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Sokolowski MBC, Bottet G, Dacher M. Measuring honey bee feeding rhythms with the BeeBox, a platform for nectar foraging insects. Physiol Behav 2024; 283:114598. [PMID: 38821143 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
In honey bees, most studies of circadian rhythms involve a locomotion test performed in a small tube, a tunnel, or at the hive entrance. However, despite feeding playing an important role in honey bee health or fitness, no demonstration of circadian rhythm on feeding has been performed until recently. Here, we present the BeeBox, a new laboratory platform for bees based on the concept of the Skinner box, which dispenses discrete controlled amounts of food (sucrose syrup) following entrance into an artificial flower. We compared caged groups of bees in 12 h-12 h light/dark cycles, constant darkness and constant light and measured average hourly syrup consumption per living bee. Food intake was higher in constant light and lower in constant darkness; mortality increased in constant light. We observed rhythmic consumption with a period longer than 24 h; this is maintained in darkness without environmental cues, but is damped in the constant light condition. The BeeBox offers many new research perspectives and numerous potential applications in the study of nectar foraging animals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Guillaume Bottet
- Université de Picardie - Jules Verne, 1, rue des Louvels, 80000 Amiens, France
| | - Matthieu Dacher
- Sorbonne Université, INRAE, Université Paris Est Créteil, CNRS, IRD - Institute for Ecology and Environnemental Sciences of Paris, iEES Paris, 78026, Versailles, France
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2
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Ali MA, Al-Farga A, Seddik MA. The positive impact of honeybee activity on fennel crop production and sustainability. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14869. [PMID: 38937513 PMCID: PMC11211493 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64283-2] [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: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
This study investigates the ecological interaction between honeybees (Apis mellifera) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) plants, examining the mutual benefits of this relationship. Field experiments conducted in Egypt from December 2022 to May 2023 recorded diverse insect pollinators attracted to fennel flowers, especially honeybees. Assessing honeybee colonies near fennel fields showed improvements in sealed brood (357.5-772.5 cells), unsealed brood (176.3-343.8 cells), pollen collection (53.25-257.5 units), honey accumulation (257.5-877.5 units), and colony strength (7.75-10) over three weeks. Fennel exposure explained 88-99% of variability in foraging metrics. Comparing open versus self-pollinated fennel revealed enhanced attributes with bee pollination, including higher flower age (25.67 vs 19.67 days), more seeds per umbel (121.3 vs 95.33), bigger seeds (6.533 vs 4.400 mm), heavier seeds (0.510 vs 0.237 g/100 seeds), and increased fruit weight per umbel (0.619 vs 0.226 g). Natural variation in seed color and shape also occurred. The outcomes demonstrate the integral role of honeybees in fennel agroecosystems through efficient pollination services that improve crop productivity and quality. Fennel provides abundant nutritional resources that bolster honeybee colony health. This research elucidates the symbiotic bee-fennel relationship, underscoring mutualistic benefits and the importance of ecological conservation for sustainable agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud Abbas Ali
- Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt.
| | - Ammar Al-Farga
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - M A Seddik
- Department of Bees Research, Agricultural Research Center, Plant Protection Research Institute, Giza, Egypt
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3
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Amador GJ, van Oorschot BK, Liao C, Wu J, Wei D. Functional fibrillar interfaces: Biological hair as inspiration across scales. BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY 2024; 15:664-677. [PMID: 38887525 PMCID: PMC11181169 DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.15.55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Hair, or hair-like fibrillar structures, are ubiquitous in biology, from fur on the bodies of mammals, over trichomes of plants, to the mastigonemes on the flagella of single-celled organisms. While these long and slender protuberances are passive, they are multifunctional and help to mediate interactions with the environment. They provide thermal insulation, sensory information, reversible adhesion, and surface modulation (e.g., superhydrophobicity). This review will present various functions that biological hairs have been discovered to carry out, with the hairs spanning across six orders of magnitude in size, from the millimeter-thick fur of mammals down to the nanometer-thick fibrillar ultrastructures on bateriophages. The hairs are categorized according to their functions, including protection (e.g., thermal regulation and defense), locomotion, feeding, and sensing. By understanding the versatile functions of biological hairs, bio-inspired solutions may be developed across length scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo J Amador
- Experimental Zoology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Brett Klaassen van Oorschot
- Experimental Zoology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Caiying Liao
- School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Jianing Wu
- School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Da Wei
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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4
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Kannegieser S, Kraft N, Haan A, Stöckl A. Visual guidance fine-tunes probing movements of an insect appendage. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2306937121. [PMID: 38285936 PMCID: PMC10861887 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306937121] [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: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Visually guided reaching, a regular feature of human life, comprises an intricate neural control task. It includes identifying the target's position in 3D space, passing the representation to the motor system that controls the respective appendages, and adjusting ongoing movements using visual and proprioceptive feedback. Given the complexity of the neural control task, invertebrates, with their numerically constrained central nervous systems, are often considered incapable of this level of visuomotor guidance. Here, we provide mechanistic insights into visual appendage guidance in insects by studying the probing movements of the hummingbird hawkmoth's proboscis as they search for a flower's nectary. We show that visually guided proboscis movements fine-tune the coarse control provided by body movements in flight. By impairing the animals' view of their proboscis, we demonstrate that continuous visual feedback is required and actively sought out to guide this appendage. In doing so, we establish an insect model for the study of neural strategies underlying eye-appendage control in a simple nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sören Kannegieser
