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Salzberg AL, Grab H, Hale C, Poveda K. Herbivore and pollinator body size effects on strawberry fruit quality. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0305370. [PMID: 38917100 PMCID: PMC11198852 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Land use change affects both pollinator and herbivore populations with consequences for crop production. Recent evidence also shows that land use change affects insect traits, with intraspecific body size of pollinators changing across landscape gradients. However, the consequences on crop production of trait changes in different plant interactors have not been well-studied. We hypothesized that changes in body size of key species can be enough to affect crop productivity, and therefore looked at how the field-realistic variation in body size of both an important pollinator, Bombus impatiens (Cresson), and a key pest herbivore, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot), can affect fruit size and damage in strawberry. First, we determined if pests vary in body size along land use gradients as prior studies have documented for pollinators; and second, we tested under controlled conditions how the individual and combined changes in size of an important pollinator and a key herbivore pest affect strawberry fruit production. The key herbivore pest was smaller in landscapes with more natural and semi-natural habitat, confirming that herbivore functional traits can vary along a land use gradient. Additionally, herbivore size, and not pollinator size, marginally affected fruit production-with plants exposed to larger pests producing smaller fruits. Our findings suggest that land use changes at the landscape level affect crop production not just through changes in the species diversity of insect communities that interact with the plant, but also through changes in body size traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Leigh Salzberg
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Heather Grab
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Casey Hale
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Katja Poveda
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
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2
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Glenny WR, Runyon JB, Burkle LA. Bumble bee diet breadth increases with local abundance and phenophase duration, not intraspecific variation in body size. Oecologia 2024; 205:149-162. [PMID: 38796612 PMCID: PMC11144151 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05560-9] [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: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
Patterns of abundance across space and time, and intraspecific variation in body size, are two species attributes known to influence diet breadth and the structure of interaction networks. Yet, the relative influence of these attributes on diet breadth is often assumed to be equal among taxonomic groups, and the relationship between intraspecific variation in body size on interaction patterns is frequently neglected. We observed bee-flower interactions in multiple locations across Montana, USA, for two growing seasons and measured spatial and temporal patterns of abundance, along with interspecific and intraspecific variation in body size for prevalent species. We predicted that the association between spatial and temporal patterns of abundance and intraspecific variation in body size, and diet breadth, would be stronger for bumble bee compared to non-bumble bee species, because species with flexible diets and long activity periods can interact with more food items. Bumble bees had higher local abundance, occurred in many local communities, more intraspecific variation in body size, and longer phenophases compared to non-bumble bee species, but only local abundance and phenophase duration had a stronger positive association with the diet breadth of bumble bee compared to non-bumble bee species. Communities with a higher proportion of bumble bees also had higher intraspecific variation in body size at the network-level, and network-level intraspecific variation in body size was positively correlated with diet generalization. Our findings highlight that the association between species attributes and diet breadth changes depending on the taxonomic group, with implications for the structure of interaction networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Will R Glenny
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
| | - Justin B Runyon
- US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Laura A Burkle
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
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3
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Kudô K, Oyaizu W, Kusama R, Yamaguchi Y, Koji S. Body Size of Female Strepsipteran Parasites (Strepsiptera, Xenidae, Xenos) Depends on Several Key Factors in a Vespine Wasp (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Vespa). INSECTS 2024; 15:266. [PMID: 38667396 PMCID: PMC11050309 DOI: 10.3390/insects15040266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Parasite growth in hosts depends on their hosts' nutritional status. This study examined whether the body size of the strepsipteran parasite Xenos oxyodontes, which parasitizes the eusocial wasp Vespa analis, is affected by several key factors, including host body size. We collected V. analis using bait traps for three years in Niigata, Japan, and evaluated the number of male and female X. oxyodontes parasites throughout the seasons. A total of 185 female parasites were collected, and their cephalothorax widths were measured. The widths of female parasites did not statistically vary among seasons and were positively correlated with the head widths of female host wasps but negatively correlated with the number of parasites per host wasp. In addition, we examined whether the reproductive conditions of post-hibernation solitary queens affected the cephalothorax width of female parasites. The widths of the female parasites were greater when the queens had less-developed ovaries. These results suggested that nutrient availability by female parasites depends on the host wasp and competition with conspecific individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuyuki Kudô
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Faculty of Education, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan; (W.O.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Wataru Oyaizu
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Faculty of Education, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan; (W.O.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Rikako Kusama
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Faculty of Education, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan; (W.O.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Yuki Yamaguchi
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Faculty of Education, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan; (W.O.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Shinsaku Koji
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan;
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4
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Birkenbach M, Straub F, Kiesel A, Ayasse M, Wilfert L, Kuppler J. Land-use affects pollinator-specific resource availability and pollinator foraging behaviour. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11061. [PMID: 38455145 PMCID: PMC10918743 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Land-use management is a key factor causing pollinator declines in agricultural grasslands. This decline can not only be directly driven by land-use (e.g., habitat loss) but also be indirectly mediated through a reduction in floral resource abundance and diversity, which might in turn affect pollinator health and foraging. We conducted surveys of the abundance of flowering plant species and behavioural observations of two common generalist pollinator species, namely the bumblebee Bombus lapidarius and the syrphid fly Episyrphus balteatus, in managed grasslands of variable land-use intensity (LUI) to investigate whether land-use affects (1) resource availability of the pollinators, (2) their host plant selection and (3) pollinator foraging behaviour. We have found that the floral composition of plant species that were used as resource by the investigated pollinator species depends on land-use intensity and practices such as mowing or grazing. We have also found that bumblebees, but not syrphid flies, visit different plants depending on LUI or management type. Furthermore, LUI indirectly changed pollinator behaviour via a reduction in plot-level flower diversity and abundance. For example, bumblebees show longer flight durations with decreasing flower cover indicating higher energy expenditure when foraging on land-use intensive plots. Syrphid flies were generally less affected by local land use, showing how different pollinator groups can differently react to land-use change. Overall, we show that land-use can change resource composition, abundance and diversity for pollinators, which can in turn affect pollinator foraging behaviour and potentially contribute to pollinator decline in agricultural grasslands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Birkenbach
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation GenomicsUlm UniversityUlmGermany
| | - Florian Straub
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation GenomicsUlm UniversityUlmGermany
| | - Anna Kiesel
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation GenomicsUlm UniversityUlmGermany
| | - Manfred Ayasse
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation GenomicsUlm UniversityUlmGermany
| | - Lena Wilfert
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation GenomicsUlm UniversityUlmGermany
| | - Jonas Kuppler
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation GenomicsUlm UniversityUlmGermany
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5
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Fu SJ, Yang EC. Neuroplasticity in honey bee brains: An enhanced micro-computed tomography protocol for precise mushroom body volume measurement. J Neurosci Methods 2024; 403:110040. [PMID: 38135123 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.110040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In insect brains, mushroom bodies are associated with memory and learning behavior. It has been demonstrated that the volume of the mushroom bodies in the brain of a worker honey bee changes during the adult stage. Changes in mushroom body volume imply high neuroplasticity in the brains and may be related to the age polyethism of honey bees. A suitable volume measurement method is needed to understand the correlation between behavioral changes and mushroom body volume changes in honey bees. NEW METHOD We developed a new protocol for insect micro-computed tomography by modifying a previously reported method. Permount™ mounting medium was used as the embedding medium for micro-computed tomography scanning. RESULTS This protocol can generate images with high contrast inside the brain and reduce the marked shape changes during specimen processing. From the resulting high-contrast images, we used freeware to generate a three-dimensional model and calculate the volumes of the mushroom bodies in honey bees. The measured volumes of the mushroom bodies were larger than the values reported in most previous studies. There was no significant difference between the left and right mushroom body volumes, but the volumes of honey bee mushroom bodies significantly increased with age. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS Previous protocols for micro-computed tomography using dried samples would cause brain shrinkage; protocols using ethanol-preserved or resin-embedded samples generated images with lower contrast. CONCLUSIONS The embedding protocol for micro-computed tomography is suitable for calculating volume of the mushroom bodies in honey bee brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shang-Jui Fu
- Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
| | - En-Cheng Yang
- Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan.
