Apis mellifera. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8164. [PMID: 37208362 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35163-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Division of labor is central to the ecological success of social insects. Among foragers of the honey bee, specialization for collecting nectar or pollen correlates with their sensitivity to sucrose. So far, differences in gustatory perception have been mostly studied in bees returning to the hive, but not during foraging. Here, we showed that the phase of the foraging visit (i.e. beginning or end) interacts with foraging specialization (i.e. predisposition to collect pollen or nectar) to modulate sucrose and pollen sensitivity in foragers. In concordance with previous studies, pollen foragers presented higher sucrose responsiveness than nectar foragers at the end of the foraging visit. On the contrary, pollen foragers were less responsive than nectar foragers at the beginning of the visit. Consistently, free-flying foragers accepted less concentrated sucrose solution during pollen gathering than immediately after entering the hive. Pollen perception also changes throughout foraging, as pollen foragers captured at the beginning of the visit learned and retained memories better when they were conditioned with pollen + sucrose as reward than when we used sucrose alone. Altogether, our results support the idea that changes in foragers' perception throughout the foraging visit contributes to task specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilia Moreno
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Andrés Arenas
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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7
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Finke V, Scheiner R, Giurfa M, Avarguès-Weber A. Individual consistency in the learning abilities of honey bees: cognitive specialization within sensory and reinforcement modalities. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:909-928. [PMID: 36609813 PMCID: PMC10066154 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01741-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The question of whether individuals perform consistently across a variety of cognitive tasks is relevant for studies of comparative cognition. The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is an appropriate model to study cognitive consistency as its learning can be studied in multiple elemental and non-elemental learning tasks. We took advantage of this possibility and studied if the ability of honey bees to learn a simple discrimination correlates with their ability to solve two tasks of higher complexity, reversal learning and negative patterning. We performed four experiments in which we varied the sensory modality of the stimuli (visual or olfactory) and the type (Pavlovian or operant) and complexity (elemental or non-elemental) of conditioning to examine if stable correlated performances could be observed across experiments. Across all experiments, an individual's proficiency to learn the simple discrimination task was positively and significantly correlated with performance in both reversal learning and negative patterning, while the performances in reversal learning and negative patterning were positively, yet not significantly correlated. These results suggest that correlated performances across learning paradigms represent a distinct cognitive characteristic of bees. Further research is necessary to examine if individual cognitive consistency can be found in other insect species as a common characteristic of insect brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Finke
- Zoologie II, Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany. .,Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France.
| | - Ricarda Scheiner
- Zoologie II, Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France.,Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | - Aurore Avarguès-Weber
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France
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8
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Franklin EL, Smith KE, Raine NE. How foraging preference and activity level of bumble bees contribute to colony flexibility under resource demand. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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9
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Li Z, Qiu Y, Li J, Wan K, Nie H, Su S. Chronic Cadmium Exposure Induces Impaired Olfactory Learning and Altered Brain Gene Expression in Honey Bees ( Apis mellifera). INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13110988. [PMID: 36354812 PMCID: PMC9696575 DOI: 10.3390/insects13110988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The honey bee (Apis mellifera) plays vital ecological roles in the pollination of crops and the maintenance of ecological balance, and adult honey bees may be exposed to exogenous chemicals including heavy metals during their foraging activities. Cadmium (Cd) is regarded as a nonessential toxic metal and is readily accumulated in plants; honey bees can therefore acquire Cd through the collection of contaminated nectar. In the present study, honey bees were chronically exposed to Cd to investigate the effects of sublethal cadmium doses on the olfactory learning and brain gene expression profiles of honey bees. The results showed that Cd-treated bees exhibited significantly impaired olfactory learning performances in comparison with control bees. Moreover, the head weight was significantly lower in Cd-treated bees than in control bees after chronic exposure to Cd. Gene expression profiles between the Cd treatment and the control revealed that 79 genes were significantly differentially expressed. Genes encoding chemoreceptors and olfactory proteins were downregulated, whereas genes involved in response to oxidative stress were upregulated in Cd-treated bees. The results suggest that Cd exposure exerts oxidative stress in the brain of honey bees, and the dysregulated expression of genes encoding chemoreceptors, olfactory proteins, and cytochrome P450 enzymes is probably associated with impaired olfactory learning in honey bees.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Songkun Su
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-136-6500-5782
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10
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Reduction of stress responses in honey bees by synthetic ligands targeting an allatostatin receptor. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16760. [PMID: 36202961 PMCID: PMC9537510 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20978-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Honey bees are of great economic and ecological importance, but are facing multiple stressors that can jeopardize their pollination efficiency and survival. Therefore, understanding the physiological bases of their stress response may help defining treatments to improve their resilience. We took an original approach to design molecules with this objective. We took advantage of the previous identified neuropeptide allatostatin A (ASTA) and its receptor (ASTA-R) as likely mediators of the honey bee response to a biologically relevant stressor, exposure to an alarm pheromone compound. A first series of ASTA-R ligands were identified through in silico screening using a homology 3D model of the receptor and in vitro binding experiments. One of these (A8) proved also efficient in vivo, as it could counteract two behavioral effects of pheromone exposure, albeit only in the millimolar range. This putative antagonist was used as a template for the chemical synthesis of a second generation of potential ligands. Among these, two compounds showed improved efficiency in vivo (in the micromolar range) as compared to A8 despite no major improvement in their affinity for the receptor in vitro. These new ligands are thus promising candidates for alleviating stress in honey bees.
