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Di Noi A, Caliani I, D'Agostino A, Cai G, Romi M, Campani T, Ferrante F, Baracchi D, Casini S. Assessing the effects of a commercial fungicide and an herbicide, alone and in combination, on Apis mellifera: insights from biomarkers and cognitive analysis. Chemosphere 2024:142307. [PMID: 38734252 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Agrochemicals play a vital role in protecting crops and enhancing agricultural production by reducing threats from pests, pathogens and weeds. The toxicological status of honey bees can be influenced by a number of factors, including pesticides. While extensive research has focused on the lethal and sublethal effects of insecticides on individual bees and colonies, it is important to recognise that fungicides and herbicides can also affect bee health. Unfortunately, in the field, honey bees are exposed to mixtures of compounds rather than single substances. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a commercial fungicide and a commercial herbicide, both individually and in combination, on honey bees. Mortality assays, biomarkers and learning and memory tests were performed, and the results were integrated to assess the toxicological status of honey bees. Neurotoxicity (acetylcholinesterase and carboxylesterase activities), detoxification and metabolic processes (glutathione S-transferase and alkaline phosphatase activities), immune system function (lysozyme activity and haemocyte count) and genotoxicity biomarkers (nuclear abnormalities assay) were assessed. The fungicide Sakura® was found to activate detoxification enzymes and affect alkaline phosphatase activity. The herbicide Elegant 2FD and the combination of both pesticides showed neurotoxic effects and induced detoxification processes. Exposure to the herbicide/fungicide mixture impaired learning and memory in honey bees. This study represents a significant advance in the understanding of the toxicological effects of commonly used commercial pesticides in agriculture and contributes to the development of effective strategies to mitigate their adverse effects on non-target insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agata Di Noi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli, 4, Siena, 53100, Italy
| | - Ilaria Caliani
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli, 4, Siena, 53100, Italy.
| | - Antonella D'Agostino
- Department of Management and Quantitative Studies, University of Naples "Parthenope", via Generale Parisi, 13, 80132 Napoli, Italy
| | - Giampiero Cai
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli, 4, Siena, 53100, Italy
| | - Marco Romi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli, 4, Siena, 53100, Italy
| | - Tommaso Campani
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli, 4, Siena, 53100, Italy
| | - Federico Ferrante
- Department of Ecological and Biological Science, Tuscia University, Largo dell'Università s.n.c., 01100 6 Viterbo, Italy
| | - David Baracchi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
| | - Silvia Casini
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli, 4, Siena, 53100, Italy
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2
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Ferrante F, Pasquini E, Cappa F, Bellocchio L, Baracchi D. Unravelling the microplastic menace: different polymers additively increase bee vulnerability. Environ Pollut 2024:124087. [PMID: 38703977 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are growing and ubiquitous environmental pollutants and represent one of the greatest contemporary challenges caused by human activities. Current research has predominantly examined the singular toxicological effects of individual polymers, neglecting the prevailing reality of organisms confronted with complex contaminant mixtures and potential synergistic effects. To fill this research gap, we investigated the lethal and sublethal effects of two common MPs, polystyrene (PS - 4.8-5.8 μm) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA - 1-40 μm), and their combination (MIX), on the pollinating insect Apis mellifera. For each treatment, we evaluated the oral toxicity of two ecologically relevant and one higher concentration (0.5, 5 and 50 mg/L) and analysed their effects on the immune system and worker survival. As immune activation can alter the cuticular hydrocarbon profile of honey bees, we used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to investigate whether MPs lead to changes in the chemical profile of foragers and behavioural assay to test whether such changes affect behavioural patterns of social recognition, undermining overall colony integrity. The results indicate an additive negative effect of PS and PMMA on bee survival and immune response, even at ecologically relevant concentrations. Furthermore, alterations in cuticle profiles were observed with both MPs at the highest and intermediate concentrations, with PMMA being mainly responsible. Both MPs exposure resulted in a reduction in the abundance of several cuticular compounds. Hive entry guards did not show increased inspection or aggressive behaviour towards exposed foragers, allowing them to enter the colony without being treated differently from uncontaminated foragers. These findings raise concerns not only for the health of individual bees, but also for the entire colony, which could be at risk if contaminated nestmates enter the colony undetected, allowing MPs to spread throughout the hive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Ferrante
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy; Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Viterbo, Largo dell'Università, 01100, Viterbo
| | - Elisa Pasquini
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy; Center for Mind/Brain Science (CIMeC), University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Federico Cappa
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Bellocchio
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
| | - David Baracchi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy.
