1
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Oliveira RC, Di Pietro V, Quezada-Euán JJG, Pech JR, Moo-Valle H, Wenseleers T. Tragedy of the commons in Melipona bees revisited. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20210498. [PMID: 35078331 PMCID: PMC8790378 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0498] [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: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Melipona stingless bees display a paradoxical overproduction of queens, which are later eliminated by nest-mate workers. Mechanistically, it was suggested that the monoterpenoid geraniol deposited into newly provisioned cells by adult bees would cause larvae to develop into queens in Melipona beecheii. This system could be evolutionarily stable if many of these new queens were to leave the nest and parasitize other genetically unrelated colonies nearby, as was shown to occur in a congeneric species. Here, we use microsatellite markers to test whether queen overproduction could be a strategy by which adult workers control the caste fate of the developing larvae to export copies of their own genes to the rest of the population via queen parasitism in M. beecheii. In addition, we re-examined whether artificially increasing the levels of geraniol indeed caused larvae to develop as queens rather than workers. Contrary to our prediction, we found no evidence for queen parasitism in M. beecheii and observed no effect of geraniol on the rearing of new queens. Together, these results support the original 'tragedy of the commons' hypothesis for queen overproduction in Melipona bees, where individual larvae selfishly bias their development towards the queen pathway according to their best evolutionary interests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Caliari Oliveira
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Viviana Di Pietro
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - José Javier G. Quezada-Euán
- Departamento de Apicultura Tropical, CCBA Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, km 15. Carr. Mérida-Xmatkuil, Cp. 97000 Mérida, Mexico
| | - Jorge Ramirez Pech
- Abejasmiel, Calle 41C #268 por 42 Y 46 Francisco de Montejo III, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
| | - Humberto Moo-Valle
- Departamento de Apicultura Tropical, CCBA Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, km 15. Carr. Mérida-Xmatkuil, Cp. 97000 Mérida, Mexico
| | - Tom Wenseleers
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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2
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da Costa Domingues CE, Bello Inoue LV, da Silva-Zacarin ECM, Malaspina O. Fungicide pyraclostrobin affects midgut morphophysiology and reduces survival of Brazilian native stingless bee Melipona scutellaris. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2020; 206:111395. [PMID: 33031995 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Native stingless bees are key pollinators of native flora and important for many crops. However, the loss of natural fragments and exposure to pesticides can hinder the development of colonies and represent a high risk for them. Nevertheless, most studies are conducted with honeybees and there are not many studies on native species, especially in relation to the effects of fungicides on them. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to evaluate the effects of sublethal concentrations of pyraclostrobin, on Melipona scutellaris forager workers. These Brazilian native stingless bees were submitted to continuous oral exposure to three concentrations of pyraclostrobin in sirup: 0.125 ng a.i./µL (P1), 0.025 ng a.i./µL (P2), and 0.005 ng a.i./µL (P3). Histopathological and histochemical parameters of midgut, as well as survival rate were evaluated. All concentrations of fungicide showed an increase in the midgut lesion index and morphological signs of cell death, such as cytoplasmic vacuolizations, presence of atypical nuclei or pyknotic nuclei. Histochemical analyzes revealed a decreased marking of polysaccharides and neutral glycoconjugates both in the villi and in peritrophic membrane in all exposed-groups in relation to control-groups. P1 and P2 groups presented a reduction in total protein marking in digestive cells in relation to control groups. As a consequence of alteration in the midgut, all groups exposed to fungicide showed a reduced survival rate. These findings demonstrate that sublethal concentrations of pyraclostrobin can lead to significant adverse effects in stingless bees. These effects on social native bees indicate the need for reassessment of the safety of fungicides to bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caio Eduardo da Costa Domingues
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) - "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Instituto de Biociências (IB), Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais (CEIS), Rio Claro, SP, Brazil.