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6
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Goffinet AJ, Darragh K, Saleh N, Ostwald MM, Buchmann SL, Ramirez SR. Individual Variation in Male Pheromone Production in Xylocopa sonorina Correlates with size and Gland Color. J Chem Ecol 2024; 50:1-10. [PMID: 38110848 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-023-01466-7] [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: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Sex pheromones are species-specific chemical signals that facilitate the location, identification, and selection of mating partners. These pheromones can vary between individuals, and act as signals of mate quality. Here, we investigate the variation of male pheromones in the mesosomal glands of the large carpenter bee Xylocopa sonorina, within a Northern California population. We tested the hypothesis that morphological traits are correlated with the observed variation in chemical blend composition of these bees. We also conducted behavioral assays to test whether these male pheromones act as long-range attractants to conspecifics. We found that larger males with darker mesosomal glands have a higher pheromone amount in their glands. Our analysis also suggests that this pheromone blend functions as a long-range attractant to both males and females. We show that both male body size and sexual maturation are important factors influencing pheromone abundance, and that this pheromone blend acts as a long-range attractant. We hypothesize that this recorded variation in male pheromone could be important for female choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Goffinet
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Kathy Darragh
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Nicholas Saleh
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- School of Natural Sciences, Fresno Pacific University, Fresno, CA, 93702, USA
| | - Madeleine M Ostwald
- Cheadle Center for Biodiversity & Ecological Restoration, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Stephen L Buchmann
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Santiago R Ramirez
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
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7
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Kardum Hjort C, Paris JR, Smith HG, Dudaniec RY. Selection despite low genetic diversity and high gene flow in a rapid island invasion of the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17212. [PMID: 37990959 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17212] [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: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Invasive species are predicted to adjust their morphological, physiological and life-history traits to adapt to their non-native environments. Although a loss of genetic variation during invasion may restrict local adaptation, introduced species often thrive in novel environments. Despite being founded by just a few individuals, Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae) has in less than 30 years successfully spread across the island of Tasmania (Australia), becoming abundant and competitive with native pollinators. We use RADseq to investigate what neutral and adaptive genetic processes associated with environmental and morphological variation allow B. terrestris to thrive as an invasive species in Tasmania. Given the widespread abundance of B. terrestris, we expected little genetic structure across Tasmania and weak signatures of environmental and morphological selection. We found high gene flow with low genetic diversity, although with significant isolation-by-distance and spatial variation in effective migration rates. Restricted migration was evident across the mid-central region of Tasmania, corresponding to higher elevations, pastural land, low wind speeds and low precipitation seasonality. Tajima's D indicated a recent population expansion extending from the south to the north of the island. Selection signatures were found for loci in relation to precipitation, wind speed and wing loading. Candidate loci were annotated to genes with functions related to cuticle water retention and insect flight muscle stability. Understanding how a genetically impoverished invasive bumblebee has rapidly adapted to a novel island environment provides further understanding about the evolutionary processes that determine successful insect invasions, and the potential for invasive hymenopteran pollinators to spread globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Kardum Hjort
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Josephine R Paris
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
| | - Henrik G Smith
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Rachael Y Dudaniec
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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8
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Cantwell-Jones A, Tylianakis JM, Larson K, Gill RJ. Using individual-based trait frequency distributions to forecast plant-pollinator network responses to environmental change. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14368. [PMID: 38247047 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14368] [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: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Determining how and why organisms interact is fundamental to understanding ecosystem responses to future environmental change. To assess the impact on plant-pollinator interactions, recent studies have examined how the effects of environmental change on individual interactions accumulate to generate species-level responses. Here, we review recent developments in using plant-pollinator networks of interacting individuals along with their functional traits, where individuals are nested within species nodes. We highlight how these individual-level, trait-based networks connect intraspecific trait variation (as frequency distributions of multiple traits) with dynamic responses within plant-pollinator communities. This approach can better explain interaction plasticity, and changes to interaction probabilities and network structure over spatiotemporal or other environmental gradients. We argue that only through appreciating such trait-based interaction plasticity can we accurately forecast the potential vulnerability of interactions to future environmental change. We follow this with general guidance on how future studies can collect and analyse high-resolution interaction and trait data, with the hope of improving predictions of future plant-pollinator network responses for targeted and effective conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aoife Cantwell-Jones
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Jason M Tylianakis
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Bioprotection Aotearoa, School of Biological Sciences, Private Bag 4800, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Keith Larson
- Climate Impacts Research Centre, Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Richard J Gill
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
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9
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Ge J, Shalem Y, Ge Z, Liu J, Wang X, Bloch G. Integration of information from multiple sources drives and maintains the division of labor in bumble bee colonies. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 60:101115. [PMID: 37704097 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2023.101115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
Bumble bees are eusocial bees in which the division of labor (DoL) in reproduction and in task performance changes during their annual lifecycle. The queen monopolizes reproduction in young colonies, but at later stages, some workers start to challenge the queen and lay their own unfertilized eggs. The division of colony maintenance and growth tasks relates to worker body size. Reproduction and task performance are regulated by multiple social signals of the queen, the workers, and the brood. Here, we review recent studies suggesting that bumble bees use multiple sources of information to establish and maintain DoL in both reproduction and in task performance. Juvenile hormone (JH) is an important neuroendocrine signal involved in the regulation of DoL in reproduction but not in worker task performance. The reliance on multiple signals facilitates flexibility in face of changes in the social and geophysical environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China; CAS Centre for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
| | - Yuval Shalem
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Zhuxi Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China; CAS Centre for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
| | - Jinpeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China; CAS Centre for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
| | - Xianhui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China; CAS Centre for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China.
| | - Guy Bloch
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
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10
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Franco M, Fassler R, Goldberg TS, Chole H, Herz Y, Woodard SH, Reichmann D, Bloch G. Substances in the mandibular glands mediate queen effects on larval development and colony organization in an annual bumble bee. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2302071120. [PMID: 37903277 PMCID: PMC10636365 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2302071120] [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: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Social organization is commonly dynamic, with extreme examples in annual social insects, but little is known about the underlying signals and mechanisms. Bumble bee larvae with close contact to a queen do not differentiate into gynes, pupate at an earlier age, and are commonly smaller than siblings that do not contact a queen. We combined detailed observations, proteomics, microRNA transcriptomics, and gland removal surgery to study the regulation of brood development and division of labor in the annual social bumble bee Bombus terrestris. We found that regurgitates fed to larvae by queens and workers differ in their protein and microRNA composition. The proteome of the regurgitate overlaps significantly with that of the mandibular (MG) and hypopharyngeal glands (HPG), suggesting that these exocrine glands are sources of regurgitate proteins. The proteome of the MG and HPG, but not the salivary glands, differs between queens and workers, with caste-specificity preserved for the MG and regurgitate proteomes. Queens subjected to surgical removal of the MG showed normal behavior, brood care, and weight gain, but failed to shorten larval development. These findings suggest that substances in the queen MG are fed to larvae and influence their developmental program. We suggest that when workers emerge and contribute to larval feeding, they dilute the effects of the queen substances, until she can no longer manipulate the development of all larvae. Longer developmental duration may allow female larvae to differentiate into gynes rather than to workers, mediating the colony transition from the ergonomic to the reproductive phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maayan Franco
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9190401, Israel
| | - Rosi Fassler
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9190401, Israel
| | - Tzvi S. Goldberg
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9190401, Israel
| | - Hanna Chole
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9190401, Israel
| | - Yogev Herz
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9190401, Israel
- The Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9190401, Israel
| | - S. Hollis Woodard
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA92521
| | - Dana Reichmann
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9190401, Israel
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9190401, Israel
| | - Guy Bloch
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9190401, Israel
- The Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9190401, Israel
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11