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11
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Huang H, Gong Z. Characterization and differentiation of pollen lipidomes and proteomes from different intrafloral stamens in heterantherous Senna bicapsularis. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2022; 24:998-1009. [PMID: 35880492 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Numerous compounds in pollen can affect the foraging decision-making of bees. Clarification of phytochemical components and identification of key substances for bee foraging preference in pollen are essential steps for apiculture and developing a conservation strategy. Senna bicapsularis, a heterantherous plant that possesses three different stamen types in the same flower, among which bees forage selectively, provides us with an ideal research model for identification of potential substances of bee foraging preference. The lipid and protein compositions of pollen from the anthers of different stamens of S. bicapsularis were investigated and compared. The polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and monounsaturated FAs (MUFAs) were highest among lipid molecules in pollen from short (S) stamens than from long (L) and medium (M) stamens. This result is consistent with the FA content measurement, showing the highest FAs and UFAs content in S pollen, especially α-linolenic acid. We inferred that α-linolenic acid might be one of the key substances for bee foraging preference in pollen. Moreover, proteomic analysis showed that several differentially expressed proteins involved in lipid biosynthesis were highly accumulated in S pollen, such as choline kinase 2, 3-oxoacyl-ACP synthase-like protein and choline/ethanolamine phosphotransferase 1, in line with the highest FA content of S pollen. Additionally, DEPs involved in 'starch and sucrose metabolism', 'phenylpropanoid biosynthesis' and 'cyanoamino acid metabolism' were more represented in S compared with L and M pollen. The study suggests that differences in proteomic and lipidomic profiling among the three different stamen types might affect foraging decision-making of bumblebees.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Huang
- Key Laboratory of Research and Utilization of Ethnomedicinal Plant Resources of Hunan Province, College of Biological and Food Engineering, Huaihua University, Huaihua, China
| | - Z Gong
- Key Laboratory of Research and Utilization of Ethnomedicinal Plant Resources of Hunan Province, College of Biological and Food Engineering, Huaihua University, Huaihua, China
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12
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Moreno E, José Corriale M, Arenas A. Differences in olfactory sensitivity and odor detection correlate with foraging task specialization in honeybees Apis mellifera. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 141:104416. [PMID: 35780906 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2022.104416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Division of labor is central to the ecological success of social insects. Among honeybees foragers, specialization for collecting nectar or pollen correlates with their sensitivity to gustatory stimuli (e.g. sugars). We hypothesize that pollen and nectar foragers also differ in their sensitivity to odors, and therefore in their likelihood to show odor-mediated responses. To assess foragerś sensitivity to natural odors, we quantified the conditioning of the proboscis extension reflex (PER) to increasing concentrations (0.001; 0.01; 0.1; 1 M) of linalool or nonanal. Furthermore, we compared electroantennogram (EAG) recordings to correlate bees' conditioned responses with the electrophysiological responses of their antennae. To further explore differences of the antennal response of foragers in relation to task-related odors, we registered EAG signals for two behaviorally ''meaningful'' odors that mediate pollen collection: fresh pollen odors and the brood pheromone (E)-β-ocimene. Pollen foragers performed better than nectar foragers in PER conditioning trials when linalool and nonanal were presented at low concentrations (0.001, 0.01 M). Consistently, their antennae showed stronger EAG signals (higher amplitudes) to these odors, suggesting that differences in sensitivity can be explained at the periphery of the olfactory system. Pollen and nectar foragers detect pollen odors differently, but not (E)-β-ocimene. Pollen volatiles evoked EAG signals with hyper and depolarization components. In pollen foragers, the contribution of the hyperpolarization component was higher than in nectar foragers. We discuss our findings in terms of adaptive advantages to learn subtle olfactory cues that influence the ability to better identify/discriminate food sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilia Moreno
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María José Corriale
- Grupo de Estudios sobre Biodiversidad en Agroecosistemas, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Instituto de Ecología Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), UBA-CONICET, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Andrés Arenas
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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13
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Liu F, Wu L, Zhang Y, Li Q, Li L, Huang ZY, Zhao H. Mblk-1 regulates sugar responsiveness in honey bee (Apis mellifera) foragers. INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 29:683-690. [PMID: 34580998 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Brain transcriptional regulatory network for behavior demonstrates that brain gene expression in the honey bee can be accurately predicted from the expression transcription factors (TFs), but roles for specific TFs are less understood. Mushroom bodies (MBs) are important for learning, memory and sensory integration in the honey bee brain. A TFs, Mblk-1, expressed preferentially in the large-type Kenyon cells of the honeybee MBs is predicted to be involved in brain function by regulating transcription of its target genes in honey bee. However, its function and the mechanism of regulation in behavior of honey bee is still obscure. Here we show that Mblk-1 had significantly higher expression in the brains of forager bees relative to nurse bees. Mblk-1 was significantly inhibited in bees fed small interfering RNA. In addition, inhibition of Mblk-1 decreased sucrose responsiveness in foragers. Finally, we determined that Mblk-1 regulated the messenger RNA of AmGR1. These findings suggest that Mblk-1 may target AmGR1 to regulate the sucrose responsiveness of foragers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Liu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Lixian Wu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Yuan Zhang
- Yunnan Academy of Biodiversity, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, 650224, China
| | - Qiang Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Liangbin Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Zachary Y Huang
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Hongxia Zhao
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, China
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14
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Gascue F, Marachlian E, Azcueta M, Locatelli FF, Klappenbach M. Antennal movements can be used as behavioral readout of odor valence in honey bees. IBRO Neurosci Rep 2022; 12:323-332. [PMID: 35746975 PMCID: PMC9210461 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2022.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The fact that honey bees have a relatively simple nervous system that allows complex behaviors has made them an outstanding model for studying neurobiological processes. Studies on learning and memory routinely use appetitive and aversive learning paradigms that involve recording of the proboscis or the sting extension. However, these protocols are based on all-or-none responses, which has the disadvantage of occluding intermediate and more elaborated behaviors. Nowadays, the great advances in tracking software and data analysis, combined with affordable video recording systems, have made it possible to extract very detailed information about animal behavior. Here we describe antennal movements that are elicited by odor that have no, positive or negative valence. We show that animals orient their antennae towards the source of the odor when it is positive, and orient them in the opposite direction when the odor is negative. Moreover, we found that this behavior was modified between animals that had been trained based on protocols of different strength. Since this procedure allows a more accurate description of the behavioral outcome using a relatively small number of animals, it represents a great tool for studying different cognitive processes and olfactory perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Gascue
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, CONICET, C1428EHA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Emiliano Marachlian
- Institut de Biologie de l′Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Université Paris, Paris, France
| | - Milagros Azcueta
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, CONICET, C1428EHA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Fernando F. Locatelli
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, CONICET, C1428EHA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Martín Klappenbach
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, CONICET, C1428EHA Buenos Aires, Argentina
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15
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Young honeybees show learned preferences after experiencing adulterated pollen. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23327. [PMID: 34857828 PMCID: PMC8640054 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02700-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Pollen selection affects honeybee colony development and productivity. Considering that pollen is consumed by young in-hive bees, and not by foragers, we hypothesized that young bees learn pollen cues and adjust their preferences to the most suitable pollens. To assess whether young bees show preferences based on learning for highly or poorly suitable pollens, we measured consumption preferences for two pure monofloral pollens after the bees had experienced one of them adulterated with a deterrent (amygdalin or quinine) or a phagostimulant (linoleic acid). Preferences were obtained from nurse-aged bees confined in cages and from nurse bees in open colonies. Furthermore, we tested the bees' orientation in a Y-maze using a neutral odour (Linalool or Nonanal) that had been previously associated with an amygdalin-adulterated pollen. Consumption preferences of bees, both in cages and in colonies, were reduced for pollens that had been adulterated with deterrents and increased for pollens that had been supplemented with linoleic acid. In the Y-maze, individuals consistently avoided the odours that they had previously experienced paired with the deterrent-adulterated pollen. Results show that nurse-aged bees associate pollen-based or pollen-related cues with either a distasteful/malaise experience or a tasty/nutritious event, leading to memories that bias their pollen-mediated response.