| | - Lais Vieira Bello Inoue
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) - "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Instituto de Biociências (IB), Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais (CEIS), Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Elaine Cristina Mathias da Silva-Zacarin
- Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), Departamento de Biologia (DBio), NuPECA (Núcleo de Pesquisa em Ecotoxicologia e Conservação de Abelhas), Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia e Análise de Integridade Ambiental (LEIA), Sorocaba, SP, Brazil
| | - Osmar Malaspina
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) - "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Instituto de Biociências (IB), Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais (CEIS), Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
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3
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Garcia Bulle Bueno F, Gloag R, Latty T, Ronai I. Irreversible sterility of workers and high-volume egg production by queens in the stingless bee Tetragonula carbonaria. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb230599. [PMID: 32737215 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.230599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Social insects are characterised by a reproductive division of labour between queens and workers. However, in the majority of social insect species, the workers are only facultatively sterile. The Australian stingless bee Tetragonula carbonaria is noteworthy as workers never lay eggs. Here, we describe the reproductive anatomy of Tcarbonaria workers, virgin queens and mated queens. We then conduct the first experimental test of absolute worker sterility in the social insects. Using a controlled microcolony environment, we investigate whether the reproductive capacity of adult workers can be rescued by manipulating the workers' social environment and diet. The ovaries of T. carbonaria workers that are queenless and fed unrestricted, highly nutritious royal jelly remain non-functional, indicating they are irreversibly sterile and that ovary degeneration is fixed prior to adulthood. We suggest that Tcarbonaria might have evolved absolute worker sterility because colonies are unlikely to ever be queenless.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Garcia Bulle Bueno
- Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences A12, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Rosalyn Gloag
- Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences A12, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Tanya Latty
- Insect Behaviour and Ecology Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences A12, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Isobel Ronai
- Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences A12, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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4
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Giehr J, Wallner J, Senninger L, Ruhland K, Krüger T, Heinze J. Substantial direct fitness gains of workers in a highly eusocial ant. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:3720-3730. [PMID: 32869398 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Hamilton's theory of inclusive fitness suggests that helpers in animal societies gain fitness indirectly by increasing the reproductive performance of a related beneficiary. Helpers in cooperatively breeding birds, mammals and primitively eusocial wasps may additionally obtain direct fitness through inheriting the nest or mating partner of the former reproductive. Here, we show that also workers of a highly eusocial ant may achieve considerable direct fitness by producing males in both queenless and queenright colonies. We investigated the reproductive success of workers of the ant Temnothorax crassispinus in nature and the laboratory by dissecting workers and determining the origin of males by microsatellite analysis. We show that workers are capable of activating their ovaries and successfully producing their sons independently of the presence of a queen. Genotypes revealed that at least one fifth of the males in natural queenright colonies were not offspring of the queen. Most worker-produced males could be assigned to workers that were unrelated to the queen, suggesting egg-laying by drifting workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Giehr
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jennifer Wallner
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Lisa Senninger
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Katja Ruhland
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Theresa Krüger
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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5
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Yañez O, Piot N, Dalmon A, de Miranda JR, Chantawannakul P, Panziera D, Amiri E, Smagghe G, Schroeder D, Chejanovsky N. Bee Viruses: Routes of Infection in Hymenoptera. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:943. [PMID: 32547504 PMCID: PMC7270585 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous studies have recently reported on the discovery of bee viruses in different arthropod species and their possible transmission routes, vastly increasing our understanding of these viruses and their distribution. Here, we review the current literature on the recent advances in understanding the transmission of viruses, both on the presence of bee viruses in Apis and non-Apis bee species and on the discovery of previously unknown bee viruses. The natural transmission of bee viruses will be discussed among different bee species and other insects. Finally, the research potential of in vivo (host organisms) and in vitro (cell lines) serial passages of bee viruses is discussed, from the perspective of the host-virus landscape changes and potential transmission routes for emerging bee virus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orlando Yañez
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Agroscope, Swiss Bee Research Centre, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Niels Piot
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Anne Dalmon
- INRAE, Unité de Recherche Abeilles et Environnement, Avignon, France
| | | | - Panuwan Chantawannakul
- Environmental Science Research Center, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Delphine Panziera
- General Zoology, Institute for Biology, Martin-Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Halle-Jena-Leipzig, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Esmaeil Amiri
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, United States
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Declan Schroeder
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, United States
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Nor Chejanovsky
- Entomology Department, Institute of Plant Protection, The Volcani Center, Rishon LeZion, Israel
