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Sokolowski MBC, Bottet G, Dacher M. Measuring honey bee feeding rhythms with the BeeBox, a platform for nectar foraging insects. Physiol Behav 2024; 283:114598. [PMID: 38821143 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114598] [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: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
In honey bees, most studies of circadian rhythms involve a locomotion test performed in a small tube, a tunnel, or at the hive entrance. However, despite feeding playing an important role in honey bee health or fitness, no demonstration of circadian rhythm on feeding has been performed until recently. Here, we present the BeeBox, a new laboratory platform for bees based on the concept of the Skinner box, which dispenses discrete controlled amounts of food (sucrose syrup) following entrance into an artificial flower. We compared caged groups of bees in 12 h-12 h light/dark cycles, constant darkness and constant light and measured average hourly syrup consumption per living bee. Food intake was higher in constant light and lower in constant darkness; mortality increased in constant light. We observed rhythmic consumption with a period longer than 24 h; this is maintained in darkness without environmental cues, but is damped in the constant light condition. The BeeBox offers many new research perspectives and numerous potential applications in the study of nectar foraging animals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Guillaume Bottet
- Université de Picardie - Jules Verne, 1, rue des Louvels, 80000 Amiens, France
| | - Matthieu Dacher
- Sorbonne Université, INRAE, Université Paris Est Créteil, CNRS, IRD - Institute for Ecology and Environnemental Sciences of Paris, iEES Paris, 78026, Versailles, France
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2
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Stewart AB, Diller C, Dudash MR, Fenster CB. Pollination-precision hypothesis: support from native honey bees and nectar bats. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 235:1629-1640. [PMID: 35194792 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of floral traits is often considered to reflect selection for increased pollination efficiency. Known as the pollination-precision hypothesis, increased pollination efficiency is achieved by enhancing pollen deposition on precise areas of the pollinator. Most research to date addressing this hypothesis has examined plant species that are a priori predicted to place pollen precisely, but we still lack comparisons with species predicted to have low pollination efficiency. We studied 39 plant species with diverse floral morphologies and measured the precision of pollen placement on two pollinator groups: honey bees (genus Apis) and nectar bats (family Pteropodidae). Pollen was collected from four locations of each pollinator's body (bees: dorsal thorax, ventral thorax, dorsal abdomen, ventral abdomen; bats: crown, face, chest, wing) to calculate pollen placement precision using Pielou's evenness index. We also quantified variation in floral design by scoring floral symmetry, corolla fusion, floral orientation and stamen number. We confirm the importance of four floral character states (bilateral symmetry, fused corollas, horizontal orientation and reduced stamen number) in promoting precise pollen placement on diverse pollinators. Our findings provide phylogenetically corrected, empirical support that the evolution of the four floral characters reflect selection for enhanced precision of pollen placed on pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa B Stewart
- Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Carolina Diller
- Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, 234 56, Sweden
| | - Michele R Dudash
- Department of Natural Resource Management, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Charles B Fenster
- Oak Lake Field Station, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA
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3
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Montero‐Castaño A, Koch JBU, Lindsay TT, Love B, Mola JM, Newman K, Sharkey JK. Pursuing best practices for minimizing wild bee captures to support biological research. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jonathan Berenguer Uhuad Koch
- U.S. Department of Agriculture‐Agricultural Research Service Pollinating Insect‐Biology, Management, and Systematics Research Unit Logan Utah USA
| | - Thuy‐Tien Thai Lindsay
- U.S. Department of Agriculture‐Agricultural Research Service Pollinating Insect‐Biology, Management, and Systematics Research Unit Logan Utah USA
| | - Byron Love
- U.S. Department of Agriculture‐Agricultural Research Service Pollinating Insect‐Biology, Management, and Systematics Research Unit Logan Utah USA
| | - John M. Mola
- U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | - Kiera Newman
- School of Environmental Sciences University of Guelph Guelph Ontario Canada
| | - Janean K. Sharkey
- School of Environmental Sciences University of Guelph Guelph Ontario Canada