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16
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Finke V, Baracchi D, Giurfa M, Scheiner R, Avarguès-Weber A. Evidence of cognitive specialization in an insect: proficiency is maintained across elemental and higher-order visual learning but not between sensory modalities in honey bees. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:273769. [PMID: 34664669 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Individuals differing in their cognitive abilities and foraging strategies may confer a valuable benefit to their social groups as variability may help responding flexibly in scenarios with different resource availability. Individual learning proficiency may either be absolute or vary with the complexity or the nature of the problem considered. Determining if learning abilities correlate between tasks of different complexity or between sensory modalities has a high interest for research on brain modularity and task-dependent specialisation of neural circuits. The honeybee Apis mellifera constitutes an attractive model to address this question due to its capacity to successfully learn a large range of tasks in various sensory domains. Here we studied whether the performance of individual bees in a simple visual discrimination task (a discrimination between two visual shapes) is stable over time and correlates with their capacity to solve either a higher-order visual task (a conceptual discrimination based on spatial relations between objects) or an elemental olfactory task (a discrimination between two odorants). We found that individual learning proficiency within a given task was maintained over time and that some individuals performed consistently better than others within the visual modality, thus showing consistent aptitude across visual tasks of different complexity. By contrast, performance in the elemental visual-learning task did not predict performance in the equivalent elemental olfactory task. Overall, our results suggest the existence of cognitive specialisation within the hive, which may contribute to ecological social success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Finke
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse; CNRS, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France.,Biozentrum, Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - David Baracchi
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse; CNRS, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France.,Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse; CNRS, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France.,Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | - Ricarda Scheiner
- Biozentrum, Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Aurore Avarguès-Weber
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse; CNRS, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
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17
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Sezen E, Dereszkiewicz E, Hozan A, Bennett MM, Ozturk C, Smith BH, Cook CN. Heritable Cognitive Phenotypes Influence Appetitive Learning but not Extinction in Honey Bees. ANNALS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 114:606-613. [PMID: 34512859 PMCID: PMC8423107 DOI: 10.1093/aesa/saab023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Learning and attention allow animals to better navigate complex environments. While foraging, honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) learn several aspects of their foraging environment, such as color and odor of flowers, which likely begins to happen before they evaluate the quality of the food. If bees begin to evaluate quality before they taste food, and then learn the food is depleted, this may create a conflict in what the bee learns and remembers. Individual honey bees differ in their sensitivity to information, thus creating variation in how they learn or do not learn certain environmental stimuli. For example, foraging honey bees exhibit differences in latent inhibition (LI), a learning process through which regular encounter with a stimulus without a consequence such as food can later reduce conditioning to that stimulus. Here, we test whether bees from distinct selected LI genotypes learn differently if reinforced via just antennae or via both antennae + proboscis. We also evaluate whether learned information goes extinct at different rates in these distinct LI genetic lines. We find that high LI bees learned significantly better when they were reinforced both antenna + proboscis, while low LI and control bees learned similarly with the two reinforcement pathways. We also find no differences in the acquisition and extinction of learned information in high LI and low LI bees. Our work provides insight into how underlying cognition may influence how honey bees learn and value information, which may lead to differences in how individuals and colonies make foraging decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eda Sezen
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | | | - Alvin Hozan
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Meghan M Bennett
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Carl Hayden Honey Bee Research Laboratory, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Cahit Ozturk
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Brian H Smith
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Chelsea N Cook
- Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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18
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Scheiner R, Lim K, Meixner MD, Gabel MS. Comparing the Appetitive Learning Performance of Six European Honeybee Subspecies in a Common Apiary. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12090768. [PMID: 34564208 PMCID: PMC8468525 DOI: 10.3390/insects12090768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary This study is the first to compare the associative learning performance of six honeybee subspecies from different European regions in a common apiary. We quantified sucrose responsiveness prior to appetitive olfactory proboscis extension learning to dissociate effects of motivation and cognition. Our results show that Apis mellifera iberiensis displayed a significantly poorer learning performance compared to other Apis subspecies from across Europe, which did not differ from each other. Possible causes are discussed. Abstract The Western honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) is one of the most widespread insects with numerous subspecies in its native range. How far adaptation to local habitats has affected the cognitive skills of the different subspecies is an intriguing question that we investigate in this study. Naturally mated queens of the following five subspecies from different parts of Europe were transferred to Southern Germany: A. m. iberiensis from Portugal, A. m. mellifera from Belgium, A. m. macedonica from Greece, A. m. ligustica from Italy, and A. m. ruttneri from Malta. We also included the local subspecies A. m. carnica in our study. New colonies were built up in a common apiary where the respective queens were introduced. Worker offspring from the different subspecies were compared in classical olfactory learning performance using the proboscis extension response. Prior to conditioning, we measured individual sucrose responsiveness to investigate whether possible differences in learning performances were due to differential responsiveness to the sugar water reward. Most subspecies did not differ in their appetitive learning performance. However, foragers of the Iberian honeybee, A. m. iberiensis, performed significantly more poorly, despite having a similar sucrose responsiveness. We discuss possible causes for the poor performance of the Iberian honeybees, which may have been shaped by adaptation to the local habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricarda Scheiner
- Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany; (K.L.); (M.S.G.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Kayun Lim
- Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany; (K.L.); (M.S.G.)
- Laboratory of Insect Biosystematics, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Marina D. Meixner
- Landesbetrieb Landwirtschaft Hessen, Bee Institute Kirchhain, Erlenstraße 9, 35274 Kirchhain, Germany;
| | - Martin S. Gabel
- Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany; (K.L.); (M.S.G.)
- Landesbetrieb Landwirtschaft Hessen, Bee Institute Kirchhain, Erlenstraße 9, 35274 Kirchhain, Germany;
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19
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Thamm M, Wagler K, Brockmann A, Scheiner R. Tyramine 1 Receptor Distribution in the Brain of Corbiculate Bees Points to a Conserved Function. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2021; 96:13-25. [PMID: 34265763 DOI: 10.1159/000517014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Sucrose represents an important carbohydrate source for most bee species. In the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) it was shown that individual sucrose responsiveness correlates with the task performed in the colony, supporting the response threshold theory which states that individuals with the lowest threshold for a task-associated stimuli will perform the associated task. Tyramine was shown to modulate sucrose responsiveness, most likely via the tyramine 1 receptor. This receptor is located in brain areas important for the processing of gustatory stimuli. We asked whether the spatial expression pattern of the tyramine 1 receptor is a unique adaptation of honeybees or if its expression represents a conserved trait. Using a specific tyramine receptor 1 antibody, we compared the spatial expression of this receptor in the brain of different corbiculate bee species, including eusocial honeybees, bumblebees, stingless bees, and the solitary bee Osmia bicornis as an outgroup. We found a similar labeling pattern in the mushroom bodies, the central complex, the dorsal lobe, and the gnathal ganglia, indicating a conserved receptor expression. With respect to sucrose responsiveness this result is of special importance. We assume that the tyramine 1 receptor expression in these neuropiles provides the basis for modulation of sucrose responsiveness. Furthermore, the tyramine 1 receptor expression seems to be independent of size, as labeling is similar in bee species that differ greatly in their body size. However, the situation in the optic lobes appears to be different. Here, the lobula of stingless bees is clearly labeled by the tyramine receptor 1 antibody, whereas this labeling is absent in other species. This indicates that the regulation of this receptor is different in the optic lobes, while its function in this neuropile remains unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Thamm
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Wagler
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Axel Brockmann
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India
| | - Ricarda Scheiner
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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20
