1
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Gibbons M, Pasquini E, Kowalewska A, Read E, Gibson S, Crump A, Solvi C, Versace E, Chittka L. Noxious stimulation induces self-protective behavior in bumblebees. iScience 2024; 27:110440. [PMID: 39104408 PMCID: PMC11298632 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024] Open
Abstract
It has been widely stated that insects do not show self-protective behavior toward noxiously-stimulated body parts, but this claim has never been empirically tested. Here, we tested whether an insect species displays a type of self-protective behavior: self-grooming a noxiously-stimulated site. We touched bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) on an antenna with a noxiously heated (65°C) probe and found that, in the first 2 min after this stimulus, bees groomed their touched antenna more than their untouched antenna, and more than bees that were touched with an unheated probe or not touched at all did. Our results present evidence that bumblebees display self-protective behavior. We discuss the potential neural mechanisms of this behavior and the implications for whether insects feel pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matilda Gibbons
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- School of Biological and Behavioral Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Elisa Pasquini
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto 38068, Italy
| | - Amelia Kowalewska
- School of Biological and Behavioral Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
- Academic Training Team, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Eva Read
- Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, London School of Economics, London WC2A 2AE, UK
| | - Sam Gibson
- Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, London School of Economics, London WC2A 2AE, UK
| | - Andrew Crump
- Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, London School of Economics, London WC2A 2AE, UK
- Department of Pathobiology & Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London NW1 0TU, UK
| | - Cwyn Solvi
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province 510515, China
| | - Elisabetta Versace
- School of Biological and Behavioral Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Lars Chittka
- School of Biological and Behavioral Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
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2
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James L, Reynolds AM, Mellor IR, Davies TGE. A Sublethal Concentration of Sulfoxaflor Has Minimal Impact on Buff-Tailed Bumblebee ( Bombus terrestris) Locomotor Behaviour under Aversive Conditioning. TOXICS 2023; 11:279. [PMID: 36977044 PMCID: PMC10057571 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11030279] [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: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Pesticide exposure has been cited as a key threat to insect pollinators. Notably, a diverse range of potential sublethal effects have been reported in bee species, with a particular focus on effects due to exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides. Here, a purpose-built thermal-visual arena was used in a series of pilot experiments to assess the potential impact of approximate sublethal concentrations of the next generation sulfoximine insecticide sulfoxaflor (5 and 50 ppb) and the neonicotinoid insecticides thiacloprid (500 ppb) and thiamethoxam (10 ppb), on the walking trajectory, navigation and learning abilities of the buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris audax) when subjected to an aversive conditioning task. The results suggest that only thiamethoxam prevents forager bees from improving in key training parameters (speed and distanced travelled) within the thermal visual arena. Power law analyses further revealed that a speed-curvature power law, previously reported as being present in the walking trajectories of bumblebees, is potentially disrupted under thiamethoxam (10 ppb) exposure, but not under sulfoxaflor or thiacloprid exposure. The pilot assay described provides a novel tool with which to identify subtle sublethal pesticide impacts, and their potential causes, on forager bees, that current ecotoxicological tests are not designed to assess.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura James
- Protecting Crops and the Environment, Rothamsted Research, West Common, Harpenden AL5 2JQ, UK (A.M.R.)
- Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK;
| | - Andrew M. Reynolds
- Protecting Crops and the Environment, Rothamsted Research, West Common, Harpenden AL5 2JQ, UK (A.M.R.)
| | - Ian R. Mellor
- Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK;
| | - T. G. Emyr Davies
- Protecting Crops and the Environment, Rothamsted Research, West Common, Harpenden AL5 2JQ, UK (A.M.R.)