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4
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Yilmaz A, Gagnon Y, Byrne M, Baird E, Dacke M. Cold-induced anesthesia impairs path integration memory in dung beetles. Curr Biol 2021; 32:438-444.e3. [PMID: 34852216 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.10.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Path integration is a general mechanism used by many animals to maintain an updated record of their position in relation to a set reference point.1-11 To do this, they continually integrate direction and distance information into a memorized home vector. What remains unclear is how this vector is stored, maintained, and utilized for successful navigation. A recent computational model based on the neuronal circuitry of the insect central complex suggests that home vector memories are encoded across a set of putative memory neurons and maintained through ongoing recurrent neural activity.12 To better understand the nature of the home vector memory and experimentally assess underlying mechanisms for maintaining it, we performed a series of experiments on the path integrating dung beetle Scarabaeus galenus.13 We found that, while the directional component of the home vector was maintained for up to 1 h, the distance component of the vector memory decreased gradually over time. Using cold-induced anesthesia, we disrupted the neural activity of beetles that had stored a home vector of known length and direction. This treatment diminished both components of the home vector memory, but by different amounts-the homing beetles lost their distance memory before their directional memory. Together, these findings present new insights into the functional properties of home vector memories and provide the first empirical evidence that a biological process that can be disrupted by cold-induced anesthesia is essential to support homing by path integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayse Yilmaz
- Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35B, 223 62 Lund, Sweden.
| | - Yakir Gagnon
- Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35B, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Marcus Byrne
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits 2050, South Africa
| | - Emily Baird
- Department of Biology, Division of Functional Morphology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrheniusväg 18B, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marie Dacke
- Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35B, 223 62 Lund, Sweden; School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits 2050, South Africa
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Shi J, Yang H, Yu L, Liao C, Liu Y, Jin M, Yan W, Wu XB. Sublethal acetamiprid doses negatively affect the lifespans and foraging behaviors of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) workers. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 738:139924. [PMID: 32531610 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The neonicotinoid insecticide acetamiprid is applied widely for pest control in agriculture production. However, little is known about the effects of acetamiprid on the foraging behavior of nontarget pollinators. This study aims to investigate effects of sublethal acetamiprid doses on lifespans and foraging behaviors of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) under natural swarm conditions. Newly emerged worker bees of each treatment received a drop of 1.5 μL acetamiprid solution (containing 0, 0.5, 1, and 2 μg/bee acetamiprid, diluted by water) on the thorax respectively. Bees from 2-day-old to deadline were monitored on foraging behaviors involving the age of bee for first foraging flights, rotating day-off status and the number of foraging flights using the radio frequency identification (RFID) system. We found that acetamiprid at 2 μg/bee significantly reduced the lifespan, induced precocious foraging activity, influenced the rotating day-off status and decreased foraging flights of worker bees. The abnormal behaviors of worker bees may be associated with a decline in lifespan. This work may provide a new perspective into the neonicotinoids that accelerate the colony failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingliang Shi
- Honeybee Research Institute, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, PR China
| | - Heyan Yang
- Honeybee Research Institute, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China
| | - Longtao Yu
- Honeybee Research Institute, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China
| | - Chunhua Liao
- Guangyuan City Animal Husbandry and Seed Management Station, Guangyuan, 628017, Sichuan, PR China
| | - Yao Liu
- Honeybee Research Institute, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China
| | - Mengjie Jin
- Honeybee Research Institute, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China
| | - Weiyu Yan
- Honeybee Research Institute, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China
| | - Xiao Bo Wu
- Honeybee Research Institute, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China.
