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Kingwell C, Böröczky K, Steitz I, Ayasse M, Wcislo W. Cuticular and Dufour's Gland Chemistry Reflect Reproductive and Social State in the Facultatively Eusocial Sweat Bee Megalopta genalis (Hymenoptera: Halictidae). J Chem Ecol 2021; 47:420-432. [PMID: 33682070 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-021-01262-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Queen pheromones evolved independently in multiple eusocial insect lineages, in which they mediate reproductive conflict by inhibiting worker ovarian development. Although fundamentally important for reproductive division of labor - the hallmark of eusociality - their evolutionary origins are enigmatic. Here, we analyze cuticular and Dufour's gland chemistries across alternative social and reproductive phenotypes in Megalopta genalis bees (tribe Augochlorini, family Halictidae) that facultatively express simple eusociality. Reproductive bees have distinct overall glandular and cuticular chemical phenotypes compared with non-reproductive workers. On the cuticle, a likely site of signal transmission, reproductives are enriched for certain alkenes, most linear alkanes, and are heavily enriched for all methyl-branched alkanes. Chemicals belonging to these compound classes are known to function as fertility signals in other eusocial insect taxa. Some macrocyclic lactones, compounds that serve as queen pheromones in the other eusocial halictid tribe (Halictini), are also enriched among reproductives relative to workers. The intra-population facultative eusociality of M. genalis permits direct comparisons between individuals expressing alternative reproductive phenotypes - females that reproduce alone (solitary reproductives) and social queens - to highlight traits in the latter that may be important mediators of eusociality. Compared with solitary reproductives, the cuticular chemistries of queens are more strongly differentiated from those of workers, and furthermore are especially enriched for methyl-branched alkanes. Determining the pheromonal function(s) and information content of the candidate signaling compounds we identify will help illuminate the early evolutionary history of queen pheromones, chemical signals central to the organization of insect eusocial behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Callum Kingwell
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama.
| | - Katalin Böröczky
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Iris Steitz
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Manfred Ayasse
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - William Wcislo
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
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2
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Dufour's gland analysis reveals caste and physiology specific signals in Bombus impatiens. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2821. [PMID: 33531560 PMCID: PMC7854627 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82366-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproductive division of labor in insect societies is regulated through multiple concurrent mechanisms, primarily chemical and behavioral. Here, we examined if the Dufour’s gland secretion in the primitively eusocial bumble bee Bombus impatiens signals information about caste, social condition, and reproductive status. We chemically analyzed Dufour’s gland contents across castes, age groups, social and reproductive conditions, and examined worker behavioral and antennal responses to gland extracts. We found that workers and queens each possess caste-specific compounds in their Dufour’s glands. Queens and gynes differed from workers based on the presence of diterpene compounds which were absent in workers, whereas four esters were exclusive to workers. These esters, as well as the total amounts of hydrocarbons in the gland, provided a separation between castes and also between fertile and sterile workers. Olfactometer bioassays demonstrated attraction of workers to Dufour’s gland extracts that did not represent a reproductive conflict, while electroantennogram recordings showed higher overall antennal sensitivity in queenless workers. Our results demonstrate that compounds in the Dufour’s gland act as caste- and physiology-specific signals and are used by workers to discriminate between workers of different social and reproductive status.
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Harmon-Threatt A. Influence of Nesting Characteristics on Health of Wild Bee Communities. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 65:39-56. [PMID: 31923377 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-011019-024955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Nest site availability and quality are important for maintaining robust populations and communities of wild bees. However, for most species, nesting traits and nest site conditions are poorly known, limiting both our understanding of basic ecology for bee species and conservation efforts. Additionally, many of the threats commonly associated with reducing bee populations have effects that can extend into nests but are largely unstudied. In general, threats such as habitat disturbances and climate change likely affect nest site availability and nest site conditions, which in turn affect nest initiation, growth, development, and overwintering success of bees. To facilitate a better understanding of how these and other threats may affect nesting bees, in this review, I quantify key nesting traits and environmental conditions and then consider how these traits may intersect with observed and anticipated changes in nesting conditions experienced by wild bees. These data suggest that the effects of common threats to bees through nesting may strongly influence their survival and persistence but are vastly understudied. Increasing research into nesting biology and incorporating nesting information into conservation efforts may help improve conservation of this declining but critical group.
