1
|
Ferrari A, Tacconi G, Polidori C. Subtle morphological changes in the visual and antennal sensory system of bees and wasps across an urbanisation gradient. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8960. [PMID: 38637599 PMCID: PMC11026482 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58804-2] [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: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Increased temperature and fragmentation of green spaces in urban areas could drive variations in functional traits of insects. Such morphological shifts may occur for sensory systems, which were previously reported to be prone to change with habitat characteristics in non-urban contexts. Here, we measured traits related to the visual and antennal sensory systems in the bees Halictus scabiosae and Osmia cornuta and the wasp Polistes dominula along an urbanisation gradient within Milan (Italy). We hypothesised that fragmentation could filter for better visual properties, and that higher temperature could filter for fewer thermoreceptors and more olfactory hairs. While controlling for body size, results show subtle but appreciable responses to urbanisation in one or more traits in all species, though not always supporting our hypotheses. O. cornuta shows marginally higher ommatidia density and smaller ommatidia diameter (associated with better visual resolution) in more fragmented sites, as well as marginally fewer thermoreceptors in hotter sites, in agreement with our two predictions. On the other hand, H. scabiosae has marginally smaller antennae and P. dominula has smaller eyes at warmer locations, and the wasp also has smaller antennae and 9th flagellomeres in more fragmented areas. Perhaps higher temperatures accelerate development of sensory system at higher speed than the rest of body in these two species. Our results represent the first evidence of urbanisation effects on the visual and antennal sensory systems of bees and wasps and underline how such effects may involve a much broader bouquet of traits then previously observed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ferrari
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP), University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Greta Tacconi
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP), University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Carlo Polidori
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP), University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hearn LR, Davies OK, Schwarz MP. Extreme reproductive skew at the dawn of sociality is consistent with inclusive fitness theory but problematic for routes to eusociality. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220652. [PMID: 35703047 PMCID: PMC9201697 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
To understand the earliest stages of social evolution, we need to identify species that are undergoing the initial steps into sociality. Amphylaeus morosus is the only unambiguously known social species in the bee family Colletidae and represents an independent origin of sociality within the Apoidea. This allows us to investigate the selective factors promoting the transition from solitary to social nesting. Using genome-wide SNP genotyping, we infer robust pedigree relationships to identify maternity of brood and intracolony relatedness for colonies at the end of the reproductive season. We show that A. morosus forms both matrifilial and full-sibling colonies, both involving complete or almost complete monopolization over reproduction. In social colonies, the reproductive primary was also the primary forager with the secondary female remaining in the nest, presumably as a guard. Social nesting provided significant protection against parasitism and increased brood survivorship in general. We show that secondary females gain large indirect fitness benefits from defensive outcomes, enough to satisfy the conditions of inclusive fitness theory, despite an over-production of males in social colonies. These results suggest an avenue to sociality that involves high relatedness and, very surprisingly, extreme reproductive skew in its earliest stages and raises important questions about the evolutionary steps in pathways to eusociality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas R. Hearn
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
| | - Olivia K. Davies
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
| | - Michael P. Schwarz
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Garcia Bulle Bueno F, Garcia Bulle Bueno B, Buchmann G, Heard T, Latty T, Oldroyd BP, Hosoi AE, Gloag R. Males Are Capable of Long-Distance Dispersal in a Social Bee. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.843156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pollinator conservation is aided by knowledge of dispersal behavior, which shapes gene flow and population structure. In many bees, dispersal is thought to be male-biased, and males’ movements may be critical to maintaining gene flow in disturbed and fragmented habitats. Yet male bee movements are challenging to track directly and male dispersal ability remains poorly understood in most species. Here, we combine field manipulations and models to assess male dispersal ability in a stingless bee (Tetragonula carbonaria). We placed colonies with virgin queens at varying distances apart (1–48 km), genotyped the males that gathered at mating aggregations outside each colony, and used pairwise sibship assignment to determine the distribution of likely brothers across aggregations. We then compared simulations of male dispersal to our observed distributions and found best-fit models when males dispersed an average of 2–3 km (>2-fold female flight ranges), and maximum of 20 km (30-fold female flight ranges). Our data supports the view that male bee dispersal can facilitate gene flow over long-distances, and thus play a key role in bee populations’ resilience to habitat loss and fragmentation. In addition, we show that the number of families contributing to male aggregations can be used to estimate local stingless bee colony densities, allowing population monitoring of these important tropical pollinators.