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TUTUN H, SEVİN S, ÇETİNTAV B. Effects of different chilling procedures on honey bees (Apis mellifera) for anesthesia. ANKARA ÜNIVERSITESI VETERINER FAKÜLTESI DERGISI 2020. [DOI: 10.33988/auvfd.641831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Effect of Astragalus membranaceus Oral Solution on Lifespan and Learning and Memory Ability of Honey Bees. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 2020:5745048. [PMID: 32351998 PMCID: PMC7174962 DOI: 10.1155/2020/5745048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the effects of Astragalus membranaceus oral solution on lifespan and learning and memory abilities of honey bees were evaluated. Two groups of bees were fed with sucrose syrup (50%) containing low dose (1.33%) and high dose (13.3%) of A. membranaceus oral solution, respectively. The proboscis extension response (PER) analysis was applied to examine the learning and memory capabilities of bees. Two genes related to memory formation in honey bees were determined by real-time PCR. High dose (13.3%) of A. membranaceus significantly decreased the mean lifespan of bees compared to the bees fed with low dose (1.33%) and control bees. No significant differences in lifespan of bees were found between low-dose-fed bees and control bees. The results of PER experiments showed apparent improvement in the memorizing ability of the high-dose group (in comparison with the control group). Moreover, the relative expression levels of Nmdar1 in the low-dose group and control group were significantly lower than those in the high-dose group. It is preliminarily concluded that A. membranaceus has an adverse effect on the mean lifespan of honey bees but might be helpful in strengthening memories.
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Little CM, Chapman TW, Hillier NK. Considerations for Insect Learning in Integrated Pest Management. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2019; 19:6. [PMID: 31313814 PMCID: PMC6635889 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iez064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The past 100 yr have seen dramatic philosophical shifts in our approach to controlling or managing pest species. The introduction of integrated pest management in the 1970s resulted in the incorporation of biological and behavioral approaches to preserve ecosystems and reduce reliance on synthetic chemical pesticides. Increased understanding of the local ecosystem, including its structure and the biology of its species, can improve efficacy of integrated pest management strategies. Pest management strategies incorporating insect learning paradigms to control insect pests or to use insects to control other pests can mediate risk to nontarget insects, including pollinators. Although our understanding of insect learning is in its early stages, efforts to integrate insect learning into pest management strategies have been promising. Due to considerable differences in cognitive abilities among insect species, a case-by-case assessment is needed for each potential application of insect learning within a pest management strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine M Little
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, Canada
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Thomas W Chapman
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - N Kirk Hillier
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, Canada
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9
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Tsvetkov N, Cook CN, Zayed A. Effects of group size on learning and memory in the honey bee, Apis mellifera. J Exp Biol 2019; 222:jeb.193888. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.193888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In animals that experience interactions with conspecifics while young, social interactions appear to be a necessary prerequisite for typical behaviour. Eusocial insects have large colonies where individuals experience a great deal of social interactions with nest mates during all life stages, making them excellent candidates for understanding the effects of social isolation on brain development and behaviour. Here we used the honey bee Apis mellifera to study the effect of social isolation and group size on reward perception and discrimination learning and memory. We confined day old adult workers into three different size groups (1 bee, 8 or 32 bees) for six days during a critical period associated with adult behavioural maturation. We quantified their sucrose responsiveness, their ability to use and remember olfactory cues to discriminate between sucrose and salt (i.e. discrimination learning), and four biogenic amines in the brain. We found that the smaller the group size, the more responsive a worker was to the sucrose reward. Honey bees raised in groups of 32 performed the best in the learning trials and had the highest levels of dopamine. We found no effect of group size on memory. The observed group size effect on learning but not memory supports the hypothesis that social interactions modulate learning through the dopaminergic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadejda Tsvetkov
- Biology Department, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, M3J 1P3, Ontario, Canada
| | - Chelsea N. Cook
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 427 E Tyler Mall #320, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Amro Zayed
- Biology Department, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, M3J 1P3, Ontario, Canada
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10