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Albacete S, Sancho G, Azpiazu C, Rodrigo A, Molowny-Horas R, Sgolastra F, Bosch J. Bees exposed to climate change are more sensitive to pesticides. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:6248-6260. [PMID: 37656005 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Bee populations are exposed to multiple stressors, including land-use change, biological invasions, climate change, and pesticide exposure, that may interact synergistically. We analyze the combined effects of climate warming and sublethal insecticide exposure in the solitary bee Osmia cornuta. Previous Osmia studies show that warm wintering temperatures cause body weight loss, lipid consumption, and fat body depletion. Because the fat body plays a key role in xenobiotic detoxification, we expected that bees exposed to climate warming scenarios would be more sensitive to pesticides. We exposed O. cornuta females to three wintering treatments: current scenario (2007-2012 temperatures), near-future (2021-2050 projected temperatures), and distant-future (2051-2080). Upon emergence in spring, bees were orally exposed to three sublethal doses of an insecticide (Closer, a.i. sulfoxaflor; 0, 4.55 and 11.64 ng a.i./bee). We measured the combined effects of wintering and insecticide exposure on phototactic response, syrup consumption, and longevity. Wintering treatment by itself did not affect winter mortality, but body weight loss increased with increasing wintering temperatures. Similarly, wintering treatment by itself hardly influenced phototactic response or syrup consumption. However, bees wintered at the warmest temperatures had shorter longevity, a strong fecundity predictor in Osmia. Insecticide exposure, especially at the high dose, impaired the ability of bees to respond to light, and resulted in reduced syrup consumption and longevity. The combination of the warmest winter and the high insecticide dose resulted in a 70% longevity decrease. Smaller bees, resulting from smaller pollen-nectar provisions, had shorter longevity suggesting nutritional stress may further compromise fecundity in O. cornuta. Our results show a synergistic interaction between two major drivers of bee declines, and indicate that bees will become more sensitive to pesticides under the current global warming scenario. Our findings have important implications for pesticide regulation and underscore the need to consider multiple stressors to understand bee declines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Albacete
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Gonzalo Sancho
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Celeste Azpiazu
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anselm Rodrigo
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Roberto Molowny-Horas
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Fabio Sgolastra
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Jordi Bosch
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Bellaterra, Spain
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12
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Vaca-Sánchez MS, Cuevas-Reyes P, Munck I, Oki Y, Moia N, Freitas T, Almeida A, Castelan K, Fernandes GW. Patterns in Wing Morphology and Fluctuating Asymmetry in Eulaema nigrita along an Altitudinal Gradient in the Brazilian Rupestrian Grassland. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 52:837-847. [PMID: 37552457 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-023-01069-7] [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: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Mountain ecosystems experience abrupt abiotic changes that represent environmental filters for many organisms, shaping their phenotypic expressions. However, little is known about the morphological and symmetric adjustments of native bees along altitudinal gradients. We evaluated the changes on wing morphology, wing size, and vein fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of Eulaema nigrita Lepeletier (Apidae: Euglossini) associated with climatic variables along an altitudinal gradient in the rupestrian grassland (known also as campo rupestre or rupestrian field) of Serra do Cipó, Brazil. Seven sampling points along the altitudinal gradient were selected and distributed among 800 and 1400 m.a.s.l., and then, 40 individuals of E. nigrita were collected per each altitudinal point to determine the FA levels and the morphological changes using geometric morphometric techniques. We found that the wing size of E. nigrita decreased with increasing altitude. At the highest altitudes, the levels of FA of the wing veins were greater compared to bees from lower altitudes. We detected significant changes in wing morphology along the altitudinal gradient; bees of lower altitudes showed longer and wider wings than bees of higher altitudes, which had narrower and less elongated wings. Our results show a set of morphological adjustments and phenotypic expressions in E. nigrita associated with the variation in environmental conditions along the altitudinal gradient. We highlight the importance of environmental variables as insect-stressor factors, and that FA and geometric morphometric can be excellent tools for monitoring and evaluating environmental stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Sofía Vaca-Sánchez
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, México
| | - Pablo Cuevas-Reyes
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Interacciones Bióticas, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia, Michoacán, México
| | - Israel Munck
- Laboratório de Ecologia Evolutiva & Biodiversidade, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia & Evolução, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Yumi Oki
- Laboratório de Ecologia Evolutiva & Biodiversidade, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia & Evolução, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Natalia Moia
- Laboratório de Ecologia Evolutiva & Biodiversidade, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia & Evolução, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Thamires Freitas
- Laboratório de Ecologia Evolutiva & Biodiversidade, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia & Evolução, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Aline Almeida
- Laboratório de Ecologia Evolutiva & Biodiversidade, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia & Evolução, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Kamilla Castelan
- Laboratório de Ecologia Evolutiva & Biodiversidade, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia & Evolução, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Geraldo Wilson Fernandes
- Laboratório de Ecologia Evolutiva & Biodiversidade, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia & Evolução, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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13
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Rittschof CC, Denny AS. The Impacts of Early-Life Experience on Bee Phenotypes and Fitness. Integr Comp Biol 2023; 63:808-824. [PMID: 36881719 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Across diverse animal species, early-life experiences have lifelong impacts on a variety of traits. The scope of these impacts, their implications, and the mechanisms that drive these effects are central research foci for a variety of disciplines in biology, from ecology and evolution to molecular biology and neuroscience. Here, we review the role of early life in shaping adult phenotypes and fitness in bees, emphasizing the possibility that bees are ideal species to investigate variation in early-life experience and its consequences at both individual and population levels. Bee early life includes the larval and pupal stages, critical time periods during which factors like food availability, maternal care, and temperature set the phenotypic trajectory for an individual's lifetime. We discuss how some common traits impacted by these experiences, including development rate and adult body size, influence fitness at the individual level, with possible ramifications at the population level. Finally, we review ways in which human alterations to the landscape may impact bee populations through early-life effects. This review highlights aspects of bees' natural history and behavioral ecology that warrant further investigation with the goal of understanding how environmental disturbances threaten these vulnerable species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare C Rittschof
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, S-225 Agricultural Science Center North, Lexington, KY 40546, USA
| | - Amanda S Denny
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, S-225 Agricultural Science Center North, Lexington, KY 40546, USA
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14
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Herrera CM, Núñez A, Valverde J, Alonso C. Body mass decline in a Mediterranean community of solitary bees supports the size shrinking effect of climatic warming. Ecology 2023; 104:e4128. [PMID: 37342062 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
The long-known, widely documented inverse relationship between body size and environmental temperature ("temperature-size rule") has recently led to predictions of body size decline following current climatic warming ("size shrinking effect"). For keystone pollinators such as wild bees, body shrinking in response to warming can have significant effects on pollination processes but there is still little direct evidence of the phenomenon because adequate tests require controlling for confounding factors linked to climate change (e.g., habitat change). This paper assesses the shrinking effect in a community of solitary bees from well-preserved habitats in the core of a large nature reserve experiencing climatic warming without disturbances or habitat changes. Long-term variation in mean body mass was evaluated using data from 1704 individual bees (137 species, 27 genera, 6 families) sampled over 1990-2023. Climate warmed at a fast rate during this period, annual mean of daily maximum temperature increasing 0.069°C/year on average during 2000-2020. Changes in bee body mass verified expectations from the size shrinking effect. The mean individual body mass of the community of solitary bees declined significantly, irrespective of whether the analysis referred to the full species sample or only to the subset of species that were sampled in both the old (1990-1997) and recent (2022-2023) periods. On average, body mass declined ~0.7%·year-1 , or an estimated average cumulative reduction of ~20 mg per individual bee from 1990 to 2023. Proportional size reduction was greatest among large-bodied species, ranging from around -0.6%·year-1 for the smallest species to -0.9%·year-1 for the largest ones. Declining rate was steeper for cavity-nesting than ground-nesting species. The pollination and mating systems of bee-pollinated plants in the study region are probably undergoing significant alterations as a consequence of supra-annual decline in bee body mass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos M Herrera
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Alejandro Núñez
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Javier Valverde
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Conchita Alonso
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
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15
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Gonulkirmaz-Cancalar O, Shertzer O, Bloch G. Bumble Bees ( Bombus terrestris) Use Time-Memory to Associate Reward with Color and Time of Day. INSECTS 2023; 14:707. [PMID: 37623417 PMCID: PMC10455649 DOI: 10.3390/insects14080707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Circadian clocks regulate ecologically important complex behaviors in honey bees, but it is not clear whether similar capacities exist in other species of bees. One key behavior influenced by circadian clocks is time-memory, which enables foraging bees to precisely time flower visitation to periods of maximal pollen or nectar availability and reduces the costs of visiting a non-rewarding flower patch. Bumble bees live in smaller societies and typically forage over shorter distances than honey bees, and it is therefore not clear whether they can similarly associate reward with time of day. We trained individually marked bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) workers to forage for sugar syrup in a flight cage with yellow or blue feeders rewarding either during the morning or evening. After training for over two weeks, we recorded all visitations to colored feeders filled with only water. We performed two experiments, each with a different colony. We found that bees tended to show higher foraging activity during the morning and evening training sessions compared to other times during the day. During the test day, the trained bees were more likely to visit the rewarding rather than the non-rewarding colored feeders at the same time of day during the test sessions, indicating that they associated time of day and color with the sugar syrup reward. These observations lend credence to the hypothesis that bumble bees have efficient time-memory, indicating that this complex behavior is not limited to honey bees that evolved sophisticated social foraging behaviors over large distances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ozlem Gonulkirmaz-Cancalar
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, The Alexander A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Givat-Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel; (O.G.-C.); (O.S.)
| | - Oded Shertzer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, The Alexander A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Givat-Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel; (O.G.-C.); (O.S.)
| | - Guy Bloch
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, The Alexander A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Givat-Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel; (O.G.-C.); (O.S.)