Collapse
|
4
|
Passaseo A, Pétremand G, Rochefort S, Castella E. Pollinator emerging from extensive green roofs: wild bees (Hymenoptera, Antophila) and hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae) in Geneva (Switzerland). Urban Ecosyst 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-020-00973-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
5
|
Ropars L, Affre L, Schurr L, Flacher F, Genoud D, Mutillod C, Geslin B. Land cover composition, local plant community composition and honeybee colony density affect wild bee species assemblages in a Mediterranean biodiversity hot-spot. ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2020.103546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
|
6
|
Quigley TP, Amdam GV, Harwood GH. Honey bees as bioindicators of changing global agricultural landscapes. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 35:132-137. [PMID: 31541967 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
There is a growing need to understand relationships between agricultural intensification and global change. Monitoring solutions, however, often do not include pollinator communities that are of importance to ecosystem integrity. Here, we put forth the honey bee as an economical and broadly available bioindicator that can be used to assess and track changes in the quality of agricultural ecosystems. We detail a variety of simple, low-cost procedures that can be deployed within honey bee hives to gain generalizable information about ecosystem quality at multiple scales, and discuss the potential of the honey bee system in both environmental and ecological bioindication.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tyler P Quigley
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States.
| | - Gro V Amdam
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States; Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway
| | - Gyan H Harwood
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Santos PKF, Arias MC, Kapheim KM. Loss of developmental diapause as prerequisite for social evolution in bees. Biol Lett 2019; 15:20190398. [PMID: 31409242 PMCID: PMC6731480 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Diapause is a physiological arrest of development ahead of adverse environmental conditions and is a critical phase of the life cycle of many insects. In bees, diapause has been reported in species from all seven taxonomic families. However, they exhibit a variety of diapause strategies. These different strategies are of particular interest since shifts in the phase of the insect life cycle in which diapause occurs have been hypothesized to promote the evolution of sociality. Here we provide a comprehensive evaluation of this hypothesis with phylogenetic analysis and ancestral state reconstruction (ASR) of the ecological and evolutionary factors associated with diapause phase. We find that social lifestyle, latitude and voltinism are significant predictors of the life stage in which diapause occurs. ASR revealed that the most recent common ancestor of all bees likely exhibited developmental diapause and shifts to adult, reproductive, or no diapause have occurred in the ancestors of lineages in which social behaviour has evolved. These results provide fresh insight regarding the role of diapause as a prerequisite for the evolution of sociality in bees.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Priscila Karla Ferreira Santos
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências - Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, 277, CEP 05508-090 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Maria Cristina Arias
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências - Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, 277, CEP 05508-090 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Karen M Kapheim
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Male and female bees show large differences in floral preference. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0214909. [PMID: 31017928 PMCID: PMC6481915 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 03/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Intraspecific variation in foraging niche can drive food web dynamics and ecosystem processes. In particular, male and female animals can exhibit different, often cascading, impacts on their interaction partners. Despite this, studies of plant-pollinator interaction networks have focused on the partitioning of the floral community between pollinator species, with little attention paid to intraspecific variation in plant preference between male and female bees. We designed a field study to evaluate the strength and prevalence of sexually dimorphic foraging, and particularly resource preferences, in bees. Study design We observed bees visiting flowers in semi-natural meadows in New Jersey, USA. To detect differences in flower use against a shared background of resource (flower) availability, we maximized the number of interactions observed within narrow spatio-temporal windows. To distinguish observed differences in bee use of flower species, which can reflect abundance patterns and sampling effects, from underlying differences in bee preferences, we analyzed our data with both a permutation-based null model and random effects models. Findings We found that the diets of male and female bees of the same species were often dissimilar as the diets of different species of bees. Furthermore, we demonstrate differences in preference between male and female bees. We show that intraspecific differences in preference can be robustly identified among hundreds of unique species-species interactions, without precisely quantifying resource availability, and despite high phenological turnover of both bees and plant bloom. Given the large differences in both flower use and preferences between male and female bees, ecological sex differences should be integrated into studies of bee demography, plant pollination, and coevolutionary relationships between flowers and insects.
