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Qian C, Wen C, Guo X, Yang X, Wen X, Ma T, Wang C. Gregariousness in lepidopteran larvae. INSECT SCIENCE 2024. [PMID: 38214204 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
The gregarious lifestyle of lepidopteran larvae is diverse and shaped by a complex interplay of ecological and evolutionary factors. Our review showed that the larval-aggregation behavior has been reported in 23 lepidopteran families, indicating multiple evolution of this behavior. Some larvae live in sibling groups throughout all larval instars and even pupation stages, which may result from the kin-selection. In contrast, group fusion may occur among different sibling or foraging groups of larvae and form larger aggregates, and the gregariousness of these species might be driven by the group-selection. While group size and foraging patterns vary greatly across species, it is generally associated with improved larval survivorship and accelerated development. However, the advantages of group living, such as facilitating feeding activities, adjusting the temperature, and defending natural enemies, may diminish along with development, with strong intraspecific competition occurring at later instars, even when food is abundant. Therefore, the group sizes and fission-fusion dynamics of certain gregarious lepidopteran larvae may be a consequence of their cost-benefit balance depending on various biotic and abiotic factors. Trail and aggregation pheromones, silk trails, or body contact contribute to collective movement and group cohesion of gregarious lepidopteran larvae. However, frequent contact among group members may cause the horizontal transmission of pathogens and pesticides, which may bring an integrated pest management strategy controlling gregarious lepidopteran pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyu Qian
- College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chao Wen
- School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoli Guo
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Forest Pest Control, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Xinya Yang
- College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiujun Wen
- College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tao Ma
- College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Cai Wang
- College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
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2
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Tuazon H, Nguyen C, Kaufman E, Tiwari I, Bermudez J, Chudasama D, Peleg O, Bhamla MS. Collecting-Gathering Biophysics of the Blackworm Lumbriculus variegatus. Integr Comp Biol 2023; 63:1474-1484. [PMID: 37370237 PMCID: PMC10755170 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Many organisms exhibit collecting and gathering behaviors as a foraging and survival method. Benthic macroinvertebrates are classified as collector-gatherers due to their collection of particulate matter. Among these, the aquatic oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus (California blackworms) demonstrates the ability to ingest both organic and inorganic materials, including microplastics. However, earlier studies have only qualitatively described their collecting behaviors for such materials. The mechanism by which blackworms consolidate discrete particles into a larger clump remains unexplored quantitatively. In this study, we analyze a group of blackworms in a large arena with an aqueous algae solution (organic particles) and find that their relative collecting efficiency is proportional to population size. We found that doubling the population size (N = 25-N = 50) results in a decrease in time to reach consolidation by more than half. Microscopic examination of individual blackworms reveals that both algae and microplastics physically adhere to the worm's body and form clumps due to external mucus secretions by the worms. Our observations also indicate that this clumping behavior reduces the worm's exploration of its environment, possibly due to thigmotaxis. To validate these observed biophysical mechanisms, we create an active polymer model of a worm moving in a field of particulate debris. We simulate its adhesive nature by implementing a short-range attraction between the worm and the nearest surrounding particles. Our findings indicate an increase in gathering efficiency when we add an attractive force between particles, simulating the worm's mucosal secretions. Our work provides a detailed understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying the collecting-gathering behavior in L. variegatus, informing the design of bioinspired synthetic collector systems, and advances our understanding of the ecological impacts of microplastics on benthic invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry Tuazon
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Chantal Nguyen
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| | - Emily Kaufman
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Ishant Tiwari
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Jessica Bermudez
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Darshan Chudasama
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Orit Peleg
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
| | - M Saad Bhamla
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
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3