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3
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Kamioka T, Suzuki HC, Ugajin A, Yamaguchi Y, Nishimura M, Sasaki T, Ono M, Kawata M. Genes associated with hot defensive bee ball in the Japanese honeybee, Apis cerana japonica. BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:31. [PMID: 35296235 PMCID: PMC8925055 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-01989-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Japanese honeybee, Apis cerana japonica, shows a specific defensive behavior, known as a “hot defensive bee ball,” used against the giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia. Hundreds of honeybee workers surround a hornet and make a “bee ball” during this behavior. They maintain the ball for around 30 min, and its core temperature can reach 46. Although various studies have been conducted on the characteristics of this behavior, its molecular mechanism has yet to be elucidated. Here, we performed a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis to detect candidate genes related to balling behavior. Results The expression levels of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the brain, flight muscle, and fat body were evaluated during ball formation and incubation at 46 °C. The DEGs detected during ball formation, but not in response to heat, were considered important for ball formation. The expression of genes related to rhodopsin signaling were increased in all tissues during ball formation. DEGs detected in one or two tissues during ball formation were also identified. Conclusions Given that rhodopsin is involved in temperature sensing in Drosophila, the rhodopsin-related DEGs in A. cerana japonica may be involved in temperature sensing specifically during ball formation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12862-022-01989-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Kamioka
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3, Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Hiromu C Suzuki
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3, Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan.,Department of Integrative Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | | | - Yuta Yamaguchi
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Tamagawa University, Machida, Japan
| | | | - Tetsuhiko Sasaki
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Tamagawa University, Machida, Japan.,Research Institute, Honeybee Science Research Center, Tamagawa University, Machida, Japan
| | - Masato Ono
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Tamagawa University, Machida, Japan.,Research Institute, Honeybee Science Research Center, Tamagawa University, Machida, Japan
| | - Masakado Kawata
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3, Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan.
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4
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The short neuropeptide F regulates appetitive but not aversive responsiveness in a social insect. iScience 2022; 25:103619. [PMID: 35005557 PMCID: PMC8719019 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The neuropeptide F (NPF) and its short version (sNPF) mediate food- and stress-related responses in solitary insects. In the honeybee, a social insect where food collection and defensive responses are socially regulated, only sNPF has an identified receptor. Here we increased artificially sNPF levels in honeybee foragers and studied the consequences of this manipulation in various forms of appetitive and aversive responsiveness. Increasing sNPF in partially fed bees turned them into the equivalent of starved animals, enhancing both their food consumption and responsiveness to appetitive gustatory and olfactory stimuli. Neural activity in the olfactory circuits of fed animals was reduced and could be rescued by sNPF treatment to the level of starved bees. In contrast, sNPF had no effect on responsiveness to nociceptive stimuli. Our results thus identify sNPF as a key modulator of hunger and food-related responses in bees, which are at the core of their foraging activities.
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5
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Bestea L, Réjaud A, Sandoz JC, Carcaud J, Giurfa M, de Brito Sanchez MG. Peripheral taste detection in honey bees: What do taste receptors respond to? Eur J Neurosci 2021; 54:4417-4444. [PMID: 33934411 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the neural principles governing taste perception in species that bear economic importance or serve as research models for other sensory modalities constitutes a strategic goal. Such is the case of the honey bee (Apis mellifera), which is environmentally and socioeconomically important, given its crucial role as pollinator agent in agricultural landscapes and which has served as a traditional model for visual and olfactory neurosciences and for research on communication, navigation, and learning and memory. Here we review the current knowledge on honey bee gustatory receptors to provide an integrative view of peripheral taste detection in this insect, highlighting specificities and commonalities with other insect species. We describe behavioral and electrophysiological responses to several tastant categories and relate these responses, whenever possible, to known molecular receptor mechanisms. Overall, we adopted an evolutionary and comparative perspective to understand the neural principles of honey bee taste and define key questions that should be answered in future gustatory research centered on this insect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Bestea
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS (UMR 5169), University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Alexandre Réjaud
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, CNRS, IRD (UMR 5174), University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Sandoz
- Evolution, Genomes, Behavior and Ecology, CNRS, IRD (UMR 9191, University Paris Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Julie Carcaud
- Evolution, Genomes, Behavior and Ecology, CNRS, IRD (UMR 9191, University Paris Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS (UMR 5169), University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France.,College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
| | - Maria Gabriela de Brito Sanchez
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS (UMR 5169), University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
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6
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Abstract
With less than a million neurons, the western honeybee Apis mellifera is capable of complex olfactory behaviors and provides an ideal model for investigating the neurophysiology of the olfactory circuit and the basis of olfactory perception and learning. Here, we review the most fundamental aspects of honeybee's olfaction: first, we discuss which odorants dominate its environment, and how bees use them to communicate and regulate colony homeostasis; then, we describe the neuroanatomy and the neurophysiology of the olfactory circuit; finally, we explore the cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to olfactory memory formation. The vastity of histological, neurophysiological, and behavioral data collected during the last century, together with new technological advancements, including genetic tools, confirm the honeybee as an attractive research model for understanding olfactory coding and learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Paoli
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, 31062, Toulouse, France.
| | - Giovanni C Galizia
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Konstanz, 78457, Konstanz, Germany.
