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Peng T, Kennedy A, Wu Y, Foitzik S, Grüter C. Early life exposure to queen mandibular pheromone mediates persistent transcriptional changes in the brain of honey bee foragers. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb247516. [PMID: 38725404 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.247516] [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: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
Behavioural regulation in insect societies remains a fundamental question in sociobiology. In hymenopteran societies, the queen plays a crucial role in regulating group behaviour by affecting individual behaviour and physiology through modulation of worker gene expression. Honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens signal their presence via queen mandibular pheromone (QMP). While QMP has been shown to influence behaviour and gene expression of young workers, we know little about how these changes translate in older workers. The effects of the queen pheromone could have prolonged molecular impacts on workers that depend on an early sensitive period. We demonstrate that removal of QMP impacts long-term gene expression in the brain and antennae in foragers that were treated early in life (1 day post emergence), but not when treated later in life. Genes important for division of labour, learning, chemosensory perception and ageing were among those differentially expressed in the antennae and brain tissues, suggesting that QMP influences diverse physiological and behavioural processes in workers. Surprisingly, removal of QMP did not have an impact on foraging behaviour. Overall, our study suggests a sensitive period early in the life of workers, where the presence or absence of a queen has potentially life-long effects on transcriptional activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianfei Peng
- Institute of Molecular and Organismic Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Biozentrum I, Hanns Dieter Hüsch Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- College of Plant Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China
| | - Anissa Kennedy
- Institute of Molecular and Organismic Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Biozentrum I, Hanns Dieter Hüsch Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Yongqiang Wu
- Institute of Molecular and Organismic Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Biozentrum I, Hanns Dieter Hüsch Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Molecular and Organismic Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Biozentrum I, Hanns Dieter Hüsch Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Christoph Grüter
- Institute of Molecular and Organismic Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Biozentrum I, Hanns Dieter Hüsch Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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2
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Wegener J, Krause S, Parafianczuk V, Chaniotakis I, Schiller J, Dannenberger D, Engel KM. Lipidomic specializations of honeybee (Apis mellifera) castes and ethotypes. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 142:104439. [PMID: 36063873 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2022.104439] [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: 01/03/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Honeybees of the same colony combine a near-homogeneous genetic background with a high level of phenotypic plasticity, making them ideal models for functional lipidomics. The only external lipid source of the colony is pollen, a diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). It has been suggested that differences in exposure to pollen-derived PUFA could partly explain differences in longevity between honeybee castes. We here investigated whether the membrane composition of honeybees plays roles in the physiological adaptation to tasks of individuals within the colony. Membranes of cell heaters, a group of workers producing heat from their flight muscles to uphold brood nest temperature, were compared to those of different types of non-heaters. We found that the lipidomic profiles of these groups fall into clearly different "lipotypes", characterized by chain length and saturation of phospholipid-bound fatty acyl residues. The nutritional exposure to PUFA during early adult life and pupal development at the lower edge of the natural range of brood nest temperature both suppressed the expression of the cell heater-"lipotype". Because cardiolipins (CL) are the lipid class most clearly differentiating honeybee phenotypes, and CL plays central roles in mitochondrial function, dysfunction and aging, our findings could help to understand these processes in other animals and humans. Taken together, the lipidome analysis of different life stages of workers, fertile queens, and drones lead to the hypothesis that honeybee "lipotypes" might represent adaptations to different energetic profiles and the likelihood of exposure to low temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Wegener
- Institute for Bee Research, Friedrich-Engels-Strasse 32, 16540 Hohen Neuendorf, Germany.
| | - Sophie Krause
- Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Strasse 1 - 3, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Victoria Parafianczuk
- University of Leipzig, Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Haertelstrasse 16 - 18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ioannis Chaniotakis
- Institute for Bee Research, Friedrich-Engels-Strasse 32, 16540 Hohen Neuendorf, Germany
| | - Jürgen Schiller
- University of Leipzig, Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Haertelstrasse 16 - 18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Dirk Dannenberger
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Institute of Muscle Biology and Growth, Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany.
| | - Kathrin M Engel
- University of Leipzig, Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Haertelstrasse 16 - 18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany.