- The Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
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16
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Walton A, Toth AL. Nutritional inequalities structure worker division of labor in social insects. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 58:101059. [PMID: 37230413 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2023.101059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Eusocial insect societies are fundamentally non-egalitarian. The reproductive caste 'wins' in terms of resource accumulation, whereas non-reproductive workers 'lose'. Here, we argue that the division of labor among workers is also organized by nutritional inequalities. Across vastly different social systems and a variety of hymenopteran species, there is a recurrent pattern of lean foragers and corpulent nest workers. Experimental manipulations confirm causal associations between nutritional differences, associated molecular pathways, and behavioral roles in insect societies. The comparative and functional genomic data suggest that a conserved toolkit of core metabolic, nutrient storage, and signaling genes has evolved to regulate the social insect division of labor. Thus, the unequal distribution of food resources can be considered a fundamental organizing factor in the social insect division of labor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Walton
- Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Amy L Toth
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50014 USA.
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17
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Orlova M, Porter M, Hines HM, Amsalem E. Symptomatic Infection with Vairimorpha spp. Decreases Diapause Survival in a Wild Bumble Bee Species ( Bombus griseocollis). Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13101656. [PMID: 37238086 DOI: 10.3390/ani13101656] [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: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Vairimorpha, a microsporidian parasite (previously classified as Nosema), has been implicated in the decline of wild bumble bee species in North America. Previous studies examining its influence on colony performance have displayed variable results, from extremely detrimental effects to no observable influence, and little is known about the effects it has on individuals during the winter diapause, a bottleneck for survival in many annual pollinators. Here, we examined the effect of Vairimorpha infection, body size, and mass on diapause survival in Bombus griseocollis gynes. We demonstrate that gyne survival length in diapause is negatively affected by symptomatic Vairimorpha infection of the maternal colony but does not correlate with individual pathogen load. Our findings further indicate that increased body mass offers a protective effect against mortality during diapause in infected, but not in healthy, gynes. This suggests that access to adequate nutritional resources prior to diapause might offset the harmful effect of Vairimorpha infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margarita Orlova
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, Utica, NY 13502, USA
| | - Monique Porter
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Heather M Hines
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Etya Amsalem
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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18
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Kaur G, Singh A, Sharma R, Thakur A, Tuteja S, Shyamli, Singh R. Effect of fungicidal contamination on survival, morphology, and cellular immunity of Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Front Physiol 2023; 14:1099806. [PMID: 37179823 PMCID: PMC10167026 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1099806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Pesticide residues have been reported in hive-stored products for long periods. Larvae of honey bees experience oral or contact exposure to these products during their normal growth and development inside the cells. We analyzed various toxicological, morphogenic, and immunological effects of residue-based concentrations of two fungicides, captan and difenoconazole, on the larvae of worker honey bees, Apis mellifera. Selected concentrations (0.08, 0.4, 2, 10, and 50 ppm) of both fungicides were applied topically at a volume of 1 µL/larva/cell as single and multiple exposures. Our results revealed a continuous, concentration-dependent decrease in brood survival after 24 h of treatment to the capping and emergence stages. Compared to larvae with a single exposure, the multiply exposed youngest larvae were most sensitive to fungicidal toxicity. The larvae that survived higher concentrations, especially multiple exposures, showed several morphological defects at the adult stage. Moreover, difenoconazole-treated larvae showed a significantly decreased number of granulocytes after 1 h of treatment followed by an increase after 24 h of treatment. Thus, fungicidal contamination poses a great risk as the tested concentrations showed adverse effects on the survival, morphology, and immunity of larval honey bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gurleen Kaur
- PG Department of Agriculture, Khalsa College Amritsar, Amritsar, India
| | - Amandeep Singh
- Department of Agriculture, Khalsa College Garhdiwala, Hoshiarpur, India
| | - Rohit Sharma
- Department of Rasa Shastra and Bhaishajya Kalpana, Faculty of Ayurveda, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | | | - Shushant Tuteja
- PG Department of Agriculture, Khalsa College Amritsar, Amritsar, India
| | - Shyamli
- PG Department of Agriculture, Khalsa College Amritsar, Amritsar, India
| | - Randeep Singh
- PG Department of Agriculture, Khalsa College Amritsar, Amritsar, India
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19
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Leroy C, Brunet JL, Henry M, Alaux C. Using physiology to better support wild bee conservation. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coac076. [PMID: 36632323 PMCID: PMC9825782 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coac076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
There is accumulating evidence that wild bees are experiencing a decline in terms of species diversity, abundance or distribution, which leads to major concerns about the sustainability of both pollination services and intrinsic biodiversity. There is therefore an urgent need to better understand the drivers of their decline, as well as design conservation strategies. In this context, the current approach consists of linking observed occurrence and distribution data of species to environmental features. While useful, a highly complementary approach would be the use of new biological metrics that can link individual bee responses to environmental alteration with population-level responses, which could communicate the actual bee sensitivity to environmental changes and act as early warning signals of bee population decline or sustainability. We discuss here through several examples how the measurement of bee physiological traits or performance can play this role not only in better assessing the impact of anthropogenic pressures on bees, but also in guiding conservation practices with the help of the documentation of species' physiological needs. Last but not least, because physiological changes generally occur well in advance of demographic changes, we argue that physiological traits can help in predicting and anticipating future population trends, which would represent a more proactive approach to conservation. In conclusion, we believe that future efforts to combine physiological, ecological and population-level knowledge will provide meaningful contributions to wild bee conservation-based research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jean-Luc Brunet
- INRAE, UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, 84 914 Avignon, France
| | - Mickael Henry
- INRAE, UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, 84 914 Avignon, France
| | - Cedric Alaux
- INRAE, UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, 84 914 Avignon, France
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20
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Gmel AI, Guichard M, Dainat B, Williams GR, Eynard S, Vignal A, Servin B, Neuditschko M. Identification of runs of homozygosity in Western honey bees ( Apis mellifera) using whole-genome sequencing data. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9723. [PMID: 36694553 PMCID: PMC9843643 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Runs of homozygosity (ROH) are continuous homozygous segments that arise through the transmission of haplotypes that are identical by descent. The length and distribution of ROH segments provide insights into the genetic diversity of populations and can be associated with selection signatures. Here, we analyzed reconstructed whole-genome queen genotypes, from a pool-seq data experiment including 265 Western honeybee colonies from Apis mellifera mellifera and Apis mellifera carnica. Integrating individual ROH patterns and admixture levels in a dynamic population network visualization allowed us to ascertain major differences between the two subspecies. Within A. m. mellifera, we identified well-defined substructures according to the genetic origin of the queens. Despite the current applied conservation efforts, we pinpointed 79 admixed queens. Genomic inbreeding (F ROH) strongly varied within and between the identified subpopulations. Conserved A. m. mellifera from Switzerland had the highest mean F ROH (3.39%), while queens originating from a conservation area in France, which were also highly admixed, showed significantly lower F ROH (0.45%). The majority of A. m. carnica queens were also highly admixed, except 12 purebred queens with a mean F ROH of 2.33%. Within the breed-specific ROH islands, we identified 14 coding genes for A. m. mellifera and five for A. m. carnica, respectively. Local adaption of A. m. mellifera could be suggested by the identification of genes involved in the response to ultraviolet light (Crh-BP, Uvop) and body size (Hex70a, Hex70b), while the A. m. carnica specific genes Cpr3 and Cpr4 are most likely associated with the lighter striping pattern, a morphological phenotype expected in this subspecies. We demonstrated that queen genotypes derived from pooled workers are useful tool to unravel the population dynamics in A. mellifera and provide fundamental information to conserve native honey bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annik Imogen Gmel
- Animal GenoPhenomics, Animal Production Systems and Animal HealthAgroscopePosieuxSwitzerland
| | - Matthieu Guichard
- Animal GenoPhenomics, Animal Production Systems and Animal HealthAgroscopePosieuxSwitzerland
- Swiss Bee Research CentreAgroscopeLiebefeldSwitzerland
| | | | | | - Sonia Eynard
- GenPhySEINRAE, INPT, INPENVTUniversité de ToulouseCastanet‐TolosanFrance
- UMT PrADEProtection des Abeilles Dans L'EnvironnementAvignonFrance
| | - Alain Vignal
- GenPhySEINRAE, INPT, INPENVTUniversité de ToulouseCastanet‐TolosanFrance
- UMT PrADEProtection des Abeilles Dans L'EnvironnementAvignonFrance
| | - Bertrand Servin
- GenPhySEINRAE, INPT, INPENVTUniversité de ToulouseCastanet‐TolosanFrance
- UMT PrADEProtection des Abeilles Dans L'EnvironnementAvignonFrance
| | | | - Markus Neuditschko
- Animal GenoPhenomics, Animal Production Systems and Animal HealthAgroscopePosieuxSwitzerland
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21