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Madrzyk M, Pinter-Wollman N. Colonies of ants allocate exploratory individuals to where they are ecologically needed. Curr Zool 2023; 69:585-591. [PMID: 37637320 PMCID: PMC10449417 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Individual differences in behavior have large consequences for the way in which ecology impacts fitness. Individuals differ in how they explore their environment and how exploratory behavior benefits them. In group-living animals, behavioral heterogeneity can be beneficial because different individuals perform different tasks. For example, exploratory individuals may discover new food sources and recruit group members to exploit the food, while less exploratory individuals forgo the risks of exploration. Here we ask how individual variation in exploratory behavior affects the ability of Argentine ant Linepithema humile colonies to (1) locate novel food sources, (2) exploit known food resources, and (3) respond to disruptions while foraging. To address these questions, we conducted field experiments on L. humile foraging trails in which we manipulated food availability near and at the foraging trails and disrupted the foraging trails. We sampled individuals based on their response to the perturbations in the field and tested their exploratory behavior in the lab. We found that exploratory individuals benefit the colony by locating novel foods and increasing resource exploitation, but they do not play an important role in the recovery of a foraging trail after disruption. Thus, the benefits of behavioral heterogeneity to the group, specifically in exploratory behavior, differ across ecological contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Madrzyk
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Noa Pinter-Wollman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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4
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Nagano Y, Wabiko N, Yokoi T. Female solitary bees flexibly change foraging behaviour according to their floral resource requirements and foraging experiences. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2023; 110:37. [PMID: 37466745 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-023-01864-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Intraspecific variation in foraging behaviour is related to the floral resource requirements and foraging experiences of social bees. These behavioural changes influence their pollination efficiency. However, the extent of such behavioural changes in solitary bees, which constitute the majority of bee species, remains largely unknown. As pollen contains essential nutrients for ovarian and offspring development, a relationship between the resource requirements of female bees and their ovarian development is expected. Additionally, wing damage could reflect foraging experiences, as the wings are damaged during foraging. Here, we aimed to clarify the relationships between ovarian development, wing damage, foraging behaviours, and pollination efficiency in female long-horned bees (Eucera nipponensis and Eucera spurcatipes) visiting red clovers. The bee handling times were recorded. Wing damage and pollen load on the hind legs were confirmed and the number of pollen grains on bee's bodies was counted. We then dissected the bees and recorded the presence or absence of nectar and pollen in the digestive tubes, as well as the mature egg number. The mature egg number positively correlated with nectar feeding and pollen collection, whereas handling time decreased with wing damage. Bees with pollen loads on their legs attach more pollen grains to their bodies. Therefore, solitary bees flexibly change their foraging behaviour based on resource requirements and foraging experiences, and these behavioural changes can influence pollination efficiency. The asynchrony of foraging behaviours and pollination efficiency within a bee population may provide stable pollination for flowering plants throughout the season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Nagano
- Laboratory of Conservation Ecology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennoudai, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan
- Laboratory of Biodiversity Science, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan
| | - Naoto Wabiko
- Laboratory of Conservation Ecology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennoudai, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Yokoi
- Laboratory of Conservation Ecology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennoudai, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan.
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5
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Tuazon H, Nguyen C, Kaufman E, Tiwari I, Bermudez J, Chudasama D, Peleg O, Bhamla MS. Collecting-Gathering Biophysics of the Blackworm L. variegatus. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.28.538726. [PMID: 37162967 PMCID: PMC10168430 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.28.538726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Many organisms exhibit collecting and gathering behaviors as a foraging and survival method. Certain benthic macroinvertebrates are classified as collector-gatherers due to their collection of particulate matter as a food source, such as the aquatic oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus (California blackworms). Blackworms demonstrate the ability to ingest organic and inorganic materials, including microplastics, but previous work has only qualitatively described their possible collecting behaviors for such materials. The mechanism through which blackworms consolidate discrete particles into a larger clumps remains unexplored quantitatively. By analyzing a group of blackworms in a large arena with an aqueous algae solution, we discover that their relative collecting efficiency is proportional to population size. Examining individual blackworms under a microscope reveals that both algae and microplastics physically adhere to the worm's body due to external mucus secretions, which cause the materials to clump around the worm. We observe that this clumping reduces the worm's exploration of its environment, potentially due to thigmotaxis. To validate the observed biophysical mechanisms, we create an active polymer model of a worm moving in a field of particulate debris with a short-range attractive force on its body to simulate its adhesive nature. We find that the attractive force increases gathering efficiency. This study offers insights into the mechanisms of collecting-gathering behavior, informing the design of robotic systems, as well as advancing our understanding the ecological impacts of microplastics on benthic invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry Tuazon