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7
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Junca P, Garnery L, Sandoz JC. Genotypic trade-off between appetitive and aversive capacities in honeybees. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10313. [PMID: 31311964 PMCID: PMC6635639 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46482-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Honey bees can learn both appetitive and aversive associations, using two olfactory conditioning protocols. Appetitive conditioning of the proboscis extension response (PER) involves associating an odor, the conditioned stimulus (CS) with a sucrose solution, the unconditioned stimulus (US). Conversely, aversive conditioning of the sting extension response (SER) involves associating the odor CS with an electric or thermal shock US. Here, we investigated the relationship between bees’ appetitive and aversive learning capacities at the individual level and the influence of bees’ genotype. As learning performance was shown to depend on an individuals’ sensitivity to the US, we systematically measured four different traits in each individual bee: sensitivity to sucrose, PER learning performance with a sucrose US, sensitivity to temperature, SER learning with a temperature US. First, we confirmed for both conditioning types that learning performance correlates with US responsiveness. Second, we found a trade-off between appetitive and aversive learning performances: bees that were better appetitive learners (and had a lower sucrose US threshold) learned less efficiently in the aversive conditioning (and had a higher temperature US threshold). Because the honey bee queen typically mates with 15–20 males, the workers from a honey bee hive belong to as many different patrilines, allowing for the search of the genetic determinism of cognitive abilities. Using microsatellite analysis, we show that a genetic determinism underlies the trade-off between appetitive and aversive capacities, with appetitively vs aversively biased patrilines. The honey bee hive thus appears as a genetically structured cognitive community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Junca
- Evolution, Genomes, Behavior and Ecology, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud, IRD (UMR 9191), 1 avenue de la Terrasse, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91198, France
| | - Lionel Garnery
- Evolution, Genomes, Behavior and Ecology, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud, IRD (UMR 9191), 1 avenue de la Terrasse, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91198, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Sandoz
- Evolution, Genomes, Behavior and Ecology, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud, IRD (UMR 9191), 1 avenue de la Terrasse, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91198, France.
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8
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Cholé H, Carcaud J, Mazeau H, Famié S, Arnold G, Sandoz JC. Social Contact Acts as Appetitive Reinforcement and Supports Associative Learning in Honeybees. Curr Biol 2019; 29:1407-1413.e3. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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9
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Startek JB, Voets T, Talavera K. To flourish or perish: evolutionary TRiPs into the sensory biology of plant-herbivore interactions. Pflugers Arch 2018; 471:213-236. [PMID: 30229297 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-018-2205-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Revised: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 09/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The interactions between plants and their herbivores are highly complex systems generating on one side an extraordinary diversity of plant protection mechanisms and on the other side sophisticated consumer feeding strategies. Herbivores have evolved complex, integrative sensory systems that allow them to distinguish between food sources having mere bad flavors from the actually toxic ones. These systems are based on the senses of taste, olfaction and somatosensation in the oral and nasal cavities, and on post-ingestive chemosensory mechanisms. The potential ability of plant defensive chemical traits to induce tissue damage in foragers is mainly encoded in the latter through chemesthetic sensations such as burning, pain, itch, irritation, tingling, and numbness, all of which induce innate aversive behavioral responses. Here, we discuss the involvement of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in the chemosensory mechanisms that are at the core of complex and fascinating plant-herbivore ecological networks. We review how "sensory" TRPs are activated by a myriad of plant-derived compounds, leading to cation influx, membrane depolarization, and excitation of sensory nerve fibers of the oronasal cavities in mammals and bitter-sensing cells in insects. We also illustrate how TRP channel expression patterns and functionalities vary between species, leading to intriguing evolutionary adaptations to the specific habitats and life cycles of individual organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justyna B Startek
- Laboratory of Ion Channel Research, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, Campus Gasthuisberg O&N1 bus 802, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. .,VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Thomas Voets
- Laboratory of Ion Channel Research, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, Campus Gasthuisberg O&N1 bus 802, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.,VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Karel Talavera
- Laboratory of Ion Channel Research, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, Campus Gasthuisberg O&N1 bus 802, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.,VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