Collapse
|
9
|
Fitch G, Glaum P, Simao MC, Vaidya C, Matthijs J, Iuliano B, Perfecto I. Changes in adult sex ratio in wild bee communities are linked to urbanization. Sci Rep 2019; 9:3767. [PMID: 30842451 PMCID: PMC6403428 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39601-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Wild bees are indispensable pollinators, supporting global agricultural yield and angiosperm biodiversity. They are experiencing widespread declines, resulting from multiple interacting factors. The effects of urbanization, a major driver of ecological change, on bee populations are not well understood. Studies examining the aggregate response of wild bee abundance and diversity to urbanization tend to document minor changes. However, the use of aggregate metrics may mask trends in particular functional groups. We surveyed bee communities along an urban-to-rural gradient in SE Michigan, USA, and document a large change in observed sex ratio (OSR) along this gradient. OSR became more male biased as urbanization increased, mainly driven by a decline in medium and large bodied ground-nesting female bees. Nest site preference and body size mediated the effects of urbanization on OSR. Our results suggest that previously documented negative effects of urbanization on ground-nesting bees may underestimate the full impact of urbanization, and highlight the need for improved understanding of sex-based differences in the provision of pollination services by wild bees.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gordon Fitch
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan 1105 North University, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Paul Glaum
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan 1105 North University, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
| | - Maria-Carolina Simao
- New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Rutgers University 88 Lipman Dr, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Chatura Vaidya
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan 1105 North University, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Jill Matthijs
- School of Environment and Sustainability University of Michigan 440 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Benjamin Iuliano
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Energy Institute 1552 University Ave, Madison, WI, 53726, USA
| | - Ivette Perfecto
- School of Environment and Sustainability University of Michigan 440 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Oppenheimer RL, Shell WA, Rehan SM. Phylogeography and population genetics of the Australian small carpenter bee, Ceratina australensis. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Wyatt A Shell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
| | - Sandra M Rehan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Nonacs P. Go High or Go Low? Adaptive Evolution of High and Low Relatedness Societies in Social Hymenoptera. Front Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
|
12
|
Wittwer B, Hefetz A, Simon T, Murphy LEK, Elgar MA, Pierce NE, Kocher SD. Solitary bees reduce investment in communication compared with their social relatives. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:6569-6574. [PMID: 28533385 PMCID: PMC5488929 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1620780114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Social animals must communicate to define group membership and coordinate social organization. For social insects, communication is predominantly mediated through chemical signals, and as social complexity increases, so does the requirement for a greater diversity of signals. This relationship is particularly true for advanced eusocial insects, including ants, bees, and wasps, whose chemical communication systems have been well-characterized. However, we know surprisingly little about how these communication systems evolve during the transition between solitary and group living. Here, we demonstrate that the sensory systems associated with signal perception are evolutionarily labile. In particular, we show that differences in signal production and perception are tightly associated with changes in social behavior in halictid bees. Our results suggest that social species require a greater investment in communication than their solitary counterparts and that species that have reverted from eusociality to solitary living have repeatedly reduced investment in these potentially costly sensory perception systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bernadette Wittwer
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Abraham Hefetz
- Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Tovit Simon
- Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Li E K Murphy
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Mark A Elgar
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Naomi E Pierce
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Sarah D Kocher
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138;
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Luna˗Lucena D, Moure˗Oliveira D, Ferreira KM, Lucena DAA, Garófalo CA, Moraes EM, Del Lama MA. High mitochondrial DNA diversity and lack of population structure in a solitary cavity-nesting bee in an urban landscape. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blx019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
|
14
|
|
15
|
Shell WA, Rehan SM. Development of Multiple Polymorphic Microsatellite Markers for Ceratina calcarata (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Using Genome-Wide Analysis. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2016; 16:iew042. [PMID: 27324584 PMCID: PMC4913455 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iew042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The small carpenter bee, Ceratina calcarata (Robertson), is a widespread native pollinator across eastern North America. The behavioral ecology and nesting biology of C. calcarata has been relatively well-studied and the species is emerging as a model organism for both native pollinator and social evolution research. C. calcarata is subsocial: reproductively mature females provide extended maternal care to their brood. As such, studies of C. calcarata may also reveal patterns of relatedness and demography unique to primitively social Hymenoptera. Here, we present 21 microsatellite loci, isolated from the recently completed C. calcarata genome. Screening in 39 individuals across their distribution revealed that no loci were in linkage disequilibrium, nor did any deviate significantly from Hardy-Weinberg following sequential Bonferroni correction. Allele count ranged from 2 to 14, and observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.08 to 0.82 (mean 0.47) and 0.26 to 0.88 (mean 0.56), respectively. These markers will enable studies of population-wide genetic structuring across C. calcarata's distribution. Such tools will also allow for exploration of between and within-colony relatedness in this subsocial native pollinator.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wyatt A Shell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