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
| | - Chantal Nguyen
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Georgia, United States
| | - Emily Kaufman
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
| | - Ishant Tiwari
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
| | - Jessica Bermudez
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
| | - Darshan Chudasama
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
| | - Orit Peleg
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Georgia, United States
- Department of Computer Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States
| | - M. Saad Bhamla
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
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6
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Using Front-Face Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Biochemical Analysis of Honey to Assess a Marker for the Level of Varroa destructor Infestation of Honey Bee ( Apis mellifera) Colonies. Foods 2023; 12:foods12030629. [PMID: 36766157 PMCID: PMC9914405 DOI: 10.3390/foods12030629] [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: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Varroa destructor is a parasitic mite responsible for the loss of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies. This study aimed to find a promising marker in honey for the bee colony infestation level using fluorescence spectroscopy and biochemical analyses. We examined whether the parameters of the honey samples' fluorescence spectra and biochemical parameters, both related to proteins and phenolics, may be connected with the level of honey bee colonies' infestation. The infestation level was highly positively correlated with the catalase activity in honey (r = 0.936). Additionally, the infestation level was positively correlated with the phenolic spectral component (r = 0.656), which was tentatively related to the phenolics in honey. No correlation was found between the diastase activity in honey and the colonies' infestation level. The results indicate that the catalase activity in honey and the PFC1 spectral component may be reliable markers for the V. destructor infestation level of the colonies. The obtained data may be related to the honey yield obtained from the apiaries.
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7
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Varnon CA, Barrera EI, Wilkes IN. Learning and memory in the orange head cockroach (Eublaberus posticus). PLoS One 2022; 17:e0272598. [PMID: 35994454 PMCID: PMC9394846 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper describes two experiments aimed at establishing the orange head cockroach (Eublaberus posticus) as a model organism for behavioral research. While many invertebrate models are available, cockroaches have several benefits over others that show impressive behavioral abilities. Most notably, cockroaches are long-lived generalists that can be maintained in controlled indoor laboratory conditions. While the most popular cockroaches in behavioral research, Periplaneta americana and Blattella germanica, have the potential to become domestic pests, our E. posticus is extremely unlikely to escape or infest a human environment, making it a very practical species. In our first experiment, we investigated the ability of E. posticus to associate novel odors with appetitive and aversive solutions. They quickly learned to approach odors associated with a dog food sucrose solution and learned to avoid odors associated with salt water. The second experiment repeated the methods of the first experiment, while also testing retained preferences for conditioned odors, from 15 to 1,215 minutes after the conditioning procedure ended. We found that preferences for odors associated with food were strongest 45 minutes after training, then decreased as a function of time. Our work is the first to show associative learning and memory in the orange head cockroach. Findings are discussed in comparison to other invertebrate models as well as to other cockroach research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A Varnon
- Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Comparative Psychology and Behavioral Ecology, Converse University, Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Erandy I Barrera
- Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Comparative Psychology and Behavioral Ecology, Converse University, Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Isobel N Wilkes
- Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Comparative Psychology and Behavioral Ecology, Converse University, Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States of America
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8
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Navas-Zuloaga MG, Pavlic TP, Smith BH. Alternative model systems for cognitive variation: eusocial-insect colonies. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:836-848. [PMID: 35864031 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.06.011] [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: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the origins and maintenance of cognitive variation in animal populations is central to the study of the evolution of cognition. However, the brain is itself a complex, hierarchical network of heterogeneous components, from diverse cell types to diverse neuropils, each of which may be of limited use to study in isolation or prohibitively challenging to manipulate in situ. Consequently, highly tractable alternative model systems may be valuable tools. Eusocial-insect colonies display emergent cognitive-like properties from relatively simple social interactions between diverse subunits that can be observed and manipulated while operating collectively. Here, we review the individual-scale mechanisms that cause group-level variation in how colonies solve problems analogous to cognitive challenges faced by brains, like decision-making, attention, and search.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Theodore P Pavlic