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3
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Pasquini E, Ferrante F, Passaponti L, Pavone FS, Costantini I, Baracchi D. Microplastics reach the brain and interfere with honey bee cognition. Sci Total Environ 2024; 912:169362. [PMID: 38128669 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Scientific research on the impact of microplastics (MPs) in terrestrial systems is still emerging, but it has confirmed adverse health effects in organisms exposed to plastics. Although recent studies have shown the toxicological effects of individual MPs polymers on honey bees, the effects of different polymer combinations on cognitive and behavioural performance remain unknown. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated the effects of oral exposure to spherical MPs on cognitive performance and brain accumulation in the honey bee Apis mellifera. We evaluated the acute toxicity, after a two-day exposure, of polystyrene (PS - 4.8-5.8 μm) and plexiglass (Poly(methyl methacrylate), or PMMA - 1-40 μm) MPs, and a combination of the two (MIX), at two environmentally relevant and one higher concentration (0.5, 5 and 50 mg L-1) and analysed their effects on sucrose responsiveness and appetitive olfactory learning and memory. We also used fluorescent thermoset amino formaldehyde MPs (1-5 μm) to explore whether microspheres of this diameter could penetrate the insect blood-brain barrier (BBB), using Two-Photon Fluorescence Microscopy (TPFM) in combination with an optimized version of the DISCO clearing technique. The results showed that PS reduced sucrose responsiveness, while PMMA had no significant effect; however, the combination had a marked negative effect on sucrose responsiveness. PMMA, PS, and MIX impaired bee learning and memory in bees, with PS showing the most severe effects. 3D brain imaging analysis using TFPM showed that 1-5 μm MPs penetrated and accumulated in the brain after only three days of oral exposure. These results raise concerns about the potential mechanical, cellular, and biochemical damage that MPs may cause to the central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Pasquini
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy; Center for Mind/Brain Science (CIMeC), University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Federico Ferrante
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy; Department of Ecological and Biological Science, Tuscia University, Largo dell'Università s.n.c., 01100 6 Viterbo, Italy
| | - Leonardo Passaponti
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
| | - Francesco Saverio Pavone
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy, Via N. Carrara 1, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Via G. Sansone 1, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, Italy
| | - Irene Costantini
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy; European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy, Via N. Carrara 1, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
| | - David Baracchi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy.
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4
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Cappa F, De Fazi L, Baracchi D, Cervo R. Adverse effects of the fungal biopesticide Beauveria bassiana on a predatory social wasp. Sci Total Environ 2024; 908:168202. [PMID: 37914122 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Biopesticides are considered eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic agrochemicals. However, their impact on non-target organisms is still poorly understood. Social wasps, in particular, are a largely neglected group when it comes to risk assessment of plant protection products, despite the relevant ecological and economic services provided by these insects. In the present study, we evaluated the impact of a common biopesticide, the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana, on the paper wasp Polistes dominula. We adopted a holistic approach in ecotoxicology by focusing not only on the detrimental effects on isolated individuals, but also on the whole colony. Both adult wasps belonging to different castes and immature larvae were topically exposed to a field-realistic concentration of fungal spores from the commercial strain of B. bassiana ATCC 74040 to assess the impact of the biopesticide on their survival, behavior and physiology. Our results showed that the fungus causes a number of adverse effects on P. dominula, that include increased mortality, altered locomotion and feeding rate, selective ejection of exposed larvae from nests, reduced oviposition rate and ovary development in foundresses, and colony failure. Our findings provide new insights on the often-neglected sublethal effects of pollutants that can jeopardize not only individual beneficial insects, but also the delicate social balance of their colonies and their valuable ecosystem services, highlighting that the natural origin of plant-protection products does not always guarantee environmental safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Cappa
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
| | - Livia De Fazi
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - David Baracchi
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Rita Cervo
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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5
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Di Paola M, Gori A, Stefanini I, Meriggi N, Renzi S, Nenciarini S, Cerasuolo B, Moriondo M, Romoli R, Pieraccini G, Baracchi D, Turillazzi F, Turillazzi S, Cavalieri D. Using wasps as a tool to restore a functioning vine grape mycobiota and preserve the mycobial "terroir". Sci Rep 2023; 13:16544. [PMID: 37783736 PMCID: PMC10545793 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43541-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In the last one-hundred years, the exponential expansion of wine making has artificialized the agricultural landscape as well as its microbial diversity, spreading human selected Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. Evidence showed that social wasps can harbor a significant fraction of the yeast phenotypic diversity of a given area of wine production, allowing different strains to overwinter and mate in their gut. The integrity of the wasp-yeast ecological interaction is of paramount importance to maintain the resilience of microbial populations associated to wine aromatic profiles. In a field experiment, we verified whether Polistes dominula wasps, reared in laboratory and fed with a traceable S. cerevisiae strain, could be a useful tool to drive the controlled yeast dispersion directly on grapes. The demonstration of the biotechnological potential of social insects in organic wine farming lays the foundations for multiple applications including maintenance of microbial biodiversity and rewilding vineyards through the introduction of wasp associated microbiomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Di Paola
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, via Madonna del Piano 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Florence, Italy
| | - Agnese Gori
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, via Madonna del Piano 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Florence, Italy
| | - Irene Stefanini
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Niccolò Meriggi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, via Madonna del Piano 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Florence, Italy
| | - Sonia Renzi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, via Madonna del Piano 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Florence, Italy
| | - Stefano Nenciarini
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, via Madonna del Piano 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Florence, Italy
| | - Benedetta Cerasuolo
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, via Madonna del Piano 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Florence, Italy
| | - Marco Moriondo
- National Research Council, Bioeconomy Institute, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Florence, Italy
| | - Riccardo Romoli
- Mass Spectrometry Centre (CISM), University of Florence, via U. Schiff, 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Florence, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Pieraccini
- Mass Spectrometry Centre (CISM), University of Florence, via U. Schiff, 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Florence, Italy
| | - David Baracchi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, via Madonna del Piano 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Florence, Italy
| | - Francesco Turillazzi
- LABREMMA-Laboratory for Medical Entomotherapy, Microbiology and Environment, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Florence, Italy
| | - Stefano Turillazzi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, via Madonna del Piano 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Florence, Italy
- LABREMMA-Laboratory for Medical Entomotherapy, Microbiology and Environment, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Florence, Italy
| | - Duccio Cavalieri
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, via Madonna del Piano 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Florence, Italy.
- LABREMMA-Laboratory for Medical Entomotherapy, Microbiology and Environment, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Florence, Italy.