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), University of Würzburg, Biozentrum am Hubland, Würzburg97074, Germany
| | - Nadine Kraft
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), University of Würzburg, Biozentrum am Hubland, Würzburg97074, Germany
| | - Alexa Haan
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), University of Würzburg, Biozentrum am Hubland, Würzburg97074, Germany
| | - Anna Stöckl
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), University of Würzburg, Biozentrum am Hubland, Würzburg97074, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz78464, Germany
- Zukunftskolleg, Universität Konstanz, Konstanz78464, Germany
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5
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Sane SP, Wehling R, Daniel T. Multisensory integration in insect flight control. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20230565. [PMID: 38263881 PMCID: PMC10806407 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay P. Sane
- Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560065, India
| | - Ric Wehling
- Air Force Research Lab, Eglin, FL 32542, USA
| | - Tom Daniel
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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6
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Legan AW, Vogt CC, Sheehan MJ. Postural analysis reveals persistent changes in paper wasp foundress behavioral state after conspecific challenge. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10436. [PMID: 37664514 PMCID: PMC10469045 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Vigilant animals detect and respond to threats in the environment, often changing posture and movement patterns. Vigilance is modulated not only by predators but also by conspecific threats. In social animals, precisely how conspecific threats alter vigilance behavior over time is relevant to long-standing hypotheses about social plasticity. We report persistent effects of a simulated conspecific challenge on behavior of wild northern paper wasp foundresses, Polistes fuscatus. During the founding phase of the colony cycle, conspecific wasps can usurp nests from the resident foundress, representing a severe threat. We used automated tracking to monitor the movement and posture of P. fuscatus foundresses in response to simulated intrusions. Wasps displayed increased movement, greater bilateral wing extension, and reduced antennal separation after the threat was removed. These changes were not observed after presentation with a wooden dowel. By rapidly adjusting individual behavior after fending off an intruder, paper wasp foundresses might invest in surveillance of potential threats, even when such threats are no longer immediately present. The prolonged vigilance-like behavioral state observed here is relevant to plasticity of social recognition processes in paper wasps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew W. Legan
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
- Department of EntomologyUniversity of ArizonaTucsonArizonaUSA
| | - Caleb C. Vogt
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
| | - Michael J. Sheehan
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
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Hillyer JF. Insect physiology: The mouthparts of moths and butterflies breathe through strategically positioned micropores. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R762-R764. [PMID: 37490861 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.06.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
Insects employ a tracheal system to transport oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from the body's cells. A new study discovers a micropore-based mechanism of respiration in the coiling mouthparts of moths and butterflies, which allowed these insects to evolve intricately long mouthparts without also evolving proportionally larger body sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julián F Hillyer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37205, USA.
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8
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Amichai E, Boerma DB, Page RA, Swartz SM, ter Hofstede HM. By a whisker: the sensory role of vibrissae in hovering flight in nectarivorous bats. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222085. [PMID: 36722088 PMCID: PMC9890094 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2085] [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: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Whiskers are important tactile structures widely used across mammals for a variety of sensory functions, but it is not known how bats-representing about a fifth of all extant mammal species-use them. Nectar-eating bats typically have long vibrissae (long, stiff hairs) arranged in a forward-facing brush-like formation that is not present in most non-nectarivorous bats. They also commonly use a unique flight strategy to access their food-hovering flight. Here we investigated whether these species use their vibrissae to optimize their feeding by assisting fine flight control. We used behavioural experiments to test if bats' flight trajectory into the flower changed after vibrissa removal, and phylogenetic comparative methods to test whether vibrissa length is related to nectarivory. We found that bat flight trajectory was altered after vibrissae removal and that nectarivorous bats possess longer vibrissae than non-nectivorous species, providing evidence of an additional source of information in bats' diverse sensory toolkit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eran Amichai
- Ecology, Evolution, Environment & Society Graduate Program, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - David B. Boerma
- Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Rachel A. Page
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado 0843-03092, Republic of Panama
| | - Sharon M. Swartz
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 012912, USA
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 012912, USA
| | - Hannah M. ter Hofstede
- Ecology, Evolution, Environment & Society Graduate Program, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado 0843-03092, Republic of Panama