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Leonard RJ, Vergoz V, Proschogo N, McArthur C, Hochuli DF. Petrol exhaust pollution impairs honey bee learning and memory. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.05405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J. Leonard
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The Univ. of Sydney; NSW 2006 Australia
| | - Vanina Vergoz
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The Univ. of Sydney; NSW 2006 Australia
| | - Nicholas Proschogo
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The Univ. of Sydney; NSW 2006 Australia
| | - Clare McArthur
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The Univ. of Sydney; NSW 2006 Australia
| | - Dieter F. Hochuli
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The Univ. of Sydney; NSW 2006 Australia
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11
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The effects of artificial rearing environment on the behavior of adult honey bees, Apis mellifera L. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2507-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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12
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Dosselli R, Grassl J, Carson A, Simmons LW, Baer B. Flight behaviour of honey bee (Apis mellifera) workers is altered by initial infections of the fungal parasite Nosema apis. Sci Rep 2016; 6:36649. [PMID: 27827404 PMCID: PMC5101476 DOI: 10.1038/srep36649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) host a wide range of parasites, some being known contributors towards dramatic colony losses as reported over recent years. To counter parasitic threats, honey bees possess effective immune systems. Because immune responses are predicted to cause substantial physiological costs for infected individuals, they are expected to trade off with other life history traits that ultimately affect the performance and fitness of the entire colony. Here, we tested whether the initial onset of an infection negatively impacts the flight behaviour of honey bee workers, which is an energetically demanding behaviour and a key component of foraging activities. To do this, we infected workers with the widespread fungal pathogen Nosema apis, which is recognised and killed by the honey bee immune system. We compared their survival and flight behaviour with non-infected individuals from the same cohort and colony using radio frequency identification tags (RFID). We found that over a time frame of four days post infection, Nosema did not increase mortality but workers quickly altered their flight behaviour and performed more flights of shorter duration. We conclude that parasitic infections influence foraging activities, which could reduce foraging ranges of colonies and impact their ability to provide pollination services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Dosselli
- Centre for Integrative Bee Research (CIBER), ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Bayliss Building (M316), The University of Western Australia, Crawley WA 6009, Australia
| | - Julia Grassl
- Centre for Integrative Bee Research (CIBER), ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Bayliss Building (M316), The University of Western Australia, Crawley WA 6009, Australia
| | - Andrew Carson
- Centre for Integrative Bee Research (CIBER), ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Bayliss Building (M316), The University of Western Australia, Crawley WA 6009, Australia
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology (M092), The University of Western Australia, Crawley WA 6009, Australia
| | - Leigh W. Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology (M092), The University of Western Australia, Crawley WA 6009, Australia
| | - Boris Baer
- Centre for Integrative Bee Research (CIBER), ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Bayliss Building (M316), The University of Western Australia, Crawley WA 6009, Australia
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Effects of Nosema apis, N. ceranae, and coinfections on honey bee (Apis mellifera) learning and memory. Sci Rep 2016; 6:22626. [PMID: 26961062 PMCID: PMC4785390 DOI: 10.1038/srep22626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Accepted: 10/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) face an increasing number of challenges that in recent years have led to significant economic effects on apiculture, with attendant consequences for agriculture. Nosemosis is a fungal infection of honey bees caused by either Nosema apis or N. ceranae. The putative greater virulence of N. ceranae has spurred interest in understanding how it differs from N. apis. Little is known of effects of N. apis or N. ceranae on honey bee learning and memory. Following a Pavlovian model that relies on the proboscis extension reflex, we compared acquisition learning and long-term memory recall of uninfected (control) honey bees versus those inoculated with N. apis, N. ceranae, or both. We also tested whether spore intensity was associated with variation in learning and memory. Neither learning nor memory differed among treatments. There was no evidence of a relationship between spore intensity and learning, and only limited evidence of a negative effect on memory; this occurred only in the co-inoculation treatment. Our results suggest that if Nosema spp. are contributing to unusually high colony losses in recent years, the mechanism by which they may affect honey bees is probably not related to effects on learning or memory, at least as assessed by the proboscis extension reflex.