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Kardum Hjort C, Smith HG, Allen AP, Dudaniec RY. Morphological Variation in Bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) After Three Decades of an Island Invasion. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2023; 23:10. [PMID: 36856678 PMCID: PMC9972831 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iead006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Introduced social insects can be highly invasive outside of their native range. Around the world, the introduction and establishment of the eusocial bumblebee Bombus terrestris (L. 1758) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) has negatively impacted native pollinators and ecosystems. Understanding how morphological variation is linked to environmental variation across invasive ranges can indicate how rapidly species may be diverging or adapting across novel ranges and may assist with predicting future establishment and spread. Here we investigate whether B. terrestris shows morphological variation related to environmental variation across the island of Tasmania (Australia) where it was introduced three decades ago. We collected 169 workers from 16 sites across Tasmania and related relative abundance and morphology to landscape-wide climate, land use, and vegetation structure. We found weak morphological divergence related to environmental conditions across Tasmania. Body size of B. terrestris was positively associated with the percentage of urban land cover, a relationship largely driven by a single site, possibly reflecting high resource availability in urban areas. Proboscis length showed a significant negative relationship with the percentage of pasture. Wing loading and local abundance were not related to the environmental conditions within sites. Our results reflect the highly adaptable nature of B. terrestris and its ability to thrive in different environments, which may have facilitated the bumblebee's successful invasion across Tasmania.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Henrik G Smith
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, SE-223 62, Sweden
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Lund, SE-223 62, Sweden
| | - Andrew P Allen
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, 2109, NSW, Australia
| | - Rachael Y Dudaniec
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, 2109, NSW, Australia
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22
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Fitzgerald JL, Ogilvie JE, CaraDonna PJ. Ecological Drivers and Consequences of Bumble Bee Body Size Variation. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 51:1055-1068. [PMID: 36373400 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvac093] [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: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Body size is arguably one of the most important traits influencing the physiology and ecology of animals. Shifts in animal body size have been observed in response to climate change, including in bumble bees (Bombus spp. [Hymenoptera: Apidae]). Bumble bee size shifts have occurred concurrently with the precipitous population declines of several species, which appear to be related, in part, to their size. Body size variation is central to the ecology of bumble bees, from their social organization to the pollination services they provide to plants. If bumble bee size is shifted or constrained, there may be consequences for the pollination services they provide and for our ability to predict their responses to global change. Yet, there are still many aspects of the breadth and role of bumble bee body size variation that require more study. To this end, we review the current evidence of the ecological drivers of size variation in bumble bees and the consequences of that variation on bumble bee fitness, foraging, and species interactions. In total we review: (1) the proximate determinants and physiological consequences of size variation in bumble bees; (2) the environmental drivers and ecological consequences of size variation; and (3) synthesize our understanding of size variation in predicting how bumble bees will respond to future changes in climate and land use. As global change intensifies, a better understanding of the factors influencing the size distributions of bumble bees, and the consequences of those distributions, will allow us to better predict future responses of these pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacquelyn L Fitzgerald
- Plant Biology and Conservation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
- Chicago Botanic Garden, Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science & Action, Glencoe, IL 60022, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - Jane E Ogilvie
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - Paul J CaraDonna
- Plant Biology and Conservation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
- Chicago Botanic Garden, Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science & Action, Glencoe, IL 60022, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
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23
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Garlin J, Theodorou P, Kathe E, Quezada-Euán JJG, Paxton RJ, Soro A. Anthropogenic effects on the body size of two neotropical orchid bees. BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:94. [PMID: 35918637 PMCID: PMC9347145 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-02048-z] [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: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
To accommodate an ever-increasing human population, agriculture is rapidly intensifying at the expense of natural habitat, with negative and widely reported effects on biodiversity in general and on wild bee abundance and diversity in particular. Cities are similarly increasing in area, though the impact of urbanisation on wild bees is more equivocal and potentially positive in northern temperate regions. Yet agriculture and urbanisation both lead to the loss and alteration of natural habitat, its fragmentation, a potential reduction in floral availability, and warmer temperatures, factors thought to be drivers of wild bee decline. They have also been shown to be factors to which wild bee populations respond through morphological change. Body size is one such trait that, because of its relation to individual fitness, has received growing attention as a morphological feature that responds to human induced modification in land use. Here, we investigated the change in body size of two sympatric orchid bee species on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico in response to urbanization and agricultural intensification. By measuring 540 male individuals sampled from overall 24 sites, we found that Euglossa dilemma and Euglossa viridissima were on average smaller in urban and agricultural habitats than in natural ones. We discuss the potential role of reduced availability of resources in driving the observed body size shifts. Agricultural and urban land management in tropical regions might benefit wild bees if it encompassed the planting of flowering herbs and trees to enhance their conservation.
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24
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Chole H, de Guinea M, Woodard SH, Bloch G. Field-realistic concentrations of a neonicotinoid insecticide influence socially regulated brood development in a bumblebee. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220253. [PMID: 36382527 PMCID: PMC9667354 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The systemic neonicotinoid insecticides are considered as one of the key culprits contributing to ongoing declines in pollinator health and abundance. Bumblebees are among the most important pollinators of temperate zone plants, making their susceptibility to neonicotinoid exposure of great concern. We report that bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) colonies exposed to field-realistic concentrations of the commonly used neonicotinoid Imidacloprid grew slower, consumed less food, and produced fewer workers, males and gynes, but unexpectedly produced larger workers compared to control colonies. Behavioural observations show that queens in pesticide-treated colonies spend more time inactive and less time caring for the brood. We suggest that the observed effects on brood body size are driven by a decreased queen ability to manipulate the larva developmental programme. These findings reveal an intricate and previously unknown effect of insecticides on the social interactions controlling brood development in social insect colonies. Insecticide influences on the social mechanisms regulating larval development are potentially detrimental for bumblebees, in which body size strongly influences both caste differentiation and the division of labour among workers, two organization principles of insect societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Chole
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Miguel de Guinea
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - S. Hollis Woodard
- Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Guy Bloch
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
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25
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Park MG, Delphia CM, Prince C, Yocum GD, Rinehart JP, O’Neill KM, Burkle LA, Bowsher JH, Greenlee KJ. Effects of Temperature and Wildflower Strips on Survival and Macronutrient Stores of the Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) Under Extended Cold Storage. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 51:958-968. [PMID: 35964238 PMCID: PMC9585370 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvac062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Megachile rotundata (F.) is an important pollinator of alfalfa in the United States. Enhancing landscapes with wildflowers is a primary strategy for conserving pollinators and may improve the sustainability of M. rotundata. Changing cold storage temperatures from a traditionally static thermal regime (STR) to a fluctuating thermal regime (FTR) improves overwintering success and extends M. rotundata's shelf life and pollination window. Whether floral resources enhance overwintering survival and/or interact with a thermal regime are unknown. We tested the combined effects of enhancing alfalfa fields with wildflowers and thermal regime on survival and macronutrient stores under extended cold storage (i.e., beyond one season). Megachile rotundata adults were released in alfalfa plots with and without wildflower strips. Completed nests were harvested in September and stored in STR. After a year, cells were randomly assigned to remain in STR for 6 months or in FTR for a year of extended cold storage; emergence rates were observed monthly. Macronutrient levels of emerged females were assessed. FTR improved M. rotundata survival but there was no measurable effect of wildflower strips on overwintering success or nutrient stores. Timing of nest establishment emerged as a key factor: offspring produced late in the season had lower winter survival and dry body mass. Sugars and glycogen stores increased under FTR but not STR. Trehalose levels were similar across treatments. Total lipid stores depleted faster under FTR. While wildflowers did not improve M. rotundata survival, our findings provide mechanistic insight into benefits and potential costs of FTR for this important pollinator.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Casey M Delphia
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
- Montana Entomology Collection, Marsh Labs, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Cassandra Prince
- Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center, Biosciences Research Laboratory, Fargo, ND, USA
| | - George D Yocum
- Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center, Biosciences Research Laboratory, Fargo, ND, USA
| | - Joseph P Rinehart
- Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center, Biosciences Research Laboratory, Fargo, ND, USA
| | - Kevin M O’Neill
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Laura A Burkle
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Julia H Bowsher
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA
| | - Kendra J Greenlee
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA
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26
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Bar-Shai N, Motro U, Shmida A, Bloch G. Earlier Morning Arrival to Pollen-Rewarding Flowers May Enable Feral Bumble Bees to Successfully Compete with Local Bee Species and Expand Their Distribution Range in a Mediterranean Habitat. INSECTS 2022; 13:816. [PMID: 36135517 PMCID: PMC9503872 DOI: 10.3390/insects13090816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