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Complex Adaptive Systems, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Brian H Smith
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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10
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Lee SB, Chouvenc T, Su NY. Differential time allocation of foraging workers in the subterranean termite. Front Zool 2021; 18:61. [PMID: 34903250 PMCID: PMC8670135 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-021-00446-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Foraging in group living animals such as social insects, is collectively performed by individuals. However, our understanding on foraging behavior of subterranean termites is extremely limited, as the process of foraging in the field is mostly concealed. Because of this limitation, foraging behaviors of subterranean termites were indirectly investigated in the laboratory through tunnel geometry analysis and observations on tunneling behaviors. In this study, we tracked subsets of foraging workers from juvenile colonies of Coptotermes formosanus (2-yr-old) to describe general foraging behavioral sequences and to find how foraging workers allocate time between the foraging site (food acquisition or processing) and non-foraging site (food transportation). Results Once workers entered into the foraging site, they spent, on average, a significantly longer time at the foraging site than the non-foraging site. Our clustering analysis revealed two different types of foraging workers in the subterranean termite based on the duration of time they spent at the foraging site and their foraging frequency. After entering the foraging site, some workers (cluster 1) immediately initiated masticating wood fragments, which they transferred as food boluses to recipient workers at the foraging site. Conversely, the recipient workers (cluster 2) moved around after entering the foraging site and received food from donating workers. Conclusions This study provides evidence of task specialization within foraging cohorts in subterranean termites. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12983-021-00446-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang-Bin Lee
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 3205 College Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 33314, USA.
| | - Thomas Chouvenc
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 3205 College Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 33314, USA
| | - Nan-Yao Su
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 3205 College Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 33314, USA
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11
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Leoni V, Giupponi L, Pavlovic R, Gianoncelli C, Cecati F, Ranzato E, Martinotti S, Pedrali D, Giorgi A, Panseri S. Multidisciplinary analysis of Italian Alpine wildflower honey reveals criticalities, diversity and value. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19316. [PMID: 34588574 PMCID: PMC8481395 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98876-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Wildflower honeys produced in mountain grasslands are an expression of the biodiversity of these fragile habitats. Despite its importance, the botanical origin of honey is often defined without performing formal analysis. The aim of the study was to characterize six wildflower mountain honeys produced in the Italian Alps with different analytic techniques (SPME-GC-MS, HPLC-Orbitrap, cicatrizing and antioxidant activity) alongside melissopalynological analysis and botanical definition of the production area. Even though the apiaries were in mountain grasslands rich in Alpine herbaceous species, the honey could be defined as rhododendron/raspberry unifloral or raspberry and rhododendron bifloral while the honey produced at the lowest altitude differed due to the presence of linden, heather and chestnut. The non-compliance of the honey could be due to habitat (meadows and pastures) fragmentation, but also to specific compounds involved in the plant-insect relationship, such as kynurenic acid, present in a high quantity in the sample rich in chestnut pollen. 255 volatile compounds were detected as well as some well-known markers of specific botanic essences, in particular chestnut, linden and heather, also responsible for most of the differences in aroma profiling. A high correlation between nicotinaldehyde content and percentage of raspberry pollen (r = 0.853, p < 0.05) was found. Phenolic acid and hydroxy-fatty acid were predominant in the chestnut pollen dominant honey, which presented the highest antioxidant activity and the lowest cicatrizing activity, while the flavonoid fraction was accentuated in one sample (rhododendron pollen prevalent), that was also the one with the highest effect on wound closure, although all samples had similar cicatrizing effects apart from the chestnut pollen dominant honey (lowest cicatrizing activity). Our study highlighted the difficulty of producing mountain wildflower honey and the importance of a thorough characterization of this product, also to encourage its production and valorisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Leoni
- Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas (CRC Ge.S.Di.Mont.), University of Milan, Via Morino 8, 25048, Edolo, BS, Italy
| | - Luca Giupponi
- Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas (CRC Ge.S.Di.Mont.), University of Milan, Via Morino 8, 25048, Edolo, BS, Italy
| | - Radmila Pavlovic
- Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety (VESPA), University of Milan, Via Celoria 10, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Carla Gianoncelli
- Fondazione Fojanini Di Studi Superiori, Via Valeriana 32, 23100, Sondrio, Italy
| | - Francisco Cecati
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnología Química (INTEQUI), Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Almirante Brown 1455, 5700, San Luis, Argentina
| | - Elia Ranzato
- DiSIT-Dipartimento Di Scienze E Innovazione Tecnologica, University of Piemonte Orientale, piazza Sant'Eusebio 5, 13100, Vercelli, Italy
| | - Simona Martinotti
- DiSIT-Dipartimento Di Scienze E Innovazione Tecnologica, University of Piemonte Orientale, piazza Sant'Eusebio 5, 13100, Vercelli, Italy
| | - Davide Pedrali
- Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas (CRC Ge.S.Di.Mont.), University of Milan, Via Morino 8, 25048, Edolo, BS, Italy
| | - Annamaria Giorgi
- Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas (CRC Ge.S.Di.Mont.), University of Milan, Via Morino 8, 25048, Edolo, BS, Italy
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - Production, Landscape, Agroenergy (DISAA), University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Panseri
- Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety (VESPA), University of Milan, Via Celoria 10, 20133, Milan, Italy
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12
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Lemanski NJ, Cook CN, Ozturk C, Smith BH, Pinter-Wollman N. The effect of individual learning on collective foraging in honey bees in differently structured landscapes. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.06.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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13
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Sezen E, Dereszkiewicz E, Hozan A, Bennett MM, Ozturk C, Smith BH, Cook CN. Heritable Cognitive Phenotypes Influence Appetitive Learning but not Extinction in Honey Bees. ANNALS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 114:606-613. [PMID: 34512859 PMCID: PMC8423107 DOI: 10.1093/aesa/saab023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Learning and attention allow animals to better navigate complex environments. While foraging, honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) learn several aspects of their foraging environment, such as color and odor of flowers, which likely begins to happen before they evaluate the quality of the food. If bees begin to evaluate quality before they taste food, and then learn the food is depleted, this may create a conflict in what the bee learns and remembers. Individual honey bees differ in their sensitivity to information, thus creating variation in how they learn or do not learn certain environmental stimuli. For example, foraging honey bees exhibit differences in latent inhibition (LI), a learning process through which regular encounter with a stimulus without a consequence such as food can later reduce conditioning to that stimulus. Here, we test whether bees from distinct selected LI genotypes learn differently if reinforced via just antennae or via both antennae + proboscis. We also evaluate whether learned information goes extinct at different rates in these distinct LI genetic lines. We find that high LI bees learned significantly better when they were reinforced both antenna + proboscis, while low LI and control bees learned similarly with the two reinforcement pathways. We also find no differences in the acquisition and extinction of learned information in high LI and low LI bees. Our work provides insight into how underlying cognition may influence how honey bees learn and value information, which may lead to differences in how individuals and colonies make foraging decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eda Sezen
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | | | - Alvin Hozan
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Meghan M Bennett
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Carl Hayden Honey Bee Research Laboratory, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Cahit Ozturk
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Brian H Smith
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Chelsea N Cook
- Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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14
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Wada-Katsumata A, Schal C. Olfactory Learning Supports an Adaptive Sugar-Aversion Gustatory Phenotype in the German Cockroach. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12080724. [PMID: 34442290 PMCID: PMC8397102 DOI: 10.3390/insects12080724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Toxic baits that contain an insecticide and phagosimulatory sugars, including glucose, are most effective in German cockroach control. However, cockroaches have evolved behavioral resistance, where they perceive glucose as a deterrent and avoid eating the bait (glucose-aversion, GA), resulting in failure to control infestations. We hypothesized that the GA phenotype may be extended by associative learning of specific odors with glucose. We demonstrated that GA cockroaches associated attractive food odors, such as vanilla and chocolate, with glucose (deterrent) and learned to avoid these odors. In contrast, wild type (WT) cockroaches that associated these odors with glucose (phagostimulant) increased their preference for the odors. The aversive and appetitive memories were retained for at least three