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Ali H, Iqbal J, Raweh HS, Alqarni AS. Proboscis behavioral response of four honey bee Apis species towards different concentrations of sucrose, glucose, and fructose. Saudi J Biol Sci 2021; 28:3275-3283. [PMID: 34121865 PMCID: PMC8176061 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.02.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Honey bees forage for pollen and nectar. Sugar is an important stimulus for foraging and a major source of energy for honey bees. Any differential response of bees to different concentrations of sugary nectar can affect their foraging. The sugar responsiveness of Apis species (Apis dorsata, Apis florea, and Apis cerana) was determined in comparison to that of Apis mellifera by evaluating the proboscis extension response (PER) with eight serial concentrations (0.00001, 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 M) of sucrose, glucose and fructose. Nectar foragers of bee species (A. dorsata, A. florea, A. cerana, and A. mellifera) exhibited an equal response for sucrose, glucose, and fructose, with no significant differences in their PER at all tested concentrations of these sugars within the same species. The inter-species comparison between Apis species revealed the differential responsiveness to the different concentrations of sugars, and the lowest concentration at which a response occurs was considered as the response threshold of these bee species for sugar solutions. A. mellifera presented significantly higher responsiveness than A. dorsata to low concentrations (0.00001, 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, and 0.1 M) of sucrose, glucose and fructose. A. mellifera displayed a significantly higher response to water than A. dorsata. A. florea and A. mellifera presented no significant difference in their responsiveness to sucrose, glucose, and fructose at all tested concentrations, and their water responsiveness was also significantly at par but relatively higher in A. mellifera than in A. florea. Likewise, the responsiveness of A. cerana and A. mellifera to different concentrations of sucrose, glucose and fructose was significantly at par with no difference in their water responsiveness. This study represents preliminary research comparing the response of different honey bee species to three sugar types at different concentrations. The results imply that the native species are all better adapted than A. mellifera under local climate conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hussain Ali
- Department of Plant Protection, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.,Entomology Section, Agricultural Research Institute, Tarnab, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Javaid Iqbal
- Department of Plant Protection, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hael S Raweh
- Department of Plant Protection, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulaziz S Alqarni
- Department of Plant Protection, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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21
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Değirmenci L, Geiger D, Rogé Ferreira FL, Keller A, Krischke B, Beye M, Steffan-Dewenter I, Scheiner R. CRISPR/Cas 9-Mediated Mutations as a New Tool for Studying Taste in Honeybees. Chem Senses 2021; 45:655-666. [PMID: 32968780 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjaa063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Honeybees rely on nectar as their main source of carbohydrates. Sucrose, glucose, and fructose are the main components of plant nectars. Intriguingly, honeybees express only 3 putative sugar receptors (AmGr1, AmGr2, and AmGr3), which is in stark contrast to many other insects and vertebrates. The sugar receptors are only partially characterized. AmGr1 detects different sugars including sucrose and glucose. AmGr2 is assumed to act as a co-receptor only, while AmGr3 is assumedly a fructose receptor. We show that honeybee gustatory receptor AmGr3 is highly specialized for fructose perception when expressed in Xenopus oocytes. When we introduced nonsense mutations to the respective AmGr3 gene using CRISPR/Cas9 in eggs of female workers, the resulting mutants displayed almost a complete loss of responsiveness to fructose. In contrast, responses to sucrose were normal. Nonsense mutations introduced by CRISPR/Cas9 in honeybees can thus induce a measurable behavioral change and serve to characterize the function of taste receptors in vivo. CRISPR/Cas9 is an excellent novel tool for characterizing honeybee taste receptors in vivo. Biophysical receptor characterization in Xenopus oocytes and nonsense mutation of AmGr3 in honeybees unequivocally demonstrate that this receptor is highly specific for fructose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Değirmenci
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, University of Würzburg, Biocenter, Am Hubland, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Dietmar Geiger
- Julius-von-Sachs-Institute, Molecular Plant Physiology and Biophysics, University of Würzburg, Biocenter, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Fábio Luiz Rogé Ferreira
- Julius-von-Sachs-Institute, Molecular Plant Physiology and Biophysics, University of Würzburg, Biocenter, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Keller
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter, Am Hubland, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Beate Krischke
- Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Biocenter, Am Hubland, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Martin Beye
- Evolutionary Genetics, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
- Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Biocenter, Am Hubland, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ricarda Scheiner
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, University of Würzburg, Biocenter, Am Hubland, Würzburg, Germany
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22
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Kennedy A, Peng T, Glaser SM, Linn M, Foitzik S, Grüter C. Use of waggle dance information in honey bees is linked to gene expression in the antennae, but not in the brain. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:2676-2688. [PMID: 33742503 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Communication is essential for social animals, but deciding how to utilize information provided by conspecifics is a complex process that depends on environmental and intrinsic factors. Honey bees use a unique form of communication, the waggle dance, to inform nestmates about the location of food sources. However, as in many other animals, experienced individuals often ignore this social information and prefer to rely on prior experiences, i.e., private information. The neurosensory factors that drive the decision to use social information are not yet understood. Here we test whether the decision to use social dance information or private information is linked to gene expression differences in different parts of the nervous system. We trained bees to collect food from sugar water feeders and observed whether they utilize social or private information when exposed to dances for a new food source. We performed transcriptome analysis of four brain parts (11-16 bees per tissue type) critical for cognition: the subesophageal ganglion, the central brain, the mushroom bodies, and the antennal lobes but, unexpectedly, detected no differences between social or private information users. In contrast, we found 413 differentially expressed genes in the antennae, suggesting that variation in sensory perception mediates the decision to use social information. Social information users were characterized by the upregulation of biogenic amine genes, while private information users upregulated several genes coding for odour perception. These results highlight that decision-making in honey bees might also depend on peripheral processes of perception rather than higher-order brain centres of information integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anissa Kennedy
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Tianfei Peng
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.,College of Plant Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Simone M Glaser
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Melissa Linn
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Christoph Grüter
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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23
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Nery D, Moreno E, Arenas A. Pollen reinforces learning in honey bee pollen foragers but not in nectar foragers. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb230250. [PMID: 33077641 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.230250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Searching for reward motivates and drives behaviour. In honey bees Apis mellifera, specialized pollen foragers are attracted to and learn odours with pollen. However, the role of pollen as a reward remains poorly understood. Unlike nectar, pollen is not ingested during collection. We hypothesized that pollen (but not nectar) foragers could learn pollen by sole antennal or tarsal stimulation. Then, we tested how pairing of pollen (either hand- or bee-collected) and a neutral odour during a pre-conditioning affects performance of both pollen and nectar foragers during the classical conditioning of the proboscis extension response. Secondly, we tested whether nectar and pollen foragers perceive the simultaneous presentation of pollen (on the tarsi) and sugar (on the antennae) as a better reinforcement than sucrose alone. Finally, we searched for differences in learning of the pollen and nectar foragers when they were prevented from ingesting the reward during the conditioning. Differences in pollen-reinforced learning correlate with division of labour between pollen and nectar foragers. Results show that pollen foragers performed better than nectar foragers during the conditioning phase after being pre-conditioned with pollen. Pollen foragers also performed better than nectar foragers in both the acquisition and extinction phases of the conditioning, when reinforced with the dual reward. Consistently, pollen foragers showed improved abilities to learn cues reinforced without sugar ingestion. We discussed that differences in how pollen and nectar foragers respond to a cue associated with pollen greatly contribute to the physiological mechanism that underlies foraging specialization in the honeybee.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Nery
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Emilia Moreno
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Andrés Arenas
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
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24
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Carlesso D, Smargiassi S, Sassoli L, Cappa F, Cervo R, Baracchi D. Exposure to a biopesticide interferes with sucrose responsiveness and learning in honey bees. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19929. [PMID: 33199794 PMCID: PMC7670424 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76852-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana is a widely used biopesticide that is considered as an effective alternative to classical agrochemicals. B. bassiana is thought to be safe for pollinators although little is known about its side-effects on pollinators' behaviour and cognition. Here, we focused on honey bees and used the proboscis extension response (PER) protocol to assess whether B. bassiana affects individual sucrose responsiveness, non-associative and associative olfactory learning and memory. Fungus-treated bees displayed an enhanced sucrose responsiveness, which could not be explained by metabolic alterations. Strikingly, exposed bees were twice as inconsistent as controls in response to sucrose, showing PER to lower but not to higher sucrose concentrations. Exposed bees habituated less to sucrose and had a better acquisition performance in the conditioning phase than controls. Further, neither mid- nor long-term memory were affected by the fungus. As sucrose responsiveness is the main determinant of division of foraging labour, these changes might unsettle the numerical ratio between the sub-castes of foragers leading to suboptimal foraging. Although the use of biocontrol strategies should be preferred over chemical pesticides, careful assessment of their side-effects is crucial before claiming that they are safe for pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Carlesso
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.,Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Stefania Smargiassi
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Lara Sassoli
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Federico Cappa