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6
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Cappa F, Baracchi D, Cervo R. Biopesticides and insect pollinators: Detrimental effects, outdated guidelines, and future directions. Sci Total Environ 2022; 837:155714. [PMID: 35525339 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
As synthetic pesticides play a major role in pollinator decline worldwide, biopesticides have been gaining increased attention to develop more sustainable methods for pest management in agriculture. These biocontrol agents are usually considered as safe for non-target species, such as pollinators. Unfortunately, when it comes to non-target insects, only the acute or chronic effects on survival following exposure to biopesticides are tested. Although international boards have highlighted the need to include also behavioral and morphophysiological traits when assessing risks of plant protection products on pollinators, no substantial concerns have been raised about the risks associated with sublethal exposure to these substances. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the studies investigating the potential adverse effects of biopesticides on different taxa of pollinators (bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, and wasps). We highlight the fragmentary knowledge on this topic and the lack of a systematic investigation of these negative effects of biopesticides on insect pollinators. We show that all the major classes of biopesticides, besides their direct toxicity, can also cause a plethora of more subtle detrimental effects in both solitary and social species of pollinators. Although research in this field is growing, the current risk assesment approach does not suffice to properly assess all the potential side-effects that these agents of control may have on pollinating insects. Given the urgent need for a sustainable agriculture and wildlife protection, it appears compelling that these so far neglected detrimental effects should be thoroughly assessed before allegedly safe biopesticides can be used in the field and, in this view, we provide a perspective for future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Cappa
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
| | - David Baracchi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Rita Cervo
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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7
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Balzani P, Galeotti G, Scheggi S, Masoni A, Santini G, Baracchi D. Acute and chronic ingestion of polyethylene (PE) microplastics has mild effects on honey bee health and cognition. Environ Pollut 2022; 305:119318. [PMID: 35447255 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The massive use of plastic has contributed to huge quantities of hazardous refuse at a global scale and represents one of the most prominent issues of the Anthropocene. Microplastics (MPs) have been detected in almost all environments and pose a potential threat to a variety of plant and animal species. Many studies have reported a variety of effects, from negligible to detrimental, of MPs to aquatic organisms. Conversely, much less is known about their effect on terrestrial biota, and particularly on animal behavior and cognition. We assessed the oral toxicity of polyethylene (PE) MPs at three different concentrations (0.5, 5, and 50 mg L-1), and at different timescales (1 day and 7 days of exposure) and tested for their effects on survival, food intake, sucrose responsiveness, habituation to sucrose and appetitive olfactory learning and memory in the honey bee Apis mellifera. We found that workers were not completely unaffected by acute and prolonged ingestion of this polymer. A significant effect of PE on bee mortality was found for the highest concentration but not for lower ones. PE affected feeding behavior in a concentration-dependent manner, with bees consuming more food than controls when exposed to low concentration PE. Regarding our behavioral and cognitive experiments, the high concentration PE was found to affect only bees' ability to respond consistently to sucrose but not sucrose sensitivity, habituation to sucrose or learning and memory abilities, even for prolonged exposure to PE. While these last results may look somewhat encouraging, we discussed why caution is warranted before ruling out the possibility that PE particles at environmental concentrations are harmful to honey bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paride Balzani
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università delgi Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Zátiší 728/II, 389 25, Vodňany, Czech Republic
| | - Giorgia Galeotti
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università delgi Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Sara Scheggi
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università delgi Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Alberto Masoni
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università delgi Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Giacomo Santini
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università delgi Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - David Baracchi
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università delgi Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
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8
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Baciadonna L, Solvi C, del Vecchio F, Pilenga C, Baracchi D, Bandoli F, Isaja V, Gamba M, Favaro L. Vocal accommodation in penguins ( Spheniscus demersus) as a result of social environment. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220626. [PMID: 35858067 PMCID: PMC9277230 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to vary the characteristics of one's voice is a critical feature of human communication. Understanding whether and how animals change their calls will provide insights into the evolution of language. We asked to what extent the vocalizations of penguins, a phylogenetically distant species from those capable of explicit vocal learning, are flexible and responsive to their social environment. Using a principal components (PCs) analysis, we reduced 14 vocal parameters of penguin's contact calls to four PCs, each comprising highly correlated parameters and which can be categorized as fundamental frequency, formant frequency, frequency modulation, and amplitude modulation rate and duration. We compared how these differed between individuals with varying degrees of social interactions: same-colony versus different-colony, same colony over 3 years and partners versus non-partners. Our analyses indicate that the more penguins experience each other's calls, the more similar their calls become over time, that vocal convergence requires a long time and relative stability in colony membership, and that partners' unique social bond may affect vocal convergence differently than non-partners. Our results suggest that this implicit form of vocal plasticity is perhaps more widespread across the animal kingdom than previously thought and may be a fundamental capacity of vertebrate vocalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Baciadonna
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Cwyn Solvi
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Flavia del Vecchio
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | | | - David Baracchi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
| | | | | | - Marco Gamba
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Livio Favaro
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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9
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Gandia KM, Cappa F, Baracchi D, Hauber ME, Beani L, Uy FMK. Caste, Sex, and Parasitism Influence Brain Plasticity in a Social Wasp. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.803437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain plasticity is widespread in nature, as it enables adaptive responses to sensory demands associated with novel stimuli, environmental changes and social conditions. Social Hymenoptera are particularly well-suited to study neuroplasticity, because the division of labor amongst females and the different life histories of males and females are associated with specific sensory needs. Here, we take advantage of the social wasp Polistes dominula to explore if brain plasticity is influenced by caste and sex, and the exploitation by the strepsipteran parasite Xenos vesparum. Within sexes, male wasps had proportionally larger optic lobes, while females had larger antennal lobes, which is consistent with the sensory needs of sex-specific life histories. Within castes, reproductive females had larger mushroom body calyces, as predicted by their sensory needs for extensive within-colony interactions and winter aggregations, than workers who frequently forage for nest material and prey. Parasites had different effects on female and male hosts. Contrary to our predictions, female workers were castrated and behaviorally manipulated by female or male parasites, but only showed moderate differences in brain tissue allocation compared to non-parasitized workers. Parasitized males maintained their reproductive apparatus and sexual behavior. However, they had smaller brains and larger sensory brain regions than non-parasitized males. Our findings confirm that caste and sex mediate brain plasticity in P. dominula, and that parasitic manipulation drives differential allocation of brain regions depending on host sex.