days. Generally, when toxic baits are deployed, GA cockroaches are first attracted to the bait, and they repeatedly experience its aversive taste as they reject eating the deterrent bait. The recurring non-rewarding foraging experience may contribute to the formation of an aversive olfactory memory. Even if the baits are later reformulated without aversive tastants, GA cockroaches may avoid the new bait because they associate it with aversive olfactory stimuli. Our findings will guide the rational development of baits that consider the olfactory learning abilities of cockroaches. Abstract An association of food sources with odors prominently guides foraging behavior in animals. To understand the interaction of olfactory memory and food preferences, we used glucose-averse (GA) German cockroaches. Multiple populations of cockroaches evolved a gustatory polymorphism where glucose is perceived as a deterrent and enables GA cockroaches to avoid eating glucose-containing toxic baits. Comparative behavioral analysis using an operant conditioning paradigm revealed that learning and memory guide foraging decisions. Cockroaches learned to associate specific food odors with fructose (phagostimulant, reward) within only a 1 h conditioning session, and with caffeine (deterrent, punishment) after only three 1 h conditioning sessions. Glucose acted as reward in wild type (WT) cockroaches, but GA cockroaches learned to avoid an innately attractive odor that was associated with glucose. Olfactory memory was retained for at least 3 days after three 1 h conditioning sessions. Our results reveal that specific tastants can serve as potent reward or punishment in olfactory associative learning, which reinforces gustatory food preferences. Olfactory learning, therefore, reinforces behavioral resistance of GA cockroaches to sugar-containing toxic baits. Cockroaches may also generalize their olfactory learning to baits that contain the same or similar attractive odors even if they do not contain glucose.
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Friedman DA, Tschantz A, Ramstead MJD, Friston K, Constant A. Active Inferants: An Active Inference Framework for Ant Colony Behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:647732. [PMID: 34248515 PMCID: PMC8264549 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.647732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper, we introduce an active inference model of ant colony foraging behavior, and implement the model in a series of in silico experiments. Active inference is a multiscale approach to behavioral modeling that is being applied across settings in theoretical biology and ethology. The ant colony is a classic case system in the function of distributed systems in terms of stigmergic decision-making and information sharing. Here we specify and simulate a Markov decision process (MDP) model for ant colony foraging. We investigate a well-known paradigm from laboratory ant colony behavioral experiments, the alternating T-maze paradigm, to illustrate the ability of the model to recover basic colony phenomena such as trail formation after food location discovery. We conclude by outlining how the active inference ant colony foraging behavioral model can be extended and situated within a nested multiscale framework and systems approaches to biology more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Ari Friedman
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Active Inference Lab, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Alec Tschantz
- Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
- Department of Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Maxwell J. D. Ramstead
- Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Culture, Mind, and Brain Program, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Spatial Web Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Karl Friston
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Axel Constant
- Theory and Method in Biosciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Ji Y, Li X, Ji T, Tang J, Qiu L, Hu J, Dong J, Luo S, Liu S, Frandsen PB, Zhou X, Parey SH, Li L, Niu Q, Zhou X. Gene reuse facilitates rapid radiation and independent adaptation to diverse habitats in the Asian honeybee. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eabd3590. [PMID: 33355133 PMCID: PMC11206470 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd3590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Animals with recent shared ancestry frequently adapt in parallel to new but similar habitats, a process often underlined by repeated selection of the same genes. Yet, in contrast, few examples have demonstrated the significance of gene reuse in colonization of multiple disparate habitats. By analyzing 343 genomes of the widespread Asian honeybee, Apis cerana, we showed that multiple peripheral subspecies radiated from a central ancestral population and adapted independently to diverse habitats. We found strong evidence of gene reuse in the Leucokinin receptor (Lkr), which was repeatedly selected in almost all peripheral subspecies. Differential expression and RNA interference knockdown revealed the role of Lkr in influencing foraging labor division, suggesting that Lkr facilitates collective tendency for pollen/nectar collection as an adaptation to floral changes. Our results suggest that honeybees may accommodate diverse floral shifts during rapid radiation through fine-tuning individual foraging tendency, a seemingly complex process accomplished by gene reuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongkun Ji
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China
| | - Xingan Li
- Key Laboratory for Bee Genetics and Breeding, Jilin Provincial Institute of Apicultural Sciences, Jilin Province, 132108 People's Republic of China
| | - Ting Ji
- Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Province, 225009, People's Republic of China.