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Rita Cervo
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - David Baracchi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
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25
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Rossi N, Pereyra M, Moauro MA, Giurfa M, d'Ettorre P, Josens R. Trail pheromone modulates subjective reward evaluation in Argentine ants. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb230532. [PMID: 32680904 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.230532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, is native to South America but has become one of the most invasive species in the world. These ants heavily rely on trail pheromones for foraging, and previous studies have focused on such signals to develop a strategy for chemical control. Here, we studied the effects of pre-exposure to the trail pheromone on sugar acceptance and olfactory learning in Argentine ants. We used the synthetic trail pheromone component (Z)-9-hexadecenal, which triggers the same attraction and trail-following behavior as the natural trail pheromone. We found that pre-exposure to (Z)-9-hexadecenal increases the acceptance of sucrose solutions of different concentrations, thus changing the ants' subjective evaluation of a food reward. However, although ants learned to associate an odor with a sucrose reward, pheromone pre-exposure affected neither the learning nor the mid-term memory of the odor-reward association. Taking into account the importance of the Argentine ant as a pest and invasive organism, our results highlight the importance of pheromonal cues in resource evaluation, a fact that could be useful in control strategies implemented for this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natacha Rossi
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IFIBYNE, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria Pab. II. (C1428 EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, F-31062 Toulouse Cedex 09, France
| | - Muriel Pereyra
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IFIBYNE, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria Pab. II. (C1428 EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariel A Moauro
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IFIBYNE, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria Pab. II. (C1428 EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, F-31062 Toulouse Cedex 09, France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
| | - Patrizia d'Ettorre
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology, UR4443, University Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
| | - Roxana Josens
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IFIBYNE, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria Pab. II. (C1428 EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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26
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Scheiner R, Frantzmann F, Jäger M, Mitesser O, Helfrich-Förster C, Pauls D. A Novel Thermal-Visual Place Learning Paradigm for Honeybees ( Apis mellifera). Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:56. [PMID: 32351370 PMCID: PMC7174502 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Honeybees (Apis mellifera) have fascinating navigational skills and learning capabilities in the field. To decipher the mechanisms underlying place learning in honeybees, we need paradigms to study place learning of individual honeybees under controlled laboratory conditions. Here, we present a novel visual place learning arena for honeybees which relies on high temperatures as aversive stimuli. Honeybees learn to locate a safe spot in an unpleasantly warm arena, relying on a visual panorama. Bees can solve this task at a temperature of 46°C, while at temperatures above 48°C bees die quickly. This new paradigm, which is based on pioneering work on Drosophila, allows us now to investigate thermal-visual place learning of individual honeybees in the laboratory, for example after controlled genetic knockout or pharmacological intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricarda Scheiner
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Felix Frantzmann
- Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Neurobiology and Genetics, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Maria Jäger
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Oliver Mitesser
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Biocenter, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Charlotte Helfrich-Förster
- Neurobiology and Genetics, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Dennis Pauls
- Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Neurobiology and Genetics, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Arican C, Bulk J, Deisig N, Nawrot MP. Cockroaches Show Individuality in Learning and Memory During Classical and Operant Conditioning. Front Physiol 2020; 10:1539. [PMID: 31969831 PMCID: PMC6960104 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal personality and individuality are intensively researched in vertebrates and both concepts are increasingly applied to behavioral science in insects. However, only few studies have looked into individuality with respect to performance in learning and memory tasks. In vertebrates, individual learning capabilities vary considerably with respect to learning speed and learning rate. Likewise, honeybees express individual learning abilities in a wide range of classical conditioning protocols. Here, we study individuality in the learning and memory performance of cockroaches, both in classical and operant conditioning tasks. We implemented a novel classical (olfactory) conditioning paradigm where the conditioned response is established in the maxilla-labia response (MLR). Operant spatial learning was investigated in a forced two-choice task using a T-maze. Our results confirm individual learning abilities in classical conditioning of cockroaches that was reported for honeybees and vertebrates but contrast long-standing reports on stochastic learning behavior in fruit flies. In our experiments, most learners expressed a correct behavior after only a single learning trial showing a consistent high performance during training and test. We can further show that individual learning differences in insects are not limited to classical conditioning but equally appear in operant conditioning of the cockroach.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nina Deisig
- Department of Computational Systems Neuroscience, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Martin Paul Nawrot
- Department of Computational Systems Neuroscience, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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28
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George EA, Bröger A, Thamm M, Brockmann A, Scheiner R. Inter‐individual variation in honey bee dance intensity correlates with expression of the
foraging
gene. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2019; 19:e12592. [DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ebi A. George
- National Centre for Biological Sciences Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Bangalore India
| | - Ann‐Kathrin Bröger
- Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology, Biocenter University of Würzburg Würzburg Germany
| | - Markus Thamm
- Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology, Biocenter University of Würzburg Würzburg Germany
| | - Axel Brockmann
- National Centre for Biological Sciences Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Bangalore India
| | - Ricarda Scheiner
- Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology, Biocenter University of Würzburg Würzburg Germany
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29
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Nicholls E, Krishna S, Wright O, Stabler D, Krefft A, Somanathan H, Hempel de Ibarra N. A matter of taste: the adverse effect of pollen compounds on the pre-ingestive gustatory experience of sugar solutions for honeybees. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2019; 205:333-346. [PMID: 31165282 PMCID: PMC6579781 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-019-01347-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2019] [Revised: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In addition to sugars, nectar contains multiple nutrient compounds in varying concentrations, yet little is known of their effect on the reward properties of nectar and the resulting implications for insect behaviour. We examined the pre-ingestive responses of honeybees to sucrose solutions containing a mix of pollen compounds, the amino acids proline or phenylalanine, or known distasteful substances, quinine and salt. We predicted that in taste and learning assays, bees would respond positively to the presence of nutrient compounds in a sucrose solution. However, bees’ proboscis extension responses decreased when their antennae were stimulated with pollen- or amino acid-supplemented sucrose solutions. Compared to pure sucrose, bees exhibited worse acquisition when conditioned to an odour with pollen-supplemented sucrose as the unconditioned stimulus. Such learning impairment was also observed with quinine-containing sucrose solutions. Our results suggest that bees can use their antennae to detect pollen compounds in floral nectars. Depending on the type and concentrations of compounds present, this may result in nectar being perceived as distasteful by bees, making it less effective in reinforcing the learning of floral cues. Such reward devaluation might be adaptive in cases where plants benefit from regulating the frequency of bee visitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Nicholls
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - S Krishna
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- Centre for Research in Ecology and Evolution, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER-TVM), Thiruvananthapuram, India
| | - O Wright
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - D Stabler
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, UK
| | - A Krefft
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - H Somanathan
- Centre for Research in Ecology and Evolution, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER-TVM), Thiruvananthapuram, India
| | - N Hempel de Ibarra
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
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30
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Hendriksma HP, Toth AL, Shafir S. Individual and Colony Level Foraging Decisions of Bumble Bees and Honey Bees in Relation to Balancing of Nutrient Needs. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
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31
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Finkelstein AB, Brent CS, Giurfa M, Amdam GV. Foraging Experiences Durably Modulate Honey Bees' Sucrose Responsiveness and Antennal Lobe Biogenic Amine Levels. Sci Rep 2019; 9:5393. [PMID: 30931967 PMCID: PMC6443788 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41624-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Foraging exposes organisms to rewarding and aversive events, providing a selective advantage for maximizing the former while minimizing the latter. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) associate environmental stimuli with appetitive or aversive experiences, forming preferences for scents, locations, and visual cues. Preference formation is influenced by inter-individual variation in sensitivity to rewarding and aversive stimuli, which can be modulated by pharmacological manipulation of biogenic amines. We propose that foraging experiences act on biogenic amine pathways to induce enduring changes to stimulus responsiveness. To simulate varied foraging conditions, freely-moving bees were housed in cages where feeders offered combinations of sucrose solution, floral scents, and aversive electric shock. Transient effects were excluded by providing bees with neutral conditions for three days prior to all subsequent assays. Sucrose responsiveness was reduced in bees that had foraged for scented rather than unscented sucrose under benign conditions. This was not the case under aversive foraging conditions, suggesting an adaptive tuning process which maximizes preference for high quality, non-aversive floral sites. Foraging conditions also influenced antennal lobe octopamine and serotonin, neuromodulators involved in stimulus responsiveness and foraging site evaluation. Our results suggest that individuals’ foraging experiences durably modify neurochemistry and shape future foraging behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Colin S Brent