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10
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Finke V, Baracchi D, Giurfa M, Scheiner R, Avarguès-Weber A. Evidence of cognitive specialization in an insect: proficiency is maintained across elemental and higher-order visual learning but not between sensory modalities in honey bees. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:273769. [PMID: 34664669 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Individuals differing in their cognitive abilities and foraging strategies may confer a valuable benefit to their social groups as variability may help responding flexibly in scenarios with different resource availability. Individual learning proficiency may either be absolute or vary with the complexity or the nature of the problem considered. Determining if learning abilities correlate between tasks of different complexity or between sensory modalities has a high interest for research on brain modularity and task-dependent specialisation of neural circuits. The honeybee Apis mellifera constitutes an attractive model to address this question due to its capacity to successfully learn a large range of tasks in various sensory domains. Here we studied whether the performance of individual bees in a simple visual discrimination task (a discrimination between two visual shapes) is stable over time and correlates with their capacity to solve either a higher-order visual task (a conceptual discrimination based on spatial relations between objects) or an elemental olfactory task (a discrimination between two odorants). We found that individual learning proficiency within a given task was maintained over time and that some individuals performed consistently better than others within the visual modality, thus showing consistent aptitude across visual tasks of different complexity. By contrast, performance in the elemental visual-learning task did not predict performance in the equivalent elemental olfactory task. Overall, our results suggest the existence of cognitive specialisation within the hive, which may contribute to ecological social success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Finke
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse; CNRS, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France.,Biozentrum, Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - David Baracchi
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse; CNRS, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France.,Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse; CNRS, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France.,Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | - Ricarda Scheiner
- Biozentrum, Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Aurore Avarguès-Weber
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse; CNRS, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
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11
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Baracchi D, Giurfa M, d'Ettorre P. Formic acid modulates latency and accuracy of nestmate recognition in carpenter ants. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:272354. [PMID: 34605911 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Decision-making processes face the dilemma of being accurate or faster, a phenomenon that has been described as speed-accuracy trade-off in numerous studies on animal behaviour. In social insects, discriminating between colony members and aliens is subject to this trade-off as rapid and accurate rejection of enemies is of primary importance for the maintenance and ecological success of insect societies. Recognition cues distinguishing aliens from nestmates are embedded in the cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) layer and vary among colonies. In walking carpenter ants, exposure to formic acid (FA), an alarm pheromone, improves the accuracy of nestmate recognition by decreasing both alien acceptance and nestmate rejection. Here, we studied the effect of FA exposure on the spontaneous aggressive mandible opening response (MOR) of harnessed Camponotus aethiops ants presented with either nestmate or alien CHCs. FA modulated both MOR accuracy and the latency to respond to odours of conspecifics. In particular, FA decreased the MOR towards nestmates but increased it towards aliens. Furthermore, FA decreased MOR latency towards aliens but not towards nestmates. As response latency can be used as a proxy of response speed, we conclude that contrary to the prediction of the speed-accuracy trade-off theory, ants did not trade off speed against accuracy in the process of nestmate recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, F-31062 Toulouse, France.,Department of Biology, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, F-31062 Toulouse, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 75231 Paris, France
| | - Patrizia d'Ettorre
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 75231 Paris, France.,Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology, University Sorbonne Paris Nord, 93430 Villetaneuse, France
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12
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Carlesso D, Smargiassi S, Sassoli L, Cappa F, Cervo R, Baracchi D. Exposure to a biopesticide interferes with sucrose responsiveness and learning in honey bees. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19929. [PMID: 33199794 PMCID: PMC7670424 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76852-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana is a widely used biopesticide that is considered as an effective alternative to classical agrochemicals. B. bassiana is thought to be safe for pollinators although little is known about its side-effects on pollinators' behaviour and cognition. Here, we focused on honey bees and used the proboscis extension response (PER) protocol to assess whether B. bassiana affects individual sucrose responsiveness, non-associative and associative olfactory learning and memory. Fungus-treated bees displayed an enhanced sucrose responsiveness, which could not be explained by metabolic alterations. Strikingly, exposed bees were twice as inconsistent as controls in response to sucrose, showing PER to lower but not to higher sucrose concentrations. Exposed bees habituated less to sucrose and had a better acquisition performance in the conditioning phase than controls. Further, neither mid- nor long-term memory were affected by the fungus. As sucrose responsiveness is the main determinant of division of foraging labour, these changes might unsettle the numerical ratio between the sub-castes of foragers leading to suboptimal foraging. Although the use of biocontrol strategies should be preferred over chemical pesticides, careful assessment of their side-effects is crucial before claiming that they are safe for pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Carlesso
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.,Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Stefania Smargiassi
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Lara Sassoli
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Federico Cappa
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Rita Cervo
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - David Baracchi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
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13
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Baracchi D, Cabirol A, Devaud JM, Haase A, d'Ettorre P, Giurfa M. Pheromone components affect motivation and induce persistent modulation of associative learning and memory in honey bees. Commun Biol 2020; 3:447. [PMID: 32807870 PMCID: PMC7431541 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01183-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Since their discovery in insects, pheromones are considered as ubiquitous and stereotyped chemical messengers acting in intraspecific animal communication. Here we studied the effect of pheromones in a different context as we investigated their capacity to induce persistent modulations of associative learning and memory. We used honey bees, Apis mellifera, and combined olfactory conditioning and pheromone preexposure with disruption of neural activity and two-photon imaging of olfactory brain circuits, to characterize the effect of pheromones on olfactory learning and memory. Geraniol, an attractive pheromone component, and 2-heptanone, an aversive pheromone, improved and impaired, respectively, olfactory learning and memory via a durable modulation of appetitive motivation, which left odor processing unaffected. Consistently, interfering with aminergic circuits mediating appetitive motivation rescued or diminished the cognitive effects induced by pheromone components. We thus show that these chemical messengers act as important modulators of motivational processes and influence thereby animal cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062, Toulouse, Cedex 09, France.