During recent decades, bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) have continuously expanded their range in the Mediterranean climate regions of Israel. To assess their potential effects on local bee communities, we monitored their diurnal and seasonal activity patterns, as well as those of native bee species in the Judean Hills. We found that all bee species tend to visit pollen-providing flowers at earlier times compared to nectar-providing flowers. Bumble bees and honey bees start foraging at earlier times and colder temperatures compared to other species of bees. This means that the two species of commercially managed social bees are potentially depleting much of the pollen, which is typically non-replenished, before most local species arrive to gather it. Taking into consideration the long activity season of bumble bees in the Judean hills, their ability to forage at the low temperatures of the early morning, and their capacity to collect pollen at early hours in the dry Mediterranean climate, feral and range-expanding bumble bees potentially pose a significant competitive pressure on native bee fauna. Their effects on local bees can further modify pollination networks, and lead to changes in the local flora.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noam Bar-Shai
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
- Jerusalem Botanical Garden, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Uzi Motro
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
- Department of Statistics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91905, Israel
- The Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Avishai Shmida
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
- The Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Guy Bloch
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
- The Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
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27
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Short- and long-term modulation of forager motivation by colony state in bumble bees. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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28
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Weitekamp CA, Koethe RW, Lehmann DM. A Comparison of Pollen and Syrup Exposure Routes in Bombus impatiens (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Microcolonies: Implications for Pesticide Risk Assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 51:613-620. [PMID: 35512429 PMCID: PMC9926532 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvac026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Bumble bees are important pollinators for both native plants and managed agricultural systems. Accumulating evidence has shown that pesticides, including neonicotinoids, can have a range of adverse effects on bumble bee health. Most laboratory studies that assess the effects of chronic neonicotinoid exposure on bumble bees use syrup as the delivery vehicle, rather than pollen. However, in the field, it is likely that bumble bees are exposed to neonicotinoids in both nectar (syrup) and pollen. To examine the potential for different effects based on the vehicle, we compared two studies of chronic exposure to the neonicotinoid acetamiprid in Bombus impatiens microcolonies. We examined correlations between microcolony endpoints and identified associations between the timing of colony pollen and syrup consumption and drone production. Furthermore, in line with previous results, we found that average drone weight was affected at a range of doses only when microcolonies were exposed to acetamiprid via pollen. In general, our analyses point to the importance of the treatment vehicle and suggest that critical effects on developing brood could be missed when neonicotinoid exposure occurs only through syrup.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea A. Weitekamp
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC
| | - Robert W. Koethe
- Region 1 Office, Land Chemicals and Redevelopment Division RCRA, Waste Management and Pesticides Section, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Boston, MA
| | - David M. Lehmann
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC
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29
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Jeanne RL, Loope KJ, Bouwma AM, Nordheim EV, Smith ML. Five decades of misunderstanding in the social Hymenoptera: a review and meta-analysis of Michener's paradox. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:1559-1611. [PMID: 35338566 PMCID: PMC9546470 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
In a much-cited 1964 paper entitled "Reproductive efficiency in relation to colony size in hymenopterous societies," Charles Michener investigated the correlation between a colony's size and its reproductive efficiency - the ability of its adult females to produce reproductives, measured as per-capita output. Based on his analysis of published data from destructively sampled colonies in 18 species, he reported that in most of these species efficiency decreased with increasing colony size. His conclusion that efficiency is higher in smaller groups has since gained widespread acceptance. But it created a seeming paradox: how can natural selection maintain social behaviour when a female apparently enjoys her highest per-capita output by working alone? Here we treat Michener's pattern as a hypothesis and perform the first large-scale test of its prediction across the eusocial Hymenoptera. Because data on actual output of reproductives were not available for most species, Michener used various proxies, such as nest size, numbers of brood, or amounts of stored food. We show that for each of Michener's data sets the reported decline in per-capita productivity can be explained by factors other than decreasing efficiency, calling into question his conclusion that declining efficiency is the cause of the pattern. The most prominent cause of bias is the failure of the proxy to capture all forms of output in which the colony invests during the course of its ontogeny. Other biasing factors include seasonal effects and a variety of methodological flaws in the data sets he used. We then summarize the results of 215 data sets drawn from post-1964 studies of 80 species in 33 genera that better control for these factors. Of these, 163 data sets are included in two meta-analyses that statistically synthesize the available data on the relationship between colony size and efficiency, accounting for variable sample sizes and non-independence among the data sets. The overall effect, and those for most taxonomic subgroups, indicates no loss of efficiency with increasing colony size. Two exceptional taxa, the halictid bees and independent-founding paper wasps, show negative trends consistent with the Michener hypothesis in some species. We conclude that in most species, particularly those with large colony sizes, the hypothesis of decreasing efficiency with increasing colony size is not supported. Finally, we explore potential mechanisms through which the level of efficiency can decrease, be maintained, or even increase, as colonies increase in size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert L Jeanne
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, U.S.A
| | - Kevin J Loope
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Cheatham Hall, 310 W. Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, U.S.A
| | - Andrew M Bouwma
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Cordley Hall, 3029, 2701 SW Campus Way, Corvallis, OR, 97331, U.S.A
| | - Erik V Nordheim
- Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin, 1300 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, U.S.A
| | - Michael L Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, U.S.A
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30
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Costa CP, Okamoto N, Orr M, Yamanaka N, Woodard SH. Convergent Loss of Prothoracicotropic Hormone, A Canonical Regulator of Development, in Social Bee Evolution. Front Physiol 2022; 13:831928. [PMID: 35242055 PMCID: PMC8887954 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.831928] [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: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of insect sociality has repeatedly involved changes in developmental events and their timing. Here, we propose the hypothesis that loss of a canonical regulator of moulting and metamorphosis, prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH), and its receptor, Torso, is associated with the evolution of sociality in bees. Specifically, we posit that the increasing importance of social influences on early developmental timing in social bees has led to their decreased reliance on PTTH, which connects developmental timing with abiotic cues in solitary insects. At present, the evidence to support this hypothesis includes the absence of genes encoding PTTH and Torso from all fully-sequenced social bee genomes and its presence in all available genomes of solitary bees. Based on the bee phylogeny, the most parsimonious reconstruction of evolutionary events is that this hormone and its receptor have been lost multiple times, across independently social bee lineages. These gene losses shed light on possible molecular and cellular mechanisms that are associated with the evolution of social behavior in bees. We outline the available evidence for our hypothesis, and then contextualize it in light of what is known about developmental cues in social and solitary bees, and the multiple precedences of major developmental changes in social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudinéia P Costa
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Naoki Okamoto
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States.,Life Science Center for Survival Dynamics, Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Michael Orr
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Naoki Yamanaka
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - S Hollis Woodard
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
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31
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Sarro E, Tripodi A, Woodard SH. Bumble Bee ( Bombus vosnesenskii) Queen Nest Searching Occurs Independent of Ovary Developmental Status. INTEGRATIVE ORGANISMAL BIOLOGY (OXFORD, ENGLAND) 2022; 4:obac007. [PMID: 35274079 PMCID: PMC8902787 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obac007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Studies on the physiological states of wild-caught organisms are essential to uncovering the links between ecological and physiological processes. Bumble bee queens emerge from overwintering in the spring. At this time, queens develop their ovaries and search for a nest site in which to start a colony. Whether these two processes, ovary development and nest-searching, interact with or influence one another remains an unresolved question in behavioral physiology. We explored the hypothesis that ovary development and nest-searching might be mechanistically connected, by testing whether (1) ovary development precedes nest-searching behavior; (2) nest occupation precedes ovary development; or (3) ovary development and nest-searching occur independently, in bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) queens. We collected queens either nest-searching (and thus prior to occupying a nest) or pollen-collecting (and thus provisioning an occupied nest) and measured their degree of ovary activation. We further screened these queens for parasites or other symbionts, to identify additional factors that may impact their reproductive success at this time. We found that queens searched for and occupied nests at all stages of ovary development, indicating that these processes occur independently in this system. Nest-searching queens were more likely to have substantial mite loads than pollen-collecting queens, who had already located and occupied a nest. However, mite loads did not significantly predict ovary developmental status. Collectively, our work shows that nesting status and symbionts alone are insufficient to explain the variation in spring bumble bee queen ovary development. We propose that ovary development and nest-searching occur opportunistically, which may enable queens to begin laying eggs earlier in the season than if these processes occurred in discrete succession.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica Sarro
- Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Amber Tripodi
- Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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32
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Borański M, Celary W, Jachuła J. First record of Lithurguscornutus (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Megachilidae) from Poland. Biodivers Data J 2021; 9:e75997. [PMID: 34916869 PMCID: PMC8671310 DOI: 10.3897/bdj.9.e75997] [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: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The paper presents the first record of Lithurguscornutus (Fabricius, 1787) in Poland. Until recently, bees of the genus Lithurgus have not been recorded in Poland. Five females and one male of L.cornutus were caught in Lublin Region, SE Poland. The localities are beyond the range of this species, being the northernmost known records from Central Europe. The following information is provided: short diagnosis, ecology, distribution, recent records and threat status of L.cornutus in Central Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikołaj Borański
- The National Institute of Horticultural Research, Skierniewice, Poland The National Institute of Horticultural Research Skierniewice Poland
| | - Waldemar Celary
- University of Jan Kochanowski, Kielce, Poland University of Jan Kochanowski Kielce Poland
| | - Jacek Jachuła
- The National Institute of Horticultural Research, Skierniewice, Poland The National Institute of Horticultural Research Skierniewice Poland
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33
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Plant traits and landscape simplification drive intraspecific trait diversity of Bombus terrestris in wildflower plantings. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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34
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Maebe K, Hart AF, Marshall L, Vandamme P, Vereecken NJ, Michez D, Smagghe G. Bumblebee resilience to climate change, through plastic and adaptive responses. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:4223-4237. [PMID: 34118096 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Bumblebees are ubiquitous, cold-adapted eusocial bees found worldwide from subarctic to tropical regions of the world. They are key pollinators in most temperate and boreal ecosystems, and both wild and managed populations are significant contributors to agricultural pollination services. Despite their broad ecological niche at the genus level, bumblebee species are threatened by climate change, particularly by rising average temperatures, intensifying seasonality and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. While some temperature extremes may be offset at the individual or colony level through temperature regulation, most bumblebees are expected to exhibit specific plastic responses, selection in various key traits, and/or range contractions under even the mildest climate change. In this review, we provide an in-depth and up-to-date review on the various ways by which bumblebees overcome the threats associated with current and future global change. We use examples relevant to the fields of bumblebee physiology, morphology, behaviour, phenology, and dispersal to illustrate and discuss the contours of this new theoretical framework. Furthermore, we speculate on the extent to which adaptive responses to climate change may be influenced by bumblebees' capacity to disperse and track suitable climate conditions. Closing the knowledge gap and improving our understanding of bumblebees' adaptability or avoidance behaviour to different climatic circumstances will be necessary to improve current species climate response models. These models are essential to make correct predictions of species vulnerability in the face of future climate change and human-induced environmental changes to unfold appropriate future conservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Maebe
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Alex F Hart
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Leon Marshall
- Agroecology Lab, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Vandamme
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Denis Michez
- Laboratory of Zoology, Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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35
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Stupski SD, Schilder RJ. Operative temperature analysis of the honey bee Apis mellifera. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:269141. [PMID: 34125216 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.231134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A key challenge for linking experiments of organisms performed in a laboratory environment to their performance in more complex environments is to determine thermal differences between a laboratory and the energetically complex terrestrial ecosystem. Studies performed in the laboratory do not account for many factors that contribute to the realized temperature of an organism in its natural environment. This can lead to modelling approaches that use experimentally derived data to erroneously link the air temperature in a laboratory to air temperatures in energetically heterogenous ecosystems. Traditional solutions to this classic problem assume that animals in an isotropic, isothermal chamber behave either as pure heterothermic ectotherms (body temperature=chamber temperature) or homeothermic endotherms (body temperature is entirely independent of chamber temperature). This approach may not be appropriate for endothermic insects which exist as an intermediate between strongly thermoregulating endotherms and purely thermoconforming species. Here, we use a heat budget modelling approach for the honey bee Apis mellifera to demonstrate that the unique physiology of endothermic insects may challenge many assumptions of traditional biophysical modelling approaches. We then demonstrate under modelled field-realistic scenarios that an experiment performed in a laboratory has the potential to both overestimate and underestimate the temperature of foraging bees when only air temperature is considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley D Stupski
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Nevada,Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Rudolf J Schilder
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.,Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
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36
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Hall K, Robert T, Gaston KJ, Hempel de Ibarra N. Onset of morning activity in bumblebee foragers under natural low light conditions. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:6536-6545. [PMID: 34141238 PMCID: PMC8207423 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Foraging on flowers in low light at dusk and dawn comes at an additional cost for insect pollinators with diurnal vision. Nevertheless, some species are known to be frequently active at these times. To explore how early and under which light levels colonies of bumblebees, Bombus terrestris, initiate their foraging activity, we tracked foragers of different body sizes using RFID over 5 consecutive days during warm periods of the flowering season. Bees that left the colony at lower light levels and earlier in the day were larger in size. This result extends the evidence for alloethism in bumblebees and shows that foragers differ in their task specialization depending on body size. By leaving the colony earlier to find and exploit flowers in low light, larger-sized foragers are aided by their more sensitive eyes and can effectively increase their contributions to the colony's food influx. The decision to leave the colony early seems to be further facilitated by knowledge about profitable food resources in specific locations. We observed that experience accrued over many foraging flights determined whether a bee started foraging under lower light levels and earlier in the morning. Larger-sized bees were not more experienced than smaller-sized bees, confirming earlier observations of wide size ranges among active foragers. Overall, we found that most foragers left at higher light levels when they could see well and fly faster. Nevertheless, a small proportion of foragers left the colony shortly after the onset of dawn when light levels were below 10 lux. Our observations suggest that bumblebee colonies have the potential to balance the benefits of deploying large-sized or experienced foragers during dawn against the risks and costs of foraging under low light by regulating the onset of their activity at different stages of the colony's life cycle and in changing environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Hall
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, PsychologyUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
| | - Théo Robert
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, PsychologyUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
- Present address:
Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Biosciences InstituteNewcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUK
| | - Kevin J. Gaston
- Environment and Sustainability InstituteUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
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37
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Holland JG, Nakayama S, Porfiri M, Nov O, Bloch G. Body Size and Behavioural Plasticity Interact to Influence the Performance of Free-Foraging Bumble Bee Colonies. INSECTS 2021; 12:236. [PMID: 33802199 PMCID: PMC8001989 DOI: 10.3390/insects12030236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Specialisation and plasticity are important for many forms of collective behaviour, but the interplay between these factors is little understood. In insect societies, workers are often developmentally primed to specialise in different tasks, sometimes with morphological or physiological adaptations, facilitating a division of labour. Workers may also plastically switch between tasks or vary their effort. The degree to which developmentally primed specialisation limits plasticity is not clear and has not been systematically tested in ecologically relevant contexts. We addressed this question in 20 free-foraging bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) colonies by continually manipulating colonies to contain either a typically diverse, or a reduced ("homogeneous"), worker body size distribution while keeping the same mean body size, over two trials. Pooling both trials, diverse colonies produced a larger comb mass, an index of colony performance. The link between body size and task was further corroborated by the finding that foragers were larger than nurses even in homogeneous colonies with a very narrow body size range. However, the overall effect of size diversity stemmed mostly from one trial. In the other trial, homogeneous and diverse colonies showed comparable performance. By comparing behavioural profiles based on several thousand observations of individuals, we found evidence that workers in homogeneous colonies in this trial rescued colony performance by plastically increasing behavioural specialisation and/or individual effort, compared to same-sized individuals in diverse colonies. Our results are consistent with a benefit to colonies of large and small specialists under certain conditions, but also suggest that plasticity or effort can compensate for reduced (size-related) specialisation. Thus, we suggest that an intricate interplay between specialisation and plasticity is functionally adaptive in bumble bee colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob G. Holland
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behaviour, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Shinnosuke Nakayama
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA; (S.N.); (M.P.)
| | - Maurizio Porfiri
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA; (S.N.); (M.P.)