- United States Department of Agriculture, Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, Maricopa, USA
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062, Toulouse, Cedex 09, France
| | - Gro V Amdam
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA.,Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway
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32
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George EA, Brockmann A. Social modulation of individual differences in dance communication in honey bees. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2649-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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33
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Kohlmeier P, Alleman AR, Libbrecht R, Foitzik S, Feldmeyer B. Gene expression is more strongly associated with behavioural specialization than with age or fertility in ant workers. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:658-670. [PMID: 30525254 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2018] [Revised: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The ecological success of social insects is based on division of labour, not only between queens and workers, but also among workers. Whether a worker tends the brood or forages is influenced by age, fertility and nutritional status, with brood carers being younger, more fecund and more corpulent. Here, we experimentally disentangle behavioural specialization from age and fertility in Temnothorax longispinosus ant workers and analyse how these parameters are linked to whole-body gene expression. A total of 3,644 genes were associated with behavioural specialization which is ten times more than associated with age and 50 times more than associated with fertility. Brood carers were characterized by an upregulation of three Vitellogenin (Vg) genes, one of which, Vg-like A, was the most differentially expressed gene that was recently shown experimentally to control the switch from brood to worker care. The expression of Conventional Vg was unlinked to behavioural specialization, age or fertility, which contrasts to studies on bees and some ants. Diversity in Vg/Vg-like copy number and expression bias across ants supports subfunctionalization of Vg genes and indicates that some regulatory mechanisms of division of labour diverged in different ant lineages. Simulations revealed that our experimental dissociation of co-varying factors reduced transcriptomic noise, suggesting that confounding factors could potentially explain inconsistencies across transcriptomic studies of behavioural specialization in ants. Thus, our study reveals that worker gene expression is mainly linked to the worker's function for the colony and provides novel insights into the evolution of sociality in ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Kohlmeier
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Austin R Alleman
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Romain Libbrecht
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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34
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Thamm M, Sturm K, Schlossmann J, Scheiner R. Levels and activity of cyclic guanosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase in nurse and forager honeybees. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 27:815-823. [PMID: 30040150 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Age-dependent division of labour in honeybees was shown to be connected to sensory response thresholds. Foragers show a higher gustatory responsiveness than nurse bees. It is generally assumed that nutrition-related signalling pathways underlie this behavioural plasticity. Here, one important candidate gene is the foraging gene, which encodes a cyclic guanosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase (PKG). Several roles of members of this enzyme family were analysed in vertebrates. They own functions in important processes such as growth, secretion and neuronal adaptation. Honeybee foraging messenger RNA expression is upregulated in the brain of foragers. In vivo activation of PKG can modulate gustatory responsiveness. We present for the first time PKG protein level and activity data in the context of social behaviour and feeding. Protein level was significantly higher in brains of foragers than in those of nurse bees, substantiating the role of PKG in behavioural plasticity. However, enzyme activity did not differ between behavioural roles. The mediation of feeding status appears independent of PKG signalling. Neither PKG content nor enzyme activity differed between starved and satiated individuals. We suggest that even though nutrition-related pathways are surely involved in controlling behavioural plasticity, which involves changes in PKG signalling, mediation of satiety itself is independent of PKG.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Thamm
- Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - K Sturm
- Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - J Schlossmann
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - R Scheiner
- Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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35
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Rossi N, d'Ettorre P, Giurfa M. Pheromones modulate responsiveness to a noxious stimulus in honey bees. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:jeb.172270. [PMID: 29378816 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.172270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Pheromones are chemical substances released into the environment by an individual, which trigger stereotyped behaviors and/or physiological processes in individuals of the same species. Yet, a novel hypothesis has suggested that pheromones not only elicit innate responses but also contribute to behavioral plasticity by affecting the subjective evaluation of appetitive or aversive stimuli. To test this hypothesis, we exposed bees to three pheromonal components whose valence was either negative (i.e. associated with aversive events: isopentyl acetate and 2-heptanone) or positive (i.e. associated with appetitive events: geraniol). We then determined the effect of this exposure on the subjective evaluation of aversive stimuli by quantifying responsiveness to a series of increasing electric shock voltages before and after exposure. Two experiments were conducted varying the time lapse between shock series (15 min in experiment 1, and 24 h in experiment 2). In experiment 1, we observed a general decrease of shock responsiveness caused by fatigue, due to the short lapse of time between the two series of shocks. This decrease could only be counteracted by isopentyl acetate. The enhancing effect of isopentyl acetate on shock responsiveness was also found in experiment 2. Conversely, geraniol decreased aversive responsiveness in this experiment; 2-heptanone did not affect aversive responsiveness in any experiment. Overall, our results demonstrate that certain pheromones modulate the salience of aversive stimuli according to their valence. In this way, they would affect the motivation to engage in aversive responses, thus acting as modulators of behavioral plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natacha Rossi
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 09, France
| | - Patrizia d'Ettorre
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology, University of Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 99 avenue J.-B. Clément, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 09, France
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36
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Kapheim KM, Johnson MM. Support for the reproductive ground plan hypothesis in a solitary bee: links between sucrose response and reproductive status. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2016.2406. [PMID: 28100820 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In social bees, foraging behaviour is correlated with reproductive status and sucrose sensitivity via endocrine pathways. This association led to the hypothesis that division of labour in social insect societies is derived from an ancestral ground plan that functions to synchronize dietary preferences with reproductive needs in solitary insects. However, the relationship between these traits is unknown for solitary bees, which represent the ancestral state of social bees. We used the proboscis extension response assay to measure sucrose response among reproductive females of the solitary alkali bee (Nomia melanderi) as a function of acute juvenile hormone (JH) treatments and reproductive physiology. We also tested long-term effects of JH on reproductive development in newly emerged females. JH did not have short-term effects on reproductive physiology or sucrose response, but did have significant long-term effects on ovary and Dufour's gland development. Dufour's gland size, not ovary development, was a significant predictor of sucrose response. This provides support for the reproductive ground plan hypothesis, because the Dufour's gland has conserved reproductive functions in bees. Differing results from this study and honeybees suggest independent origins of division of labour may have evolved via co-option of different components of a conserved ground plan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen M Kapheim
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Makenna M Johnson
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
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37
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Liu F, Shi T, Yin W, Su X, Qi L, Huang ZY, Zhang S, Yu L. The microRNA ame-miR-279a regulates sucrose responsiveness of forager honey bees (Apis mellifera). INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2017; 90:34-42. [PMID: 28941994 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2017.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Revised: 08/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Increasing evidence demonstrates that microRNAs (miRNA) play an important role in the regulation of animal behaviours. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are eusocial insects, with honey bee workers displaying age-dependent behavioural maturation. Many different miRNAs have been implicated in the change of behaviours in honey bees and ame-miR-279a was previously shown to be more highly expressed in nurse bee heads than in those of foragers. However, it was not clear whether this difference in expression was associated with age or task performance. Here we show that ame-miR-279a shows significantly higher expression in the brains of nurse bees relative to forager bees regardless of their ages, and that ame-miR-279a is primarily localized in the Kenyon cells of the mushroom body in both foragers and nurses. Overexpression of ame-miR-279a attenuates the sucrose responsiveness of foragers, while its absence enhances their sucrose responsiveness. Lastly, we determined that ame-miR-279a directly target the mRNA of Mblk-1. These findings suggest that ame-miR-279a plays important roles in regulating honey bee division of labour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Liu
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 230000, Hefei, Anhui, China.