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6
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dos Santos Conceição Lopes B, Campbell AJ, Contrera FAL. Queen loss changes behavior and increases longevity in a stingless bee. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-2811-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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7
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Field J, Toyoizumi H. The evolution of eusociality: no risk-return tradeoff but the ecology matters. Ecol Lett 2019; 23:518-526. [PMID: 31884729 PMCID: PMC7027560 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The origin of eusociality in the Hymenoptera is a question of major interest. Theory has tended to focus on genetic relatedness, but ecology can be just as important a determinant of whether eusociality evolves. Using the model of Fu et al. (2015), we show how ecological assumptions critically affect the conclusions drawn. Fu et al. inferred that eusociality rarely evolves because it faces a fundamental ‘risk‐return tradeoff’. The intuitive logic was that worker production represents an opportunity cost because it delays realising a reproductive payoff. However, making empirically justified assumptions that (1) workers take over egg‐laying following queen death and (2) productivity increases gradually with each additional worker, we find that the risk‐return tradeoff disappears. We then survey Hymenoptera with more specialised morphological castes, and show how the interaction between two common features of eusociality – saturating birth rates and group size‐dependent helping decisions – can determine whether eusociality outperforms other strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Field
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, TR10 9EZ, UK
| | - Hiroshi Toyoizumi
- Graduate School of Accounting and Department of Applied Mathematics, Waseda University, Nishi-waseda 1-6-1, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 169-8050, Japan
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8
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Luna-Lucena D, Rabico F, Simoes ZL. Reproductive capacity and castes in eusocial stingless bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae). CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 31:20-28. [PMID: 31109669 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Eusocial lifestyle is one of the most important transitions in the evolutionary history of some groups of organisms. In bees, there are only two eusocial groups: the honey bees (Apini) and the stingless bees (Meliponini). Despite similarities on the eusocial lifestyles of these taxa, they present profound differences related to caste determination, development, behavior, and reproductive capacity of their members. In most of them the queen has a monopoly on reproduction. However, even though workers are tipically sterile, they can contribute to producing haploid eggs that generate males, or trophic eggs, used as an additional nutrition by the queen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Luna-Lucena
- Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
| | - Franciene Rabico
- Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Zilá Lp Simoes
- Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil; Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
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9
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Grüter C, Jongepier E, Foitzik S. Insect societies fight back: the evolution of defensive traits against social parasites. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 373:20170200. [PMID: 29866913 PMCID: PMC6000133 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Insect societies face many social parasites that exploit their altruistic behaviours or their resources. Due to the fitness costs these social parasites incur, hosts have evolved various behavioural, chemical, architectural and morphological defence traits. Similar to bacteria infecting multicellular hosts, social parasites have to successfully go through several steps to exploit their hosts. Here, we review how social insects try to interrupt this sequence of events. They can avoid parasite contact by choosing to nest in parasite-free locales or evade attacks by adapting their colony structure. Once social parasites attack, hosts attempt to detect them, which can be facilitated by adjustments in colony odour. If social parasites enter the nest, hosts can either aggressively defend their colony or take their young and flee. Nest structures are often shaped to prevent social parasite invasion or to safeguard host resources. Finally, if social parasites successfully establish themselves in host nests, hosts can rebel by killing the parasite brood or by reproducing in the parasites' presence. Hosts of social parasites can therefore develop multiple traits, leading to the evolution of complex defence portfolios of co-dependent traits. Social parasites can respond to these multi-level defences with counter-adaptations, potentially leading to geographical mosaics of coevolution.This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Evolution of pathogen and parasite avoidance behaviours'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Grüter
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes von Müller Weg 6, Mainz 55099, Germany
| | - Evelien Jongepier
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Hüfferstrasse 1, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes von Müller Weg 6, Mainz 55099, Germany
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10
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Yagound B, Duncan M, Chapman NC, Oldroyd BP. Subfamily-dependent alternative reproductive strategies in worker honeybees. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:6938-6947. [PMID: 29113015 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Functional worker sterility is the defining feature of insect societies. Yet, workers are sometimes found reproducing in their own or foreign colonies. The proximate mechanisms underlying these alternative reproductive phenotypes are keys to understanding how reproductive altruism and selfishness are balanced in eusocial insects. In this study, we show that in honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies, the social environment of a worker, that is, the presence and relatedness of the queens in a worker's natal colony and in surrounding colonies, significantly influences her fertility and drifting behaviour. Furthermore, subfamilies vary in the frequency of worker ovarian activation, propensity to drift and the kind of host colony that is targeted for reproductive parasitism. Our results show that there is an interplay between a worker's subfamily, reproductive state and social environment that substantially affects her reproductive phenotype. Our study further indicates that honeybee populations show substantial genetic variance for worker reproductive strategies, suggesting that no one strategy is optimal under all the circumstances that a typical worker may encounter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Yagound