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
| | - Amélie Cabirol
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Piazza Manifattura 1, I-38068, Rovereto, Italy
| | - 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
| | - Albrecht Haase
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Piazza Manifattura 1, I-38068, Rovereto, Italy
- Department of Physics, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 14, I-38123, Povo, Italy
| | - Patrizia d'Ettorre
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062, Toulouse, Cedex 09, France
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology, University of Paris 13, F-93430, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, 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.
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Toulouse, France.
- College of Animal Science (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
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14
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15
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, 50019, Italy
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16
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Rossi N, Baracchi D, Giurfa M, d'Ettorre P. Pheromone-Induced Accuracy of Nestmate Recognition in Carpenter Ants: Simultaneous Decrease in Type I and Type II Errors. Am Nat 2018; 193:267-278. [PMID: 30720368 DOI: 10.1086/701123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The ecological and evolutionary success of social insects relies on their ability to efficiently discriminate between group members and aliens. Nestmate recognition occurs by phenotype matching, the comparison of the referent (colony) phenotype to the one of an encountered individual. Based on the level of dissimilarity between the two, the discriminator accepts or rejects the target. The tolerated degree of mismatch is predicted by the acceptance threshold model, which assumes adaptive threshold shifts depending on the costs of discrimination errors. Inherent in the model is that rejection (type I) and acceptance (type II) errors are reciprocally related: if one type decreases, the other increases. We studied whether alarm pheromones modulate the acceptance threshold. We exposed Camponotus aethiops ants to formic acid and subsequently measured aggression toward nestmates and nonnestmates. Formic acid induced both more nonnestmate rejection and more nestmate acceptance than a control treatment, thus uncovering an unexpected effect of an alarm pheromone on responses to nestmates. Nestmate discrimination accuracy was improved via a decrease in both types of errors, a result that cannot be explained by a shift in the acceptance threshold. We propose that formic acid increases the amount of information available to the ants, thus decreasing the perceived phenotypic overlap between nestmate and nonnestmate recognition cues. This mechanism for improved discrimination reveals a novel function of alarm pheromones in recognition processes and may have far-reaching implications in our understanding of the modus operandi of recognition systems in general.
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17
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Avarguès-Weber A, d'Amaro D, Metzler M, Finke V, Baracchi D, Dyer AG. Does Holistic Processing Require a Large Brain? Insights From Honeybees and Wasps in Fine Visual Recognition Tasks. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1313. [PMID: 30108535 PMCID: PMC6079261 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The expertise of humans for recognizing faces is largely based on holistic processing mechanism, a sophisticated cognitive process that develops with visual experience. The various visual features of a face are thus glued together and treated by the brain as a unique stimulus, facilitating robust recognition. Holistic processing is known to facilitate fine discrimination of highly similar visual stimuli, and involves specialized brain areas in humans and other primates. Although holistic processing is most typically employed with face stimuli, subjects can also learn to apply similar image analysis mechanisms when gaining expertise in discriminating novel visual objects, like becoming experts in recognizing birds or cars. Here, we ask if holistic processing with expertise might be a mechanism employed by the comparatively miniature brains of insects. We thus test whether honeybees (Apis mellifera) and/or wasps (Vespula vulgaris) can use holistic-like processing with experience to recognize images of human faces, or Navon-like parameterized-stimuli. These insect species are excellent visual learners and have previously shown ability to discriminate human face stimuli using configural type processing. Freely flying bees and wasps were consequently confronted with classical tests for holistic processing, the part-whole effect and the composite-face effect. Both species could learn similar faces from a standard face recognition test used for humans, and their performance in transfer tests was consistent with holistic processing as defined for studies on humans. Tests with parameterized stimuli also revealed a capacity of honeybees, but not wasps, to process complex visual information in a holistic way, suggesting that such sophisticated visual processing may be far more spread within the animal kingdom than previously thought, although may depend on ecological constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurore Avarguès-Weber
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Daniele d'Amaro
- Institut für Zoologie III (Neurobiologie), Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Marita Metzler
- Department of Anatomy II, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Valerie Finke
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - David Baracchi
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Adrian G Dyer
- School of Media and Communication, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
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18
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Baracchi D, Rigosi E, de Brito Sanchez G, Giurfa M. Lateralization of Sucrose Responsiveness and Non-associative Learning in Honeybees. Front Psychol 2018; 9:425. [PMID: 29643828 PMCID: PMC5883546 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Lateralization is a fundamental property of the human brain that affects perceptual, motor, and cognitive processes. It is now acknowledged that left–right laterality is widespread across vertebrates and even some invertebrates such as fruit flies and bees. Honeybees, which learn to associate an odorant (the conditioned stimulus, CS) with sucrose solution (the unconditioned stimulus, US), recall this association better when trained using their right antenna than they do when using their left antenna. Correspondingly, olfactory sensilla are more abundant on the right antenna and odor encoding by projection neurons of the right antennal lobe results in better odor differentiation than those of the left one. Thus, lateralization arises from asymmetries both in the peripheral and central olfactory system, responsible for detecting the CS. Here, we focused on the US component and studied if lateralization exists in the gustatory system of Apis mellifera. We investigated whether sucrose sensitivity is lateralized both at the level of the antennae and the fore-tarsi in two independent groups of bees. Sucrose sensitivity was assessed by presenting bees with a series of increasing concentrations of sucrose solution delivered either to the left or the right antenna/tarsus and measuring the proboscis extension response to these stimuli. Bees experienced two series of stimulations, one on the left and the other on the right antenna/tarsus. We found that tarsal responsiveness was similar on both sides and that the order of testing affects sucrose responsiveness. On the contrary, antennal responsiveness to sucrose was higher on the right than on the left side, and this effect was independent of the order of antennal stimulation. Given this asymmetry, we also investigated antennal lateralization of habituation to sucrose. We found that the right antenna was more resistant to habituation, which is consistent with its higher sucrose sensitivity. Our results reveal that the gustatory system presents a peripheral lateralization that affects stimulus detection and non-associative learning. Contrary to the olfactory system, which is organized in two distinct brain hemispheres, gustatory receptor neurons converge into a single central region termed the subesophagic zone (SEZ). Whether the SEZ presents lateralized gustatory processing remains to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Elisa Rigosi