| | - Junbo Tang
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China
| | - Lifei Qiu
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiahui Hu
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiangxing Dong
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China
| | - Shiqi Luo
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China
| | - Shanlin Liu
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China
- BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao 266555, People's Republic of China
| | - Paul B Frandsen
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Xuguo Zhou
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA
| | - Sajad H Parey
- Department of Zoology, School of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Rajouri (Jammu and Kashmir) 185234, India
| | - Lianming Li
- Aba Apiary for Asian Honeybee Breeding, Maerkang, Sichuan Province, 624000, People's Republic of China
| | - Qingsheng Niu
- Key Laboratory for Bee Genetics and Breeding, Jilin Provincial Institute of Apicultural Sciences, Jilin Province, 132108 People's Republic of China.
| | - Xin Zhou
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China.
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Abstract
Individual differences in learning can influence how animals respond to and communicate about their environment, which may nonlinearly shape how a social group accomplishes a collective task. There are few empirical examples of how differences in collective dynamics emerge from variation among individuals in cognition. Here, we use a naturally variable and heritable learning behavior called latent inhibition (LI) to show that interactions among individuals that differ in this cognitive ability drive collective foraging behavior in honey bee colonies. We artificially selected two distinct phenotypes: high-LI bees that ignore previously familiar stimuli in favor of novel ones and low-LI bees that learn familiar and novel stimuli equally well. We then provided colonies differentially composed of different ratios of these phenotypes with a choice between familiar and novel feeders. Colonies of predominantly high-LI individuals preferred to visit familiar food locations, while low-LI colonies visited novel and familiar food locations equally. Interestingly, in colonies of mixed learning phenotypes, the low-LI individuals showed a preference to visiting familiar feeders, which contrasts with their behavior when in a uniform low-LI group. We show that the shift in feeder preference of low-LI bees is driven by foragers of the high-LI phenotype dancing more intensely and attracting more followers. Our results reveal that cognitive abilities of individuals and their social interactions, which we argue relate to differences in attention, drive emergent collective outcomes.
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Friedman DA, Johnson BR, Linksvayer TA. Distributed physiology and the molecular basis of social life in eusocial insects. Horm Behav 2020; 122:104757. [PMID: 32305342 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The traditional focus of physiological and functional genomic research is on molecular processes that play out within a single multicellular organism. In the colonial (eusocial) insects such as ants, bees, and termites, molecular and behavioral responses of interacting nestmates are tightly linked, and key physiological processes are regulated at the scale of the colony. Such colony-level physiological processes regulate nestmate physiology in a distributed fashion, through various social communication mechanisms. As a result of physiological decentralization over evolutionary time, organismal mechanisms, for example related to pheromone detection, hormone signaling, and neural signaling pathways, are deployed in novel contexts to influence nestmate and colony traits. Here we explore how functional genomic, physiological, and behavioral studies can benefit from considering the traits of eusocial insects in this light. We highlight functional genomic work exploring how nestmate-level and colony-level traits arise and are influenced by interactions among physiologically-specialized nestmates of various developmental stages. We also consider similarities and differences between nestmate-level (organismal) and colony-level (superorganismal) physiological processes, and make specific hypotheses regarding the physiology of eusocial taxa. Integrating theoretical models of distributed systems with empirical functional genomics approaches will be useful in addressing fundamental questions related to the evolution of eusociality and collective behavior in natural systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- D A Friedman
- University of California, Davis, Department of Entomology, Davis, CA 95616, United States of America.
| | - B R Johnson
- University of California, Davis, Department of Entomology, Davis, CA 95616, United States of America
| | - T A Linksvayer
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology, Pennsylvania, PA 19104, United States of America
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