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10
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Klein S, Cabirol A, Devaud JM, Barron AB, Lihoreau M. Why Bees Are So Vulnerable to Environmental Stressors. Trends Ecol Evol 2017; 32:268-278. [PMID: 28111032 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Revised: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Bee populations are declining in the industrialized world, raising concerns for the sustainable pollination of crops. Pesticides, pollutants, parasites, diseases, and malnutrition have all been linked to this problem. We consider here neurobiological, ecological, and evolutionary reasons why bees are particularly vulnerable to these environmental stressors. Central-place foraging on flowers demands advanced capacities of learning, memory, and navigation. However, even at low intensity levels, many stressors damage the bee brain, disrupting key cognitive functions needed for effective foraging, with dramatic consequences for brood development and colony survival. We discuss how understanding the relationships between the actions of stressors on the nervous system, individual cognitive impairments, and colony decline can inform constructive interventions to sustain bee populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Klein
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, National Center for Scientific Research(CNRS), University Paul Sabatier(UPS), Toulouse, France; Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Amélie Cabirol
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, National Center for Scientific Research(CNRS), University Paul Sabatier(UPS), Toulouse, France; Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jean-Marc Devaud
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, National Center for Scientific Research(CNRS), University Paul Sabatier(UPS), Toulouse, France
| | - Andrew B Barron
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Mathieu Lihoreau
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, National Center for Scientific Research(CNRS), University Paul Sabatier(UPS), Toulouse, France.
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11
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Desmedt L, Baracchi D, Devaud JM, Giurfa M, d'Ettorre P. Aversive learning of odor-heat associations in ants. J Exp Biol 2017; 220:4661-4668. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.161737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Ants have recently emerged as useful models for the study of olfactory learning. In this framework, the development of a protocol for the appetitive conditioning of the maxilla-labium extension response (MaLER) provided the possibility of studying Pavlovian odor-food learning in a controlled environment. Here we extend these studies by introducing the first Pavlovian aversive learning protocol for harnessed ants in the laboratory. We worked with carpenter ants Camponotus aethiops and first determined the capacity of different temperatures applied to the body surface to elicit the typical aversive mandible opening response (MOR). We determined that 75°C is the optimal temperature to induce MOR and chose the hind legs as the stimulated body region due to their high sensitivity. We then studied the ability of ants to learn and remember odor-heat associations using 75°C as unconditioned stimulus. We studied learning and short-term retention after absolute (one odor paired with heat) and differential conditioning (a punished odor versus an unpunished odor). Our results show that ants successfully learn the odor-heat association under a differential-conditioning regime and thus exhibit conditioned MOR to the punished odor. Yet, their performance under an absolute-conditioning regime is poor. These results demonstrate that ants are capable of aversive learning and confirm previous findings about the different attentional resources solicited by differential and absolute conditioning in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Desmedt
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology, University of Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France
| | - David Baracchi
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology, University of Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse Cedex 09, France
| | - Jean-Marc Devaud
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse Cedex 09, France
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse Cedex 09, France
| | - Patrizia d'Ettorre
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology, University of Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse Cedex 09, France
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12
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Jandt JM, Gordon DM. The behavioral ecology of variation in social insects. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2016; 15:40-44. [PMID: 27436730 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2016.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2016] [Revised: 02/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the ecological relevance of variation within and between colonies has been an important and recurring theme in social insect research. Recent research addresses the genomic and physiological factors and fitness effects associated with behavioral variation, within and among colonies, in regulation of activity, cognitive abilities, and aggression. Behavioral variation among colonies has consequences for survival and reproductive success that are the basis for evolutionary change.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Jandt
- Iowa State University, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
| | - D M Gordon
- Stanford University, Department of Biology, Gilbert Biological Sciences Building, rm 410, 371 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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