| | - Tengfei Shi
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 230000, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Wei Yin
- Core Facilities, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Xin Su
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 230000, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Lei Qi
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 230000, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Zachary Y Huang
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States.
| | - Shaowu Zhang
- Research School of Biology, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, The Australian National University, Australia
| | - Linsheng Yu
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 230000, Hefei, Anhui, China
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38
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Muth F, Cooper TR, Bonilla RF, Leonard AS. A novel protocol for studying bee cognition in the wild. Methods Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Felicity Muth
- Department of Biology University of Nevada Reno NV USA
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39
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Scheiner R, Entler BV, Barron AB, Scholl C, Thamm M. The Effects of Fat Body Tyramine Level on Gustatory Responsiveness of Honeybees ( Apis mellifera) Differ between Behavioral Castes. Front Syst Neurosci 2017; 11:55. [PMID: 28848405 PMCID: PMC5550709 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2017.00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Division of labor is a hallmark of social insects. In the honeybee (Apis mellifera) each sterile female worker performs a series of social tasks. The most drastic changes in behavior occur when a nurse bee, who takes care of the brood and the queen in the hive, transitions to foraging behavior. Foragers provision the colony with pollen, nectar or water. Nurse bees and foragers differ in numerous behaviors, including responsiveness to gustatory stimuli. Differences in gustatory responsiveness, in turn, might be involved in regulating division of labor through differential sensory response thresholds. Biogenic amines are important modulators of behavior. Tyramine and octopamine have been shown to increase gustatory responsiveness in honeybees when injected into the thorax, thereby possibly triggering social organization. So far, most of the experiments investigating the role of amines on gustatory responsiveness have focused on the brain. The potential role of the fat body in regulating sensory responsiveness and division of labor has large been neglected. We here investigated the role of the fat body in modulating gustatory responsiveness through tyramine signaling in different social roles of honeybees. We quantified levels of tyramine, tyramine receptor gene expression and the effect of elevating fat body tyramine titers on gustatory responsiveness in both nurse bees and foragers. Our data suggest that elevating the tyramine titer in the fat body pharmacologically increases gustatory responsiveness in foragers, but not in nurse bees. This differential effect of tyramine on gustatory responsiveness correlates with a higher natural gustatory responsiveness of foragers, with a higher tyramine receptor (Amtar1) mRNA expression in fat bodies of foragers and with lower baseline tyramine titers in fat bodies of foragers compared to those of nurse bees. We suggest that differential tyramine signaling in the fat body has an important role in the plasticity of division of labor through changing gustatory responsiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricarda Scheiner
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Biocenter, University of WürzburgWürzburg, Germany
| | - Brian V Entler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie UniversitySydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Andrew B Barron
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie UniversitySydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Christina Scholl
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Biocenter, University of WürzburgWürzburg, Germany
| | - Markus Thamm
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Biocenter, University of WürzburgWürzburg, Germany
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Thamm M, Scholl C, Reim T, Grübel K, Möller K, Rössler W, Scheiner R. Neuronal distribution of tyramine and the tyramine receptor AmTAR1 in the honeybee brain. J Comp Neurol 2017; 525:2615-2631. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Revised: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 04/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Markus Thamm
- Behavioral Physiology & SociobiologyBiocenter, University of WürzburgAm Hubland Würzburg Germany
| | - Christina Scholl
- Behavioral Physiology & SociobiologyBiocenter, University of WürzburgAm Hubland Würzburg Germany
| | - Tina Reim
- Animal Physiology, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of PotsdamPotsdam Germany
| | - Kornelia Grübel
- Behavioral Physiology & SociobiologyBiocenter, University of WürzburgAm Hubland Würzburg Germany
| | - Karin Möller
- Behavioral Physiology & SociobiologyBiocenter, University of WürzburgAm Hubland Würzburg Germany
| | - Wolfgang Rössler
- Behavioral Physiology & SociobiologyBiocenter, University of WürzburgAm Hubland Würzburg Germany
| | - Ricarda Scheiner
- Behavioral Physiology & SociobiologyBiocenter, University of WürzburgAm Hubland Würzburg Germany
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Scheiner R, Reim T, Søvik E, Entler BV, Barron AB, Thamm M. Learning, gustatory responsiveness and tyramine differences across nurse and forager honeybees. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:1443-1450. [PMID: 28167800 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.152496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Honeybees are well known for their complex division of labor. Each bee sequentially performs a series of social tasks during its life. The changes in social task performance are linked to gross differences in behavior and physiology. We tested whether honeybees performing different social tasks (nursing versus foraging) would differ in their gustatory responsiveness and associative learning behavior in addition to their daily tasks in the colony. Further, we investigated the role of the biogenic amine tyramine and its receptors in the behavior of nurse bees and foragers. Tyramine is an important insect neurotransmitter, which has long been neglected in behavioral studies as it was believed to only act as the metabolic precursor of the better-known amine octopamine. With the increasing number of characterized tyramine receptors in diverse insects, we need to understand the functions of tyramine on its own account. Our findings suggest an important role for tyramine and its two receptors in regulating honeybee gustatory responsiveness, social organization and learning behavior. Foragers, which were more responsive to gustatory stimuli than nurse bees and performed better in appetitive learning, also differed from nurse bees in their tyramine brain titers and in the mRNA expression of a tyramine receptor in the brain. Pharmacological activation of tyramine receptors increased gustatory responsiveness of nurse bees and foragers and improved appetitive learning in nurse bees. These data suggest that a large part of the behavioral differences between honeybees may be directly linked to tyramine signaling in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricarda Scheiner
- University of Würzburg, Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology, Biocenter, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany .,University of Potsdam, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam 14476, Germany
| | - Tina Reim
- University of Potsdam, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam 14476, Germany
| | - Eirik Søvik
- Macquarie University, Department of Biological Sciences, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.,Volda University College, Department of Science and Mathematics, Volda 6100, Norway
| | - Brian V Entler
- Macquarie University, Department of Biological Sciences, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Andrew B Barron
- Macquarie University, Department of Biological Sciences, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Markus Thamm
- University of Würzburg, Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology, Biocenter, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany
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Avarguès-Weber A, Mota T. Advances and limitations of visual conditioning protocols in harnessed bees. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 110:107-118. [PMID: 27998810 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2016.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Revised: 10/06/2016] [Accepted: 12/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Bees are excellent invertebrate models for studying visual learning and memory mechanisms, because of their sophisticated visual system and impressive cognitive capacities associated with a relatively simple brain. Visual learning in free-flying bees has been traditionally studied using an operant conditioning paradigm. This well-established protocol, however, can hardly be combined with invasive procedures for studying the neurobiological basis of visual learning. Different efforts have been made to develop protocols in which harnessed honey bees could associate visual cues with reinforcement, though learning performances remain poorer than those obtained with free-flying animals. Especially in the last decade, the intention of improving visual learning performances of harnessed bees led many authors to adopt distinct visual conditioning protocols, altering parameters like harnessing method, nature and duration of visual stimulation, number of trials, inter-trial intervals, among others. As a result, the literature provides data hardly comparable and sometimes contradictory. In the present review, we provide an extensive analysis of the literature available on visual conditioning of harnessed bees, with special emphasis on the comparison of diverse conditioning parameters adopted by different authors. Together with this comparative overview, we discuss how these diverse conditioning parameters could modulate visual learning performances of harnessed bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurore Avarguès-Weber
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex 9, France.