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3
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Smith ML, Davidson JD, Wild B, Dormagen DM, Landgraf T, Couzin ID. Behavioral variation across the days and lives of honey bees. iScience 2022; 25:104842. [PMID: 36039297 PMCID: PMC9418442 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 10/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In honey bee colonies, workers generally change tasks with age (from brood care, to nest work, to foraging). While these trends are well established, our understanding of how individuals distribute tasks during a day, and how individuals differ in their lifetime behavioral trajectories, is limited. Here, we use automated tracking to obtain long-term data on 4,100+ bees tracked continuously at 3 Hz, across an entire summer, and use behavioral metrics to compare behavior at different timescales. Considering single days, we describe how bees differ in space use, detection, and movement. Analyzing the behavior exhibited across their entire lives, we find consistent inter-individual differences in the movement characteristics of individuals. Bees also differ in how quickly they transition through behavioral space to ultimately become foragers, with fast-transitioning bees living the shortest lives. Our analysis framework provides a quantitative approach to describe individual behavioral variation within a colony from single days to entire lifetimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael L. Smith
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn AL 36849, USA
| | - Jacob D. Davidson
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Benjamin Wild
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - David M. Dormagen
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Tim Landgraf
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Iain D. Couzin
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
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4
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Wild B, Dormagen DM, Zachariae A, Smith ML, Traynor KS, Brockmann D, Couzin ID, Landgraf T. Social networks predict the life and death of honey bees. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1110. [PMID: 33597518 PMCID: PMC7889932 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21212-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In complex societies, individuals' roles are reflected by interactions with other conspecifics. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) generally change tasks as they age, but developmental trajectories of individuals can vary drastically due to physiological and environmental factors. We introduce a succinct descriptor of an individual's social network that can be obtained without interfering with the colony. This 'network age' accurately predicts task allocation, survival, activity patterns, and future behavior. We analyze developmental trajectories of multiple cohorts of individuals in a natural setting and identify distinct developmental pathways and critical life changes. Our findings suggest a high stability in task allocation on an individual level. We show that our method is versatile and can extract different properties from social networks, opening up a broad range of future studies. Our approach highlights the relationship of social interactions and individual traits, and provides a scalable technique for understanding how complex social systems function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Wild
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - David M Dormagen
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Michael L Smith
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Kirsten S Traynor
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Global Biosocial Complexity Initiative, Arizona State University, Tempe, FL, USA
| | - Dirk Brockmann
- Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Iain D Couzin
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Tim Landgraf
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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5
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Traynor KS, Wang Y, Brent CS, Amdam GV, Page RE. Young and old honeybee (Apis mellifera) larvae differentially prime the developmental maturation of their caregivers. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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6
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Ronai I, Vergoz V, Oldroyd B. The Mechanistic, Genetic, and Evolutionary Basis of Worker Sterility in the Social Hymenoptera. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2016.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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7
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Shpigler HY, Robinson GE. Laboratory Assay of Brood Care for Quantitative Analyses of Individual Differences in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Affiliative Behavior. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0143183. [PMID: 26569402 PMCID: PMC4646683 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2015] [Accepted: 11/01/2015] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Care of offspring is a form of affiliative behavior that is fundamental to studies of animal social behavior. Insects do not figure prominently in this topic because Drosophila melanogaster and other traditional models show little if any paternal or maternal care. However, the eusocial honey bee exhibits cooperative brood care with larvae receiving intense and continuous care from their adult sisters, but this behavior has not been well studied because a robust quantitative assay does not exist. We present a new laboratory assay that enables quantification of group or individual honey bee brood “nursing behavior” toward a queen larva. In addition to validating the assay, we used it to examine the influence of the age of the larva and the genetic background of the adult bees on nursing performance. This new assay also can be used in the future for mechanistic analyses of eusociality and comparative analyses of affilative behavior with other animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hagai Y Shpigler
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United State of America
| | - Gene E Robinson
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United State of America.,Department of Entomology and Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United State of America
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8
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Pratavieira M, da Silva Menegasso AR, Garcia AMC, dos Santos DS, Gomes PC, Malaspina O, Palma MS. MALDI Imaging Analysis of Neuropeptides in the Africanized Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Brain: Effect of Ontogeny. J Proteome Res 2014; 13:3054-64. [DOI: 10.1021/pr500224b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Pratavieira
- Institute of Biosciences,
Department of Biology, Center of the Study of Social Insects, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Avenue 24A 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, 13506-900 SP, Brazil
| | - Anally Ribeiro da Silva Menegasso
- Institute of Biosciences,
Department of Biology, Center of the Study of Social Insects, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Avenue 24A 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, 13506-900 SP, Brazil
| | - Ana Maria Caviquioli Garcia
- Institute of Biosciences,
Department of Biology, Center of the Study of Social Insects, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Avenue 24A 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, 13506-900 SP, Brazil
| | - Diego Simões dos Santos
- Institute of Biosciences,
Department of Biology, Center of the Study of Social Insects, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Avenue 24A 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, 13506-900 SP, Brazil
| | - Paulo Cesar Gomes
- Institute of Biosciences,
Department of Biology, Center of the Study of Social Insects, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Avenue 24A 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, 13506-900 SP, Brazil
| | - Osmar Malaspina
- Institute of Biosciences,
Department of Biology, Center of the Study of Social Insects, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Avenue 24A 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, 13506-900 SP, Brazil
| | - Mario Sergio Palma
- Institute of Biosciences,
Department of Biology, Center of the Study of Social Insects, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Avenue 24A 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, 13506-900 SP, Brazil
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