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9
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Reinwald C, Bauder JA, Karolyi F, Neulinger M, Jaros S, Metscher B, Krenn HW. Evolutionary functional morphology of the proboscis and feeding apparatus of hawk moths (Sphingidae: Lepidoptera). J Morphol 2022; 283:1390-1410. [PMID: 36059242 PMCID: PMC9825987 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The morphology of the proboscis and associated feeding organs was studied in several nectar-feeding hawk moths, as well as a specialized honey-feeder and two supposedly nonfeeding species. The proboscis lengths ranged from a few millimeters to more than 200 mm. Despite the variation in proboscis length and feeding strategy, the principle external and internal composition of the galeae, the stipes pump, and the suction pump were similar across all species. The morphology of the smooth and slender proboscis is highly conserved among all lineages of nectar-feeding Sphingidae. Remarkably, they share a typical arrangement of the sensilla at the tip. The number and length of sensilla styloconica are independent from proboscis length. A unique proboscis morphology was found in the honey-feeding species Acherontia atropos. Here, the distinctly pointed apex displays a large subterminal opening of the food canal, and thus characterizes a novel type of piercing proboscis in Lepidoptera. In the probably nonfeeding species, the rudimentary galeae are not interlocked and the apex lacks sensilla styloconica; galeal muscles, however, are present. All studied species demonstrate an identical anatomy of the stipes, and suction pump, regardless of proboscis length and diet. Even supposedly nonfeeding Sphingidae possess all organs of the feeding apparatus, suggesting that their proboscis rudiments might still be functional. The morphometric analyses indicate significant positive correlations between galea lumen volume and stipes muscle volume as well as the volume of the food canal and the muscular volume of the suction pump. Size correlations of these functionally connected organs reflect morphological fine-tuning in the evolution of proboscis length and function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Florian Karolyi
- Department of Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | | | - Sarah Jaros
- Department of Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Brian Metscher
- Department of Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Harald W. Krenn
- Department of Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
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Deora T, Ahmed MA, Brunton BW, Daniel TL. Learning to feed in the dark: how light level influences feeding in the hawkmoth Manduca sexta. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20210320. [PMID: 34520685 PMCID: PMC8440038 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Nocturnal insects like moths are essential for pollination, providing resilience to the diurnal pollination networks. Moths use both vision and mechanosensation to locate the nectary opening in the flowers with their proboscis. However, increased light levels due to artificial light at night (ALAN) pose a serious threat to nocturnal insects. Here, we examined how light levels influence the efficacy by which the crepuscular hawkmoth Manduca sexta locates the nectary. We used three-dimensional-printed artificial flowers fitted with motion sensors in the nectary and machine vision to track the motion of hovering moths under two light levels: 0.1 lux (moonlight) and 50 lux (dawn/dusk). We found that moths in higher light conditions took significantly longer to find the nectary, even with repeated visits to the same flower. In addition to taking longer, moths in higher light conditions hovered further from the flower during feeding. Increased light levels adversely affect learning and motor control in these animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanvi Deora
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Mahad A Ahmed
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Bingni W Brunton
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Thomas L Daniel
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
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Bing J, Li X, Haverkamp A, Baldwin IT, Hansson BS, Knaden M, Yon F. Variation in Manduca sexta Pollination-Related Floral Traits and Reproduction in a Wild Tobacco Plant. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.680463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Most flowering plants depend on animal pollination for successful sexual reproduction. Floral signals such as color, shape, and odor are crucial in establishing this (often mutualistic) interaction. Plant and pollinator phenotypes can vary temporally but also spatially, thus creating mosaic-like patterns of local adaptations. Here, we investigated natural variation in floral morphology, flower volatile emission, and phenology in four accessions of a self-compatible wild tobacco, Nicotiana attenuata, to assess how these traits match the sensory perception of a known pollinator, the hawkmoth Manduca sexta. These accessions differ in floral traits and also in their habitat altitudes. Based on habitat temperatures, the accession occurring at the highest altitude (California) is less likely to be visited by M. sexta, while the others (Arizona, Utah 1, and Utah 2) are known to receive M. sexta pollinations. The accessions varied significantly in flower morphologies, volatile emissions, flower opening, and phenology, traits likely important for M. sexta perception and floral handling. In wind tunnel assays, we assessed the seed set of emasculated flowers after M. sexta visitation and of natural selfed and hand-pollinated selfed flowers. After moth visitations, plants of two accessions (Arizona and Utah 2) produced more capsules than the other two, consistent with predictions that accessions co-occurring with M. sexta would benefit more from the pollination services of this moth. We quantified flower and capsule production in four accessions in a glasshouse assay without pollinators to assess the potential for self-pollination. The two Utah accessions set significantly more seeds after pollen supplementation compared with those of autonomous selfing flowers, suggesting a greater opportunistic benefit from efficient pollinators than the other two. Moreover, emasculated flowers of the accession with the most exposed stigma (Utah 2) produced the greatest seed set after M. sexta visitation. This study reveals intraspecific variation in pollination syndromes that illuminate the potential of a plant species to adapt to local pollinator communities, changing environments, and altered pollination networks.
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