| | - Sandra M Rehan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Oliveira RC, Oi CA, Vollet-Neto A, Wenseleers T. Intraspecific worker parasitism in the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
|
17
|
Davison PJ, Field J. Social polymorphism in the sweat bee Lasioglossum ( Evylaeus) calceatum. INSECTES SOCIAUX 2016; 63:327-338. [PMID: 27340290 PMCID: PMC4869766 DOI: 10.1007/s00040-016-0473-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2015] [Revised: 02/04/2016] [Accepted: 02/19/2016] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Temperate-zone socially polymorphic sweat bees (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) are ideal model systems for elucidating the origins of eusociality, a major evolutionary transition. Bees express either social or solitary behaviour in different parts of their range, and social phenotype typically correlates with season length. Despite their obvious utility, however, socially polymorphic sweat bees have received relatively little attention with respect to understanding the origins of eusociality. Lasioglossum (Evylaeus) calceatum is a widespread sweat bee that is thought to be socially polymorphic, with important potential as an experimental model species. We first determined the social phenotype of L. calceatum at three sites located at different latitudes within the UK. We then investigated sociality in detail across two years at the southernmost site. We found that L. calceatum exhibits latitudinal social polymorphism within the UK; bees were solitary at our two northern sites but the majority of nests were social at our southern site. Sociality in the south was characterised by a relatively small mean of two and 3.5 workers per nest in each year, respectively, and a small to medium mean caste-size dimorphism of 6.6 %. Foundresses were smaller in our more northern and high altitude populations. Sociality is clearly less specialised than in some closely related obligately social species but probably more specialied than other polymorphic sweat bees. Our research provides a starting point for future experimental work to investigate mechanisms underlying social polymorphism in L. calceatum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- P J Davison
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, John Maynard Smith Building, Brighton, BN1 9QG UK
| | - J Field
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, John Maynard Smith Building, Brighton, BN1 9QG UK
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
López-Uribe MM, Morreale SJ, Santiago CK, Danforth BN. Nest suitability, fine-scale population structure and male-mediated dispersal of a solitary ground nesting bee in an urban landscape. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0125719. [PMID: 25950429 PMCID: PMC4423849 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2014] [Accepted: 03/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bees are the primary pollinators of flowering plants in almost all ecosystems. Worldwide declines in bee populations have raised awareness about the importance of their ecological role in maintaining ecosystem functioning. The naturally strong philopatric behavior that some bee species show can be detrimental to population viability through increased probability of inbreeding. Furthermore, bee populations found in human-altered landscapes, such as urban areas, can experience lower levels of gene flow and effective population sizes, increasing potential for inbreeding depression in wild bee populations. In this study, we investigated the fine-scale population structure of the solitary bee Colletes inaequalis in an urbanized landscape. First, we developed a predictive spatial model to detect suitable nesting habitat for this ground nesting bee and to inform our field search for nests. We genotyped 18 microsatellites in 548 female individuals collected from nest aggregations throughout the study area. Genetic relatedness estimates revealed that genetic similarity among individuals was slightly greater within nest aggregations than among randomly chosen individuals. However, genetic structure among nest aggregations was low (Nei's GST = 0.011). Reconstruction of parental genotypes revealed greater genetic relatedness among females than among males within nest aggregations, suggesting male-mediated dispersal as a potentially important mechanism of population connectivity and inbreeding avoidance. Size of nesting patch was positively correlated with effective population size, but not with other estimators of genetic diversity. We detected a positive trend between geographic distance and genetic differentiation between nest aggregations. Our landscape genetic models suggest that increased urbanization is likely associated with higher levels of inbreeding. Overall, these findings emphasize the importance of density and distribution of suitable nesting patches for enhancing bee population abundance and connectivity in human dominated habitats and highlights the critical contribution of landscape genetic studies for enhanced conservation and management of native pollinators.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephen J. Morreale
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, United States of America
| | - Christine K. Santiago
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, United States of America
| | - Bryan N. Danforth
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Insights into the biodiversity of the Succulent Karoo hotspot of South Africa: the population genetics of a rare and endemic halictid bee, Patellapis doleritica. CONSERV GENET 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-014-0633-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
|
20
|
|
21
|
Hanna C, Cook ED, Thompson AR, Dare LE, Palaski AL, Foote D, Goodisman MAD. Colony social structure in native and invasive populations of the social wasp Vespula pensylvanica. Biol Invasions 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-013-0517-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
|
22
|
Howard KJ, Johns PM, Breisch NL, Thorne BL. Frequent colony fusions provide opportunities for helpers to become reproductives in the termite Zootermopsis nevadensis. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1569-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
23
|