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Gabriela de Brito Sanchez
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
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19
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20
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Abstract
While our conceptual understanding of emotions is largely based on human subjective experiences, research in comparative cognition has shown growing interest in the existence and identification of "emotion-like" states in non-human animals. There is still ongoing debate about the nature of emotions in animals (especially invertebrates), and certainly their existence and the existence of certain expressive behaviors displaying internal emotional states raise a number of exciting and challenging questions. Interestingly, at least superficially, insects (bees and flies) seem to fulfill the basic requirements of emotional behavior. Yet, recent works go a step further by adopting terminologies and interpretational frameworks that could have been considered as crude anthropocentrism and that now seem acceptable in the scientific literature on invertebrate behavior and cognition. This change in paradigm requires, therefore, that the question of emotions in invertebrates is reconsidered from a cautious perspective and with parsimonious explanations. Here we review and discuss this controversial topic based on the recent finding that bumblebees experience positive emotions while experiencing unexpected sucrose rewards, but also incorporating a broader survey of recent literature in which similar claims have been done for other invertebrates. We maintain that caution is warranted before attributing emotion-like states to honey bees and bumble bees as some experimental caveats may undermine definitive conclusions. We suggest that interpreting many of these findings in terms of motivational drives may be less anthropocentrically biased and more cautious, at least until more careful experiments warrant the use of an emotion-related terminology.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University of ToulouseToulouse, France.,Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13Paris, France
| | - Mathieu Lihoreau
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University of ToulouseToulouse, France
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University of ToulouseToulouse, France
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21
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Baracchi D, Marples A, Jenkins AJ, Leitch AR, Chittka L. Nicotine in floral nectar pharmacologically influences bumblebee learning of floral features. Sci Rep 2017; 7:1951. [PMID: 28512323 PMCID: PMC5434031 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01980-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Many plants defend themselves against herbivores by chemical deterrents in their tissues and the presence of such substances in floral nectar means that pollinators often encounter them when foraging. The effect of such substances on the foraging behaviour of pollinators is poorly understood. Using artificial flowers in tightly-controlled laboratory settings, we examined the effects of the alkaloid nicotine on bumblebee foraging performance. We found that bumblebees confronted simultaneously with two equally rewarded nicotine-containing and nicotine-free flower types are deterred only by unnaturally high nicotine concentrations. This deterrence disappears or even turns into attraction at lower nectar-relevant concentrations. The alkaloid has profound effects on learning in a dose-dependent manner. At a high natural dose, bees learn the colour of a nicotine-containing flower type more swiftly than a flower type with the same caloric value but without nicotine. Furthermore, after experiencing flowers containing nicotine in any tested concentration, increasing numbers of bumblebees stay more faithful to these flowers, even if they become a suboptimal choice in terms of reward. These results demonstrate that alkaloids enhance pollinator flower constancy, opening new perspectives in co-evolutionary process between plants and pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Baracchi
- Queen Mary University of London, Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK.
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062, Toulouse cedex 09, France.
| | - A Marples
- University College London, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Faculty of Life Sciences, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - A J Jenkins
- Queen Mary University of London, Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - A R Leitch
- Queen Mary University of London, Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - L Chittka
- Queen Mary University of London, Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
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22
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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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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23
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Baracchi D, Turillazzi S, Chittka L. Facial patterns in a tropical social wasp correlate with colony membership. Naturwissenschaften 2016; 103:80. [PMID: 27639728 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-016-1406-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Revised: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 09/09/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Social insects excel in discriminating nestmates from intruders, typically relying on colony odours. Remarkably, some wasp species achieve such discrimination using visual information. However, while it is universally accepted that odours mediate a group level recognition, the ability to recognise colony members visually has been considered possible only via individual recognition by which wasps discriminate 'friends' and 'foes'. Using geometric morphometric analysis, which is a technique based on a rigorous statistical theory of shape allowing quantitative multivariate analyses on structure shapes, we first quantified facial marking variation of Liostenogaster flavolineata wasps. We then compared this facial variation with that of chemical profiles (generated by cuticular hydrocarbons) within and between colonies. Principal component analysis and discriminant analysis applied to sets of variables containing pure shape information showed that despite appreciable intra-colony variation, the faces of females belonging to the same colony resemble one another more than those of outsiders. This colony-specific variation in facial patterns was on a par with that observed for odours. While the occurrence of face discrimination at the colony level remains to be tested by behavioural experiments, overall our results suggest that, in this species, wasp faces display adequate information that might be potentially perceived and used by wasps for colony level recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, 93430, Villetaneuse, France. .,Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK.