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4
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Schulz S, Peram PS, Menke M, Hötling S, Röpke R, Melnik K, Poth D, Mann F, Henrichsen S, Dreyer K. Mass Spectrometry of Aliphatic Macrolides, Important Semiochemicals or Pheromones. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2017; 80:2572-2582. [PMID: 28836773 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.7b00366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Macrolides are a relatively common structural motif prevalent in Nature. However, the structures of these large ring lactones have been relatively difficult to elucidate via NMR spectroscopy due to the minute amounts of compounds that are sometimes obtainable from natural sources. Thus, GC-MS analysis of individual macrolactones has become the method of choice for the structural identification of these compounds. Here we discuss the mass spectrometric behavior of aliphatic macrolides, evaluating spectra from numerous compounds of various ring size, including derivatives containing methyl branches as well as double bonds. The specific fragmentation of these macrolactones under electron impact conditions allows for the development of a general rule set aimed at the identification of similar compounds by mass spectrometry. In addition, the mass spectra of dimethyl disulfide adducts of unsaturated macrolides are discussed. The mass spectra of almost 50 macrolides are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Schulz
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig , Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Pardha Saradhi Peram
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig , Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Markus Menke
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig , Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Susann Hötling
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig , Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Rene Röpke
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig , Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Kristina Melnik
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig , Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Dennis Poth
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig , Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Florian Mann
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig , Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Selma Henrichsen
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig , Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Katja Dreyer
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig , Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
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5
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Pitts-Singer TL, Hagen MM, Helm BR, Highland S, Buckner JS, Kemp WP. Comparison of the Chemical Compositions of the Cuticle and Dufour's Gland of Two Solitary Bee Species from Laboratory and Field Conditions. J Chem Ecol 2017; 43:451-468. [PMID: 28500569 PMCID: PMC5487754 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-017-0844-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Revised: 03/30/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Species-specific biochemistry, morphology, and function of the Dufour’s gland have been investigated for social bees and some non-social bee families. Most of the solitary bees previously examined are ground-nesting bees that use Dufour’s gland secretions to line brood chambers. This study examines the chemistry of the cuticle and Dufour’s gland of cavity-nesting Megachile rotundata and Osmia lignaria, which are species managed for crop pollination. Glandular and cuticular lipid compositions were characterized and compared to each other and according to the nesting experience of adult females. Major lipid classes found were hydrocarbons, free fatty acids, and wax esters. Many components were common to the cuticle and Dufour’s glands of each species, yet not identical in number or relative composition. Wax esters and fatty acids were more prevalent in Dufour’s glands of M. rotundata than on cuticles. Wax esters were more abundant on cuticles of O. lignaria than in Dufour’s glands. In both species, fatty acids were more prevalent in glands of field-collected females compared to any other sample type. Chemical profiles of cuticles and glands were distinct from each other, and, for O. lignaria, profiles of laboratory-maintained bees could be distinguished from those of field-collected bees. Comparison of percentiles of individual components of cuticular and glandular profiles of the same bee showed that the proportions of some cuticular components were predictive of the proportion of the same glandular components, especially for nesting females. Lastly, evidence suggested that Dufour’s gland is the major source of nest-marking substances in M. rotundata, but evidence for this role in O. lignaria was less conclusive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa L Pitts-Singer
- USDA ARS Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA.
| | - Marcia M Hagen
- USDA ARS Biosciences Research Laboratory, Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA
| | - Bryan R Helm
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, 58108, USA
| | - Steven Highland
- Bureau of Land Management - Mt. Lewis Field Office, 50 Bastian Rd., Battle Mountain, NV, 89820, USA
| | - James S Buckner
- USDA ARS Biosciences Research Laboratory, Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA
| | - William P Kemp
- USDA ARS Biosciences Research Laboratory, Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA
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Raspotnig G, Bodner M, Schäffer S, Koblmüller S, Schönhofer A, Karaman I. Chemosystematics in the Opiliones (Arachnida): a comment on the evolutionary history of alkylphenols and benzoquinones in the scent gland secretions of Laniatores. Cladistics 2015; 31:202-209. [PMID: 26074662 PMCID: PMC4459239 DOI: 10.1111/cla.12079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Large prosomal scent glands constitute a major synapomorphic character of the arachnid order Opiliones. These glands produce a variety of chemicals very specific to opilionid taxa of different taxonomic levels, and thus represent a model system to investigate the evolutionary traits in exocrine secretion chemistry across a phylogenetically old group of animals. The chemically best-studied opilionid group is certainly Laniatores, and currently available chemical data allow first hypotheses linking the phylogeny of this group to the evolution of major chemical classes of secretion chemistry. Such hypotheses are essential to decide upon a best-fitting explanation of the distribution of scent-gland secretion compounds across extant laniatorean taxa, and hence represent a key toward a well-founded opilionid chemosystematics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Günther Raspotnig
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria ; Research Unit of Osteology and Analytical Mass Spectrometry, Medical University, University Children's Hospital Auenbruggerplatz 30, 8036, Graz, Austria
| | - Michaela Bodner
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Sylvia Schäffer
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Stephan Koblmüller
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Axel Schönhofer
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Ivo Karaman
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad Trg Dositeja Obradovica 2, 2100, Novi Sad, Serbia
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Exocrine secretions of bees : VI. Unsaturated ketones and aliphatic esters in the Dufour's gland secretion ofDufourea novaeangliae (Hymenoptera: Halictidae). J Chem Ecol 2013; 11:353-61. [PMID: 24309967 DOI: 10.1007/bf01411422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/1984] [Accepted: 07/11/1984] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The volatile components of the Dufour's gland extracts ofDufourea novaeangliae were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The following were identified: a series of five bis-homologous unsaturated ketones ranging from C10 to C18, a series of nine bis-homologous hexanoates ranging from C8 to C24, a series of three bis-homologous octanoates ranging from C8 to C12, and hexanoic, hexadecanoic, and octadecanoic acids. The ketones are all new natural products reported for bees. Several of these unsaturated ketones were also identified in extracts of the provision masses from their nest cells. Male mandibular gland extracts contained citral.