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Michael Duncan
- School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, Australia
| | - Nadine C Chapman
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Benjamin P Oldroyd
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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11
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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
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12
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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]
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13
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The Continuum of Conscientiousness: The Antagonistic Interests among Obsessive and Antisocial Personalities. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.2478/ppb-2014-0008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The five factor trait of conscientiousness is a supertrait, denoting on one hand a pattern of excessive labor, rigidity, orderliness and compulsivity, and on the other hand a pattern of strict rectitude, scrupulosity, dutifulness and morality. In both respects the obsessive-compulsive personality is conscientious; indeed, it has been labeled a disorder of extreme conscientiousness (Widiger et al., 2009). Antisocial personality disorder, in the present paper, is described as occupying the opposite end of the conscientiousness continuum. The antisocial is impulsive rather than compulsive, illicit rather than licit, and furtive rather than forthright.After clinically comparing the obsessive and antisocial personalities, the present paper invokes evolutionary theory to explain their resultant behavioral, ideological, political and demographic differences
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14
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Van Oystaeyen A, Araujo Alves D, Caliari Oliveira R, Lima do Nascimento D, Santos do Nascimento F, Billen J, Wenseleers T. Sneaky queens in Melipona bees selectively detect and infiltrate queenless colonies. Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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15
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O’Connor S, Park KJ, Goulson D. Worker drift and egg dumping by queens in wild Bombus terrestris colonies. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1481-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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16
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Yagound B, Blacher P, Chameron S, Châline N. Social context and reproductive potential affect worker reproductive decisions in a eusocial insect. PLoS One 2012; 7:e52217. [PMID: 23251701 PMCID: PMC3522577 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2012] [Accepted: 11/12/2012] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Context-dependent decision-making conditions individual plasticity and is an integrant part of alternative reproductive strategies. In eusocial Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps), the discovery of worker reproductive parasitism recently challenged the view of workers as a homogeneous collective entity and stressed the need to consider them as autonomous units capable of elaborate choices which influence their fitness returns. The reproductive decisions of individual workers thus need to be investigated and taken into account to understand the regulation of reproduction in insect societies. However, we know virtually nothing about the proximate mechanisms at the basis of worker reproductive decisions. Here, we test the hypothesis that the capacity of workers to reproduce in foreign colonies lies in their ability to react differently according to the colonial context and whether this reaction is influenced by a particular internal state. Using the bumble bee Bombus terrestris, we show that workers exhibit an extremely high reproductive plasticity which is conditioned by the social context they experience. Fertile workers reintroduced into their mother colony reverted to sterility, as expected. On the contrary, a high level of ovary activity persisted in fertile workers introduced into a foreign nest, and this despite more frequent direct contacts with the queen and the brood than control workers. Foreign workers' reproductive decisions were not affected by the resident queen, their level of fertility being similar whether or not the queen was removed from the host colony. Workers' physiological state at the time of introduction is also of crucial importance, since infertile workers failed to develop a reproductive phenotype in a foreign nest. Therefore, both internal and environmental factors appear to condition individual reproductive strategies in this species, suggesting that more complex decision-making mechanisms are involved in the regulation of worker reproduction than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Yagound
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, E.A. 4443, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse, France.
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17
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Nascimento DL, Nascimento FS. Acceptance threshold hypothesis is supported by chemical similarity of cuticular hydrocarbons in a stingless bee, Melipona asilvai. J Chem Ecol 2012; 38:1432-40. [PMID: 23053920 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-012-0194-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2012] [Revised: 08/21/2012] [Accepted: 09/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The ability to discriminate nestmates from non-nestmates in insect societies is essential to protect colonies from conspecific invaders. The acceptance threshold hypothesis predicts that organisms whose recognition systems classify recipients without errors should optimize the balance between acceptance and rejection. In this process, cuticular hydrocarbons play an important role as cues of recognition in social insects. The aims of this study were to determine whether guards exhibit a restrictive level of rejection towards chemically distinct individuals, becoming more permissive during the encounters with either nestmate or non-nestmate individuals bearing chemically similar profiles. The study demonstrates that Melipona asilvai (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) guards exhibit a flexible system of nestmate recognition according to the degree of chemical similarity between the incoming forager and its own cuticular hydrocarbons profile. Guards became less restrictive in their acceptance rates when they encounter non-nestmates with highly similar chemical profiles, which they probably mistake for nestmates, hence broadening their acceptance level.