| | - Stefano Turillazzi
- Università degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Biologia, Via Madonna del Piano 6, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Lars Chittka
- Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
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24
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Baracchi D, Petrocelli I, Chittka L, Ricciardi G, Turillazzi S. Speed and accuracy in nest-mate recognition: a hover wasp prioritizes face recognition over colony odour cues to minimize intrusion by outsiders. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 282:rspb.2014.2750. [PMID: 25652836 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.2750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Social insects have evolved sophisticated recognition systems enabling them to accept nest-mates but reject alien conspecifics. In the social wasp, Liostenogaster flavolineata (Stenogastrinae), individuals differ in their cuticular hydrocarbon profiles according to colony membership; each female also possesses a unique (visual) facial pattern. This species represents a unique model to understand how vision and olfaction are integrated and the extent to which wasps prioritize one channel over the other to discriminate aliens and nest-mates. Liostenogaster flavolineata females are able to discriminate between alien and nest-mate females using facial patterns or chemical cues in isolation. However, the two sensory modalities are not equally efficient in the discrimination of 'friend' from 'foe'. Visual cues induce an increased number of erroneous attacks on nest-mates (false alarms), but such attacks are quickly aborted and never result in serious injury. Odour cues, presented in isolation, result in an increased number of misses: erroneous acceptances of outsiders. Interestingly, wasps take the relative efficiencies of the two sensory modalities into account when making rapid decisions about colony membership of an individual: chemical profiles are entirely ignored when the visual and chemical stimuli are presented together. Thus, wasps adopt a strategy to 'err on the safe side' by memorizing individual faces to recognize colony members, and disregarding odour cues to minimize the risk of intrusion from colony outsiders.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Baracchi
- Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, Sesto Fiorentino 650019, Italy
| | - I Petrocelli
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, Sesto Fiorentino 650019, Italy
| | - L Chittka
- Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - G Ricciardi
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, Sesto Fiorentino 650019, Italy
| | - S Turillazzi
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, Sesto Fiorentino 650019, Italy
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25
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Abstract
The presence of antimicrobial secondary metabolites in nectar suggests that pollinators, which are threatened globally by emergent disease, may benefit from the consumption of nectars rich in these metabolites. We tested whether nicotine, a nectar secondary metabolite common in Solenaceae and Tilia species, is used by parasitized bumblebees as a source of self-medication , using a series of toxicological, microbiological and behavioural experiments. Caged bees infected with Crithidia bombi [TI1] had a slight preference for sucrose solution laced with the alkaloid and behavioural tests showed that the parasite infection induced an increased consumption of nicotine during foraging activity. When ingested, nicotine delayed the progression of a gut infection in bumblebees by a few days, but dietary nicotine did not clear the infection, and after 10 days the parasite load approached that of control bees. Moreover, when pathogens were exposed to the alkaloid prior to host ingestion the protozoan's viability was not directly affected, suggesting that anti-parasite effects were relatively weak. Nicotine consumption in a single dose did not impose any cost even in food-stressed bees (starved) but the alkaloid had detrimental effects on healthy bees if consistently consumed for weeks. These toxic effects disappeared in infected bees suggesting that detoxification costs might have been counterbalanced by the advantages in slowing the progression of the infection. Nonetheless we did not find a benefit of nicotine consumption in terms of life expectancy of infected bees, making these findings difficult to interpret. Our results indicate that caution is warranted in interpreting impacts of plant metabolites on insect parasites and suggest that the conditions under which nicotine consumption provides benefits to either bees or plants remain to be identified. The contention that secondary metabolites in nectar may be under selection from pollinators, or used by plants to enhance their own reproductive success, remains to be confirmed.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Mark J. F. Brown
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Lars Chittka
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
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Abstract
The presence of antimicrobial secondary metabolites in nectar suggests that pollinators, which are threatened globally by emergent disease, may benefit from the consumption of nectars rich in these metabolites. We tested whether nicotine, a nectar secondary metabolite common in Solanaceae and Tilia species, is used by parasitized bumblebees as a source of self-medication , using a series of toxicological, microbiological and behavioural experiments. Caged bees infected with Crithidia bombi had a slight preference for sucrose solution laced with the alkaloid and behavioural tests showed that the parasite infection induced an increased consumption of nicotine during foraging activity, though nicotine had an appetite-reducing effect overall. When ingested, nicotine delayed the progression of a gut infection in bumblebees by a few days, but dietary nicotine did not clear the infection, and after 10 days the parasite load approached that of control bees. Moreover, when pathogens were exposed to the alkaloid prior to host ingestion, the protozoan's viability was not directly affected, suggesting that anti-parasite effects were relatively weak. Nicotine consumption in a single dose did not impose any cost even in starved bees but the alkaloid had detrimental effects on healthy bees if consistently consumed for weeks. These toxic effects disappeared in infected bees, suggesting that detoxification costs might have been counterbalanced by the advantages in slowing the progression of the infection. Nicotine consumption did not affect bee lifespan but the reduction in the parasite load may have other likely unexplored subtle benefits both for individual bees and their colony. Potential evidence for self-medication is discussed. The contention that secondary metabolites in nectar may be under selection from pollinators, or used by plants to enhance their own reproductive success, remains to be confirmed.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Mark J. F. Brown
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Lars Chittka
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
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Abstract