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A neonicotinoid impairs olfactory learning in Asian honey bees (Apis cerana) exposed as larvae or as adults. Sci Rep 2015; 5:10989. [PMID: 26086769 PMCID: PMC4471740 DOI: 10.1038/srep10989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2014] [Accepted: 04/01/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Xenobiotics such as the neonicotinoid pesticide, imidacloprid, are used globally, but their effects on native bee species are poorly understood. We studied the effects of sublethal doses of imidacloprid on olfactory learning in the native honey bee species, Apis cerana, an important pollinator of agricultural and native plants throughout Asia. We provide the first evidence that imidacloprid can impair learning in A. cerana workers exposed as adults or as larvae. Adults that ingested a single imidacloprid dose as low as 0.1 ng/bee had significantly reduced olfactory learning acquisition, which was 1.6-fold higher in control bees. Longer-term learning (1-17 h after the last learning trial) was also impaired. Bees exposed as larvae to a total dose of 0.24 ng/bee did not have reduced survival to adulthood. However, these larval-treated bees had significantly impaired olfactory learning when tested as adults: control bees exhibited up to 4.8-fold better short-term learning acquisition, though longer-term learning was not affected. Thus, sublethal cognitive deficits elicited by neonicotinoids on a broad range of native bee species deserve further study.
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Li Z, Chen Y, Zhang S, Chen S, Li W, Yan L, Shi L, Wu L, Sohr A, Su S. Viral infection affects sucrose responsiveness and homing ability of forager honey bees, Apis mellifera L. PLoS One 2013; 8:e77354. [PMID: 24130876 PMCID: PMC3795060 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2013] [Accepted: 09/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Honey bee health is mainly affected by Varroa destructor, viruses, Nosema spp., pesticide residues and poor nutrition. Interactions between these proposed factors may be responsible for the colony losses reported worldwide in recent years. In the present study, the effects of a honey bee virus, Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), on the foraging behaviors and homing ability of European honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) were investigated based on proboscis extension response (PER) assays and radio frequency identification (RFID) systems. The pollen forager honey bees originated from colonies that had no detectable level of honey bee viruses and were manually inoculated with IAPV to induce the viral infection. The results showed that IAPV-inoculated honey bees were more responsive to low sucrose solutions compared to that of non-infected foragers. After two days of infection, around 107 copies of IAPV were detected in the heads of these honey bees. The homing ability of IAPV-infected foragers was depressed significantly in comparison to the homing ability of uninfected foragers. The data provided evidence that IAPV infection in the heads may enable the virus to disorder foraging roles of honey bees and to interfere with brain functions that are responsible for learning, navigation, and orientation in the honey bees, thus, making honey bees have a lower response threshold to sucrose and lose their way back to the hive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiguo Li
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yanping Chen
- USDA, ARS Bee Research Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Shaowu Zhang
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science, Research School of Biology, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Shenglu Chen
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wenfeng Li
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Limin Yan
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Liangen Shi
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lyman Wu
- College of Computer, Math, and Natural Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Alex Sohr
- College of Computer, Math, and Natural Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Songkun Su
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- College of Bee Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- * E-mail:
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16
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Frost EH, Shutler D, Hillier NK. Effects of fluvalinate on honey bee learning, memory, responsiveness to sucrose, and survival. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 216:2931-8. [PMID: 23619403 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.086538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Contaminants can affect organisms' behaviour and, as a consequence, survival. Tau-fluvalinate (hereafter fluvalinate) is the active ingredient in a pesticide commonly used in North America to control Varroa destructor mites in honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies. Fluvalinate's effects on honey bees are not well known. Honey bee cognitive and neural function can be assessed using the proboscis extension reflex (PER), which applies Pavlovian conditioning techniques. This study used PER to evaluate effects of fluvalinate on honey bee acquisition learning, (long-term) memory recall, responsiveness to sucrose, and mortality. We also evaluated how exclusion criteria for honey bees that did not exhibit PER during training and memory trials affected interpretation of results. Fluvalinate was administered both orally and dermally at high and low doses to mimic routes by which honey bees are exposed. We found negative effects of fluvalinate on honey bee learning, memory, responsiveness to sucrose, and survival, especially in high oral doses. We also found significant consequences to interpretation of results using different exclusion criteria. For example, almost 50% of individuals that failed to show evidence of learning subsequently showed evidence of memory. The latter results have important implications regarding traditional assessment of PER-based learning and memory; the former results suggest that evaluation of honey bee exposure to fluvalinate and attendant consequences warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth H Frost