Brand N, Chapuisat M. Born to be bee, fed to be worker? The caste system of a primitively eusocial insect. Front Zool 2012; 9:35. [PMID: 23216648 PMCID: PMC3538649 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-9-35] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2012] [Accepted: 11/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED INTRODUCTION Primitively eusocial halictid bees are excellent systems to study the origin of eusociality, because all individuals have retained the ancestral ability to breed independently. In the sweat bee Halictus scabiosae, foundresses overwinter, establish nests and rear a first brood by mass-provisioning each offspring with pollen and nectar. The mothers may thus manipulate the phenotype of their offspring by restricting their food provisions. The first brood females generally help their mother to rear a second brood of males and gynes that become foundresses. However, the first brood females may also reproduce in their maternal or in other nests, or possibly enter early diapause. Here, we examined if the behavioural specialization of the first and second brood females was associated with between-brood differences in body size, energetic reserves and pollen provisions. RESULTS The patterns of variation in adult body size, weight, fat content and food provisioned to the first and second brood indicate that H. scabiosae has dimorphic females. The first-brood females were significantly smaller, lighter and had lower fat reserves than the second-brood females and foundresses. The first-brood females were also less variable in size and fat content, and developed on homogeneously smaller pollen provisions. Foundresses were larger than gynes of the previous year, suggesting that small females were less likely to survive the winter. CONCLUSIONS The marked size dimorphism between females produced in the first and second brood and the consistently smaller pollen provisions provided to the first brood suggest that the first brood females are channelled into a helper role during their pre-imaginal development. As a large body size is needed for successful hibernation, the mother may promote helping in her first brood offspring by restricting their food provisions. This pattern supports the hypothesis that parental manipulation may contribute to promote worker behaviour in primitively eusocial halictids.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nayuta Brand
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Michel Chapuisat
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
|
25
|
A halictid bee with sympatric solitary and eusocial nests offers evidence for Hamilton's rule. Nat Commun 2012; 3:939. [PMID: 22760638 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2012] [Accepted: 05/31/2012] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The validity of Hamilton's rule has been confirmed among cooperative breeders where helping behaviour is transient; however, Hamilton's rule has not been validated among eusocial insects where helpers commit for life. Here we conduct a direct test of Hamilton's rule using field populations of Lasioglossum baleicum bees, which inhabit sympatric solitary and eusocial nests. Our results show that the indirect fitness of sterile first-brood workers is higher than the direct fitness of solitary first-brood females, and spring foundresses achieve a large direct fitness by having helpers. These fitness benefits are attributed to markedly higher larval survival rates in multiple-female nests, and intruding into an unrelated nest yields a moderate degree of direct fitness, but coexistence with unrelated females also increase overall brood survival. We discuss reasons why various types of cooperation are maintained in Lasioglossum baleicum with relation to that how a multiple-female nesting improves larval survival.
Collapse
|
26
|
Yue GH, Xia JH, Liu F, Lin G. Evidence for female-biased dispersal in the protandrous hermaphroditic Asian Seabass, Lates calcarifer. PLoS One 2012; 7:e37976. [PMID: 22701591 PMCID: PMC3373547 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0037976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2012] [Accepted: 04/27/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Movement of individuals influences individual reproductive success, fitness, genetic diversity and relationships among individuals within populations and gene exchange among populations. Competition between males or females for mating opportunities and/or local resources predicts a female bias in taxa with monogamous mating systems and a male-biased dispersal in polygynous species. In birds and mammals, the patterns of dispersal between sexes are well explored, while dispersal patterns in protandrous hermaphroditic fish species have not been studied. We collected 549 adult individuals of Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) from four locations in the South China Sea. To assess the difference in patterns of dispersal between sexes, we genotyped all individuals with 18 microsatellites. Significant genetic differentiation was detected among and within sampling locations. The parameters of population structure (F(ST)), relatedness (r) and the mean assignment index (mAIC), in combination with data on tagging-recapture, supplied strong evidences for female-biased dispersal in the Asian seabass. This result contradicts our initial hypothesis of no sex difference in dispersal. We suggest that inbreeding avoidance of females, female mate choice under the condition of low mate competition among males, and male resource competition create a female-biased dispersal. The bigger body size of females may be a cause of the female-biased movement. Studies of dispersal using data from DNA markers and tagging-recapture in hermaphroditic fish species could enhance our understanding of patterns of dispersal in fish.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gen Hua Yue
- Molecular Population Genetics Group, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
YIP ERICC, ROWELL DAVIDM, RAYOR LINDAS. Behavioural and molecular evidence for selective immigration and group regulation in the social huntsman spider, Delena cancerides. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01904.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
28
|
Abstract
How and why do bees become social? A transplant experiment shows that sweat bees can adopt a solitary or social lifestyle in response to their environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michel Chapuisat
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore, Quartier Sorge, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Yagi N, Hasegawa E. Both cooperation and nest position improve larval survival in the sweat bee, Lasioglossum (Evylaeus) baleicum. J ETHOL 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-010-0223-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|
30
|
|