| | - Theo Mota
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas - ICB, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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Effects of Nosema apis, N. ceranae, and coinfections on honey bee (Apis mellifera) learning and memory. Sci Rep 2016; 6:22626. [PMID: 26961062 PMCID: PMC4785390 DOI: 10.1038/srep22626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Accepted: 10/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) face an increasing number of challenges that in recent years have led to significant economic effects on apiculture, with attendant consequences for agriculture. Nosemosis is a fungal infection of honey bees caused by either Nosema apis or N. ceranae. The putative greater virulence of N. ceranae has spurred interest in understanding how it differs from N. apis. Little is known of effects of N. apis or N. ceranae on honey bee learning and memory. Following a Pavlovian model that relies on the proboscis extension reflex, we compared acquisition learning and long-term memory recall of uninfected (control) honey bees versus those inoculated with N. apis, N. ceranae, or both. We also tested whether spore intensity was associated with variation in learning and memory. Neither learning nor memory differed among treatments. There was no evidence of a relationship between spore intensity and learning, and only limited evidence of a negative effect on memory; this occurred only in the co-inoculation treatment. Our results suggest that if Nosema spp. are contributing to unusually high colony losses in recent years, the mechanism by which they may affect honey bees is probably not related to effects on learning or memory, at least as assessed by the proboscis extension reflex.
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Scholl C, Kübert N, Muenz TS, Rössler W. CaMKII knockdown affects both early and late phases of olfactory long-term memory in the honeybee. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 218:3788-96. [PMID: 26486369 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.124859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Accepted: 10/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Honeybees are able to solve complex learning tasks and memorize learned information for long time periods. The molecular mechanisms mediating long-term memory (LTM) in the honeybee Apis mellifera are, to a large part, still unknown. We approached this question by investigating the potential function of the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), an enzyme known as a 'molecular memory switch' in vertebrates. CaMKII is able to switch to a calcium-independent constitutively active state, providing a mechanism for a molecular memory and has further been shown to play an essential role in structural synaptic plasticity. Using a combination of knockdown by RNA interference and pharmacological manipulation, we disrupted the function of CaMKII during olfactory learning and memory formation. We found that learning, memory acquisition and mid-term memory were not affected, but all manipulations consistently resulted in an impaired LTM. Both early LTM (24 h after learning) and late LTM (72 h after learning) were significantly disrupted, indicating the necessity of CaMKII in two successive stages of LTM formation in the honeybee.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Scholl
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany
| | - Natalie Kübert
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany
| | - Thomas S Muenz
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Rössler
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany
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Speth MT, Kreibich CD, Amdam GV, Münch D. Aging- and task-related resilience decline is linked to food responsiveness in highly social honey bees. Exp Gerontol 2015; 65:46-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2015.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2014] [Revised: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 03/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Motion cues improve the performance of harnessed bees in a colour learning task. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2015; 201:505-11. [PMID: 25739517 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-015-0994-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2014] [Revised: 02/21/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The proboscis extension conditioning (PER) is a successful behavioural paradigm for studying sensory and learning mechanisms in bees. Whilst mainly used with olfactory and tactile stimuli, more recently reliable PER conditioning has been achieved with visual stimuli such as colours and looming stripes. However, the results reported in different studies vary quite strongly, and it remains controversially discussed how to best condition visual PER. It is particularly striking that visual PER leads to more limited performance as compared to visual conditioning of free-flying bees. It could be that visual PER learning is affected by the lack of movement and that the presence of visual motion cues could compensate for it. We tested whether bees would show differences in learning performances when conditioned either with a colour and motion stimulus in combination or with colour alone. Colour acquisition was improved in the presence of the motion stimulus. The result is consistent with the idea that visual learning might be tightly linked to movement in bees, given that they use vision predominantly during flight. Our results further confirm recent findings that successful visual PER conditioning in bees is achievable without obligatorily removing the antennae.
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Muth F, Keasar T, Dornhaus A. Trading off short-term costs for long-term gains: how do bumblebees decide to learn morphologically complex flowers? Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.12.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Thamm M, Scheiner R. PKG in honey bees: spatial expression, Amfor gene expression, sucrose responsiveness, and division of labor. J Comp Neurol 2014; 522:1786-99. [PMID: 24214291 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2013] [Revised: 10/15/2013] [Accepted: 10/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Division of labor is a hallmark of social insects. In honey bees, division of labor involves transition of female workers from one task to the next. The most distinct tasks are nursing (providing food for the brood) and foraging (collecting pollen and nectar). The brain mechanisms regulating this form of behavioral plasticity have largely remained elusive. Recently, it was suggested that division of labor is based on nutrition-associated signaling pathways. One highly conserved gene associated with food-related behavior across species is the foraging gene, which encodes a cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKG). Our analysis of this gene reveals the presence of alternative splicing in the honey bee. One isoform is expressed in the brain. Expression of this isoform is most pronounced in the mushroom bodies, the subesophageal ganglion, and the corpora allata. Division of labor and sucrose responsiveness in honey bees correlate significantly with foraging gene expression in distinct brain regions. Activating PKG selectively increases sucrose responsiveness in nurse bees to the level of foragers, whereas the same treatment does not affect responsiveness to light. These findings demonstrate a direct link between PKG signaling in distinct brain areas and division of labor. Furthermore, they demonstrate that the difference in sensory responsiveness between nurse bees and foragers can be compensated for by activating PKG. Our findings on the function of PKG in regulating specific sensory responsiveness and social organization offer valuable indications for the function of the cGMP/PKG pathway in many other insects and vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Thamm
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
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Søvik E, Even N, Radford CW, Barron AB. Cocaine affects foraging behaviour and biogenic amine modulated behavioural reflexes in honey bees. PeerJ 2014; 2:e662. [PMID: 25405075 PMCID: PMC4232840 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2014] [Accepted: 10/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In humans and other mammals, drugs of abuse alter the function of biogenic amine pathways in the brain leading to the subjective experience of reward and euphoria. Biogenic amine pathways are involved in reward processing across diverse animal phyla, however whether cocaine acts on these neurochemical pathways to cause similar rewarding behavioural effects in animal phyla other than mammals is unclear. Previously, it has been shown that bees are more likely to dance (a signal of perceived reward) when returning from a sucrose feeder after cocaine treatment. Here we examined more broadly whether cocaine altered reward-related behaviour, and biogenic amine modulated behavioural responses in bees. Bees developed a preference for locations at which they received cocaine, and when foraging at low quality sucrose feeders increase their foraging rate in response to cocaine treatment. Cocaine also increased reflexive proboscis extension to sucrose, and sting extension to electric shock. Both of these simple reflexes are modulated by biogenic amines. This shows that systemic cocaine treatment alters behavioural responses that are modulated by biogenic amines in insects. Since insect reward responses involve both octopamine and dopamine signalling, we conclude that cocaine treatment altered diverse reward-related aspects of behaviour in bees. We discuss the implications of these results for understanding the ecology of cocaine as a plant defence compound. Our findings further validate the honey bee as a model system for understanding the behavioural impacts of cocaine, and potentially other drugs of abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eirik Søvik
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University , Sydney , Australia ; Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis , St. Louis , USA
| | - Naïla Even
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University , Sydney , Australia
| | - Catherine W Radford
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University , Sydney , Australia
| | - Andrew B Barron
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University , Sydney , Australia
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