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, 33 Westwood Avenue, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, B4P 2R6, Canada
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Kirkerud NH, Wehmann HN, Galizia CG, Gustav D. APIS-a novel approach for conditioning honey bees. Front Behav Neurosci 2013; 7:29. [PMID: 23616753 PMCID: PMC3627990 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2013] [Accepted: 03/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Honey bees perform robustly in different conditioning paradigms. This makes them excellent candidates for studying mechanisms of learning and memory at both an individual and a population level. Here we introduce a novel method of honey bee conditioning: APIS, the Automatic Performance Index System. In an enclosed walking arena where the interior is covered with an electric grid, presentation of odors from either end can be combined with weak electric shocks to form aversive associations. To quantify behavioral responses, we continuously monitor the movement of the bee by an automatic tracking system. We found that escapes from one side to the other, changes in velocity as well as distance and time spent away from the punished odor are suitable parameters to describe the bee's learning capabilities. Our data show that in a short-term memory test the response rate for the conditioned stimulus (CS) in APIS correlates well with response rate obtained from conventional Proboscis Extension Response (PER)-conditioning. Additionally, we discovered that bees modulate their behavior to aversively learned odors by reducing their rate, speed and magnitude of escapes and that both generalization and extinction seem to be different between appetitive and aversive stimuli. The advantages of this automatic system make it ideal for assessing learning rates in a standardized and convenient way, and its flexibility adds to the toolbox for studying honey bee behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas H Kirkerud
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Konstanz Konstanz, Germany ; International Max-Planck Research School for Organismal Biology, University of Konstanz Konstanz, Germany
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Matsumoto Y, Menzel R, Sandoz JC, Giurfa M. Revisiting olfactory classical conditioning of the proboscis extension response in honey bees: a step toward standardized procedures. J Neurosci Methods 2012; 211:159-67. [PMID: 22960052 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2012.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2012] [Revised: 08/16/2012] [Accepted: 08/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The honey bee Apis mellifera has emerged as a robust and influential model for the study of classical conditioning thanks to the existence of a powerful Pavlovian conditioning protocol, the olfactory conditioning of the proboscis extension response (PER). In 2011, the olfactory PER conditioning protocol celebrated its 50 years since it was first introduced by Kimihisa Takeda in 1961. In this protocol, individually harnessed honey bees are trained to associate an odor with sucrose solution. The resulting olfactory learning is fast and induces robust olfactory memories that have been characterized at the behavioral, neuronal and molecular levels. Despite the success of this protocol for studying the bases of learning and memory at these different levels, innumerable procedural variants have arisen throughout the years, which render comparative analyses of behavioral performances difficult. Moreover, because even slight variations in conditioning procedures may introduce significant differences in acquisition and retention performances, we revisit olfactory PER conditioning and define here a standardized framework for experiments using this behavioral protocol. To this end, we present and discuss all the methodological steps and details necessary for successful implementation of olfactory PER conditioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukihisa Matsumoto
- UPS, Research Centre for Animal Cognition, Université de Toulouse, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
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Frost EH, Shutler D, Hillier NK. The proboscis extension reflex to evaluate learning and memory in honeybees (Apis mellifera): some caveats. Naturwissenschaften 2012; 99:677-86. [PMID: 22869163 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-012-0955-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2012] [Revised: 07/18/2012] [Accepted: 07/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The proboscis extension reflex (PER) is widely used in a classical conditioning (Pavlovian) context to evaluate learning and memory of a variety of insect species. The literature is particularly prodigious for honeybees (Apis mellifera) with more than a thousand publications. Imagination appears to be the only limit to the types of challenges to which researchers subject honeybees, including all the sensory modalities and a broad diversity of environmental treatments. Accordingly, some remarkable insights have been achieved using PER. However, there are several challenges to evaluating the PER literature that warrant a careful and thorough review. We assess here variation in methods that makes interpretation of studies, even those researching the same question, tenuous. We suggest that the numerous variables that might influence experimental outcomes from PER be thoroughly detailed by researchers. Moreover, the influence of individual variables on results needs to carefully evaluated, as well as among two or more variables. Our intent is to encourage investigation of the influence of numerous variables on PER results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth H Frost
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, 33 Westwood Avenue, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, B4P 2R6, Canada
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