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Smith BH, Carlson RG, Frazier J. Identification and bioassay of macrocyclic lactone sex pheromone of the halictine beeLasioglossum zephyrum. J Chem Ecol 2013; 11:1447-56. [PMID: 24311186 DOI: 10.1007/bf01012144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/1984] [Accepted: 02/22/1985] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The macrocyclic lactones found in the Dufour's gland of the halictine beeLasioglossum zephyrum are female sex pheromones. Octadecanolide, eicosanolide, docosanolide, and tetracosanolide, as well as monounsaturated homologs of each, are components of the Dufour's gland secretion of this species. Furthermore, a series of odd-carbon-numbered saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons and isopentenyl docosanoate occur in extracts of the Dufour's gland and of whole females. Two different mixtures of all four synthetic lactones, and additionally a treatment consisting of the natural extract, elicit higher response levels than two of the lactones separately or either of the controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- B H Smith
- Department of Entomology, University of Kansas, 66045, Lawrence, Kansas
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9
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Pheromonal covariation and kinship in social beeLasioglossum zephyrum (Hymenoptera: Halictidae). J Chem Ecol 2013; 14:87-94. [PMID: 24276996 DOI: 10.1007/bf01022533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/1986] [Accepted: 01/08/1987] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Both males and females of the primitively eusocial beeLasioglossum zephyrum can distinguish among female conspecifics with regard to genealogical relationship. Closely related females covary with respect to Dufour's gland pheromone products which are believed to function in individual or kin recognition. This is the first report of a population-wide parallel between similarity of communicative glandular product and genetic similarity.
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10
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Litman JR, Danforth BN, Eardley CD, Praz CJ. Why do leafcutter bees cut leaves? New insights into the early evolution of bees. Proc Biol Sci 2011; 278:3593-600. [PMID: 21490010 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.0365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Stark contrasts in clade species diversity are reported across the tree of life and are especially conspicuous when observed in closely related lineages. The explanation for such disparity has often been attributed to the evolution of key innovations that facilitate colonization of new ecological niches. The factors underlying diversification in bees remain poorly explored. Bees are thought to have originated from apoid wasps during the Mid-Cretaceous, a period that coincides with the appearance of angiosperm eudicot pollen grains in the fossil record. The reliance of bees on angiosperm pollen and their fundamental role as angiosperm pollinators have contributed to the idea that both groups may have undergone simultaneous radiations. We demonstrate that one key innovation--the inclusion of foreign material in nest construction--underlies both a massive range expansion and a significant increase in the rate of diversification within the second largest bee family, Megachilidae. Basal clades within the family are restricted to deserts and exhibit plesiomorphic features rarely observed among modern bees, but prevalent among apoid wasps. Our results suggest that early bees inherited a suite of behavioural traits that acted as powerful evolutionary constraints. While the transition to pollen as a larval food source opened an enormous ecological niche for the early bees, the exploitation of this niche and the subsequent diversification of bees only became possible after bees had evolved adaptations to overcome these constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica R Litman
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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Dahbi A, Lenoir A, Tinaut A, Taghizadeh T, Francke W, Hefetz A. Chemistry of the postpharyngeal gland secretion and its implication for the phylogeny of IberianCataglyphis species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). CHEMOECOLOGY 1996. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01266308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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12
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Espelie KE, Cane JH, Himmelsbach DS. Nest cell lining of the solitary beeHylaeus bisinuatus (Hymenoptera: Colletidae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1992. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01923446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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