- Center for Urban Science and Progress, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
| | - Oded Nov
- Department of Technology Management and Innovation, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA;
| | - Guy Bloch
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behaviour, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
- The Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
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38
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Costa CP, Fisher K, Guillén BM, Yamanaka N, Bloch G, Woodard SH. Care-giver identity impacts offspring development and performance in an annually social bumble bee. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:20. [PMID: 33563224 PMCID: PMC7871553 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01756-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The developmental fates of offspring have the potential to be influenced by the identity of their care-givers and by the nature of the care that they receive. In animals that exhibit both parental and alloparental care, such as the annually eusocial insects, the influence of care-giver identity can be directly assessed to yield mechanistic and evolutionary insights into the origins and elaboration of brood care. Here, we performed a comparative investigation of maternal and worker brood care in bumble bees, a pollinator group where mothers (queens) rear the first offspring in the nest, and then daughters (workers) assume this role upon their emergence. Specifically, we compared the effects of queen and worker brood care on offspring development and also offspring performance, for a set of traits related to sensory biology, learning, and stress resistance. RESULTS We found that queen-reared workers were smaller-bodied than worker-reared offspring, suggesting that bumble bee queens influence body size determination in their offspring. We also found that queen-reared workers were more resistant to starvation, which might be beneficial for early nesting success. These maternal influences could not be explained by feeding rate, given that we detected a similar offspring feeding frequency in both queens and workers. CONCLUSION Bumble bee queens have a unique influence on the development of the first offspring in the nest, which they rear, relative to worker-reared workers. We propose that bumble bee brood care has been shaped by a suite of evolutionary and ecological factors, which might include a maternal influence on traits that promote survival of incipient colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kaleigh Fisher
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Blanca M Guillén
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Naoki Yamanaka
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Guy Bloch
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - S Hollis Woodard
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
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39
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Adaptive tuning of the exploitation-exploration trade-off in four honey bee species. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02938-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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40
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Theodorou P, Baltz LM, Paxton RJ, Soro A. Urbanization is associated with shifts in bumblebee body size, with cascading effects on pollination. Evol Appl 2021; 14:53-68. [PMID: 33519956 PMCID: PMC7819558 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanization is a global phenomenon with major effects on species, the structure of community functional traits and ecological interactions. Body size is a key species trait linked to metabolism, life-history and dispersal as well as a major determinant of ecological networks. Here, using a well-replicated urban-rural sampling design in Central Europe, we investigate the direction of change of body size in response to urbanization in three common bumblebee species, Bombus lapidarius, Bombus pascuorum and Bombus terrestris, and potential knock-on effects on pollination service provision. We found foragers of B. terrestris to be larger in cities and the body size of all species to be positively correlated with road density (albeit at different, species-specific scales); these are expected consequences of habitat fragmentation resulting from urbanization. High ambient temperature at sampling was associated with both a small body size and an increase in variation of body size in all three species. At the community level, the community-weighted mean body size and its variation increased with urbanization. Urbanization had an indirect positive effect on pollination services through its effects not only on flower visitation rate but also on community-weighted mean body size and its variation. We discuss the eco-evolutionary implications of the effect of urbanization on body size, and the relevance of these findings for the key ecosystem service of pollination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panagiotis Theodorou
- General ZoologyInstitute of BiologyMartin Luther University Halle‐WittenbergHalle (Saale)Germany
| | - Lucie M. Baltz
- General ZoologyInstitute of BiologyMartin Luther University Halle‐WittenbergHalle (Saale)Germany
| | - Robert J. Paxton
- General ZoologyInstitute of BiologyMartin Luther University Halle‐WittenbergHalle (Saale)Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
| | - Antonella Soro
- General ZoologyInstitute of BiologyMartin Luther University Halle‐WittenbergHalle (Saale)Germany
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41
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Frasnelli E, Robert T, Chow PKY, Scales B, Gibson S, Manning N, Philippides AO, Collett TS, Hempel de Ibarra N. Small and Large Bumblebees Invest Differently when Learning about Flowers. Curr Biol 2020; 31:1058-1064.e3. [PMID: 33373638 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.11.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 10/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Honeybees1 and bumblebees2 perform learning flights when leaving a newly discovered flower. During these flights, bees spend a portion of the time turning back to face the flower when they can memorize views of the flower and its surroundings. In honeybees, learning flights become longer when the reward offered by a flower is increased.3 We show here that bumblebees behave in a similar way, and we add that bumblebees face an artificial flower more when the concentration of the sucrose solution that the flower provides is higher. The surprising finding is that a bee's size determines what a bumblebee regards as a "low" or "high" concentration and so affects its learning behavior. The larger bees in a sample of foragers only enhance their flower facing when the sucrose concentration is in the upper range of the flowers that are naturally available to bees.4 In contrast, smaller bees invest the same effort in facing flowers whether the concentration is high or low, but their effort is less than that of larger bees. The way in which different-sized bees distribute their effort when learning about flowers parallels the foraging behavior of a colony. Large bumblebees5,6 are able to carry larger loads and explore further from the nest than smaller ones.7 Small ones with a smaller flight range and carrying capacity cannot afford to be as selective and so accept a wider range of flowers. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Frasnelli
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Psychology, Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Exeter EX1 4QG, UK
| | - Théo Robert
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Psychology, Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Exeter EX1 4QG, UK
| | - Pizza Ka Yee Chow
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Psychology, Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Exeter EX1 4QG, UK
| | - Ben Scales
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Psychology, Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Exeter EX1 4QG, UK
| | - Sam Gibson
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Psychology, Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Exeter EX1 4QG, UK
| | - Nicola Manning
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Psychology, Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Exeter EX1 4QG, UK
| | - Andrew O Philippides
- School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Chichester Building, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QJ, UK
| | - Thomas S Collett
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, John Maynard Smith Building, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK.
| | - Natalie Hempel de Ibarra
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Psychology, Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Exeter EX1 4QG, UK.
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42
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Hawkey KJ, Lopez-Viso C, Brameld JM, Parr T, Salter AM. Insects: A Potential Source of Protein and Other Nutrients for Feed and Food. Annu Rev Anim Biosci 2020; 9:333-354. [PMID: 33228376 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-animal-021419-083930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Sustainable production of healthy food for a growing global population, in the face of the uncertainties of climate change, represents a major challenge for the coming decade. Livestock provide food with high nutritional value but are frequently fed on human-edible crops and are associated with significant production of greenhouse gases. Recent years have seen increasing interest in the farming of insects as a sustainable source of human food, or as a replacement of ingredients such as soya or fishmeal in the feeds of terrestrial livestock or fish. This review provides an overview of insect physiology and growth regulation, considers the requirements for insect farming and mass production, and summarizes the nutritional value of the 10 most commonly studied insect species, before reviewing the literature on the use of insects as feed and food. We highlight the challenges required to develop a sustainable, safe, and affordable insect farming industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerensa J Hawkey
- Division of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Biosciences and Future Food Beacon, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom;
| | - Carlos Lopez-Viso
- Division of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Biosciences and Future Food Beacon, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom;
| | - John M Brameld
- Division of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Biosciences and Future Food Beacon, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom;
| | - Tim Parr
- Division of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Biosciences and Future Food Beacon, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom;
| | - Andrew M Salter
- Division of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Biosciences and Future Food Beacon, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom;
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43
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Holland JG, Bloch G. The Complexity of Social Complexity: A Quantitative Multidimensional Approach for Studies of Social Organization. Am Nat 2020; 196:525-540. [PMID: 33064587 DOI: 10.1086/710957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe rapid increase in "big data" during the postgenomic era makes it crucial to appropriately measure the level of social complexity in comparative studies. We argue that commonly used qualitative classifications lump together species showing a broad range of social complexity and falsely imply that social evolution always progresses along a single linear stepwise trajectory that can be deduced from comparing extant species. To illustrate this point, we compared widely used social complexity measures in "primitively eusocial" bumble bees with "advanced eusocial" stingless bees, honey bees, and attine ants. We find that a single species can have both higher and lower levels of complexity compared with other taxa, depending on the social trait measured. We propose that measuring the complexity of individual social traits switches focus from semantic discussions and offers several directions for progress. First, quantitative social traits can be correlated with molecular, developmental, and physiological processes within and across lineages of social animals. This approach is particularly promising for identifying processes that influence or have been affected by social evolution. Second, key social complexity traits can be combined into multidimensional lineage-specific quantitative indices, enabling fine-scale comparison across species that are currently bundled within the same level of social complexity.
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