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Affiliation(s)
- D L Nascimento
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de São Paulo, FFCLRP, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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18
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Korb J, Roux EA. Why join a neighbour: fitness consequences of colony fusions in termites. J Evol Biol 2012; 25:2161-70. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02617.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2012] [Revised: 07/24/2012] [Accepted: 08/07/2012] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- J. Korb
- Behavioural Biology; University of Osnabrueck; Osnabrueck; Germany
| | - E. A. Roux
- Lehrstuhl für Biologie I; University of Regensburg; Regensburg; Germany
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Leonhardt SD, Form S, Blüthgen N, Schmitt T, Feldhaar H. Genetic Relatedness and Chemical Profiles in an Unusually Peaceful Eusocial Bee. J Chem Ecol 2011; 37:1117-26. [PMID: 21948201 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-011-0016-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2011] [Revised: 05/23/2011] [Accepted: 09/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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dos Reis EP, de Oliveira Campos LA, Tavares MG. Prediction of social structure and genetic relatedness in colonies of the facultative polygynous stingless bee Melipona bicolor (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Genet Mol Biol 2011; 34:338-44. [PMID: 21734839 PMCID: PMC3115332 DOI: 10.1590/s1415-47572011005000008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2010] [Accepted: 12/21/2010] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Stingless bee colonies typically consist of one single-mated mother queen and her worker offspring. The stingless bee Melipona bicolor (Hymenoptera: Apidae) shows facultative polygyny, which makes this species particularly suitable for testing theoretical expectations concerning social behavior. In this study, we investigated the social structure and genetic relatedness among workers from eight natural and six manipulated colonies of M. bicolor over a period of one year. The populations of M. bicolor contained monogynous and polygynous colonies. The estimated genetic relatedness among workers from monogynous and polygynous colonies was 0.75 ± 0.12 and 0.53 ± 0.16 (mean ± SEM), respectively. Although the parental genotypes had significant effects on genetic relatedness in monogynous and polygynous colonies, polygyny markedly decreased the relatedness among nestmate workers. Our findings also demonstrate that polygyny in M. bicolor may arise from the adoption of related or unrelated queens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mara Garcia Tavares
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil
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Alves DA, Imperatriz-Fonseca VL, Francoy TM, Santos-Filho PS, Billen J, Wenseleers T. Successful maintenance of a stingless bee population despite a severe genetic bottleneck. CONSERV GENET 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-010-0171-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Wenseleers T, Alves DA, Francoy TM, Billen J, Imperatriz-Fonseca VL. Intraspecific queen parasitism in a highly eusocial bee. Biol Lett 2010; 7:173-6. [PMID: 20961883 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect societies are well-known for their advanced cooperation, but their colonies are also vulnerable to reproductive parasitism. Here, we present a novel example of an intraspecific social parasitism in a highly eusocial bee, the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris. In particular, we provide genetic evidence which shows that, upon loss of the mother queen, many colonies are invaded by unrelated queens that fly in from unrelated hives nearby. The reasons for the occurrence of this surprising form of social parasitism may be linked to the fact that unlike honeybees, Melipona bees produce new queens in great excess of colony needs, and that this exerts much greater selection on queens to seek alternative reproductive options, such as by taking over other nests. Overall, our results are the first to demonstrate that queens in highly eusocial bees can found colonies not only via supersedure or swarming, but also by infiltrating and taking over other unrelated nests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Wenseleers
- Laboratory of Entomology, Zoological Institute, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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Dijkstra MB, van Zweden JS, Dirchsen M, Boomsma JJ. Workers of Acromyrmex echinatior leafcutter ants police worker-laid eggs, but not reproductive workers. Anim Behav 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Abstract
Insect colonies have been traditionally regarded as closed societies comprised of completely sterile workers ruled over by a single once-mated queen. However, over the past 15 years, microsatellite studies of parentage have revealed that this perception is far from the truth (Beekman & Oldroyd 2008). First, we learned that honey bee queens are far more promiscuous than we had previously imagined (Estoup et al. 1994), with one Apis dorsata queen clocked at over 100 mates (Wattanachaiyingcharoen et al. 2003). Then Oldroyd et al. (1994) reported a honey bee colony from Queensland, where virtually all the males were sons of a single patriline of workers - a clear case of a cheater mutant that promoted intra-colonial reproductive parasitism. Then we learned that both bumble bee colonies (Lopez-Vaamonde et al. 2004) and queenless honey bee colonies (Nanork et al. 2005, 2007) are routinely parasitized by workers from other nests that fly in and lay male-producing eggs that are then reared by the victim colony. There is even evidence that in a thelytokous honey bee population, workers lay female-destined eggs directly into queen cells, thus reincarnating themselves as a queen (Jordan et al. 2008). And let us not forget ants, where microsatellite studies have revealed equally bizarre and totally unexpected phenomena (e.g. Cahan & Keller 2003; Pearcy et al. 2004; Fournier et al. 2005). Now, in this issue, Alves et al. (2009) use microsatellites to provide yet another shocking and completely unexpected revelation about the nefarious goings-on in insect colonies: intergenerational reproductive parasitism by stingless bee workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin P Oldroyd
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
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