The presence of antimicrobial secondary metabolites in nectar suggests that pollinators, which are threatened globally by emergent disease, may benefit from the consumption of nectars rich in these metabolites. We tested whether nicotine, a nectar secondary metabolite common in Solanaceae and Tilia species, is used by parasitized bumblebees as a source of self-medication , using a series of toxicological, microbiological and behavioural experiments. Caged bees infected with Crithidia bombi had a slight preference for sucrose solution laced with the alkaloid and behavioural tests showed that the parasite infection induced an increased consumption of nicotine during foraging activity, though nicotine had an appetite-reducing effect overall. When ingested, nicotine delayed the progression of a gut infection in bumblebees by a few days, but dietary nicotine did not clear the infection, and after 10 days the parasite load approached that of control bees. Moreover, when pathogens were exposed to the alkaloid prior to host ingestion, the protozoan's viability was not directly affected, suggesting that anti-parasite effects were relatively weak. Nicotine consumption in a single dose did not impose any cost even in starved bees but the alkaloid had detrimental effects on healthy bees if consistently consumed for weeks. These toxic effects disappeared in infected bees, suggesting that detoxification costs might have been counterbalanced by the advantages in slowing the progression of the infection. Nicotine consumption did not affect bee lifespan but the reduction in the parasite load may have other likely unexplored subtle benefits both for individual bees and their colony. Potential evidence for self-medication is discussed. The contention that secondary metabolites in nectar may be under selection from pollinators, or used by plants to enhance their own reproductive success, remains to be confirmed.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Mark J. F. Brown
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Lars Chittka
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Research Centre for Psychology; School of Biological and Chemical Sciences; Queen Mary University of London; London UK
| | - Alessandro Cini
- Laboratoire Écologie & Évolution UMR 7625; Université Pierre et Marie Curie; Paris France
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Baracchi D, Mazza G, Michelucci E, Pieraccini G, Turillazzi S, Moneti G. Top-down sequencing of Apis dorsata apamin by MALDI-TOF MS and evidence of its inactivity against microorganisms. Toxicon 2013; 71:105-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2013.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2013] [Revised: 05/18/2013] [Accepted: 05/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Baracchi D, Mazza G, Cini A, Petrocelli I, Bin Hashim R, Turillazzi S. Social biology ofParischnogaster striatula(Hymenoptera: Stenogastrinae). Tropical Zoology 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/03946975.2013.808005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Dapporto L, Baracchi D, Benassai D, Capretti P, Roversi PF, Turillazzi S. Major changes in the sex differences in cuticular chemical profiles of the western conifer seed bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis) after laboratory rearing. J Insect Physiol 2013; 59:738-44. [PMID: 23602828 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2013.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2012] [Revised: 03/27/2013] [Accepted: 03/29/2013] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Chemical compounds covering the insect cuticle have several functions ranging from protection against water loss to inter- and intra-specific communication. Their composition is determined by several intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Among these factors, laboratory rearing has been poorly investigated even though it has a strong potential for biasing behavioral experiments. We selected an invasive species with unknown cuticular mixtures as a model. Our aim was to describe its mixtures and to determine if highly simplified laboratory rearing conditions interact with sexual signatures. We analyzed the cuticle by means of two different techniques - gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) - to obtain data on a wide range of compounds with different molecular weight. We found that both sets of chemicals showed correlations with gender but also that cuticular waxes detected by GC/MS were highly dependent on rearing conditions, with a strong bias in sexual dimorphism. Conversely, the heavier signatures detected by MALDI-TOF showed a less clear diversification between sexes, although the discrimination power was unaffected by rearing conditions. The biological and practical implications of our findings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Dapporto
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Agrarie, Sezione di Protezione delle Piante, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze, Italy.
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Baracchi D, Fadda A, Turillazzi S. Evidence for antiseptic behaviour towards sick adult bees in honey bee colonies. J Insect Physiol 2012; 58:1589-1596. [PMID: 23068993 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2012.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2012] [Revised: 09/26/2012] [Accepted: 09/27/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Social life is generally associated with an increased risk of disease transmission, but at the same time it allows behavioural defence at both the individual and collective level. Bees infected with deformed-wing virus were introduced into observation hives; through behavioural observations and chemical analysis of cuticular hydrocarbons from healthy and infected bees, we offer the first evidence that honeybee colonies can detect and remove infected adult bees, probably by recognising the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of sick individuals. We also found that health-compromised colonies were less efficient at defending themselves against infected bees, thus facing an ever increasing risk of epidemics. This work reveals a new antiseptic behaviour that can only be interpreted as an adaptation at colony level and one which should be considered an element of the social immunity system of the beehive, re-enforcing the view of a colony as an integrated organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Università degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Biologia Evoluzionistica Leo Pardi, Via Romana 17, 50125 Firenze, Italy.
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Baracchi D, Mazza G, Turillazzi S. From individual to collective immunity: the role of the venom as antimicrobial agent in the Stenogastrinae wasp societies. J Insect Physiol 2012; 58:188-193. [PMID: 22108024 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2011.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2011] [Revised: 11/04/2011] [Accepted: 11/08/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Sociality is associated with an increased risk of disease transmission and one of the first defense of the insect colonies is represented by antimicrobial secretions. In many eusocial hymenopteran species venom glands represent one of the most important source of antimicrobial substances. It is known that in highly eusocial species the venom is spread on both the cuticle of insects and the comb, thus becoming a component of the so called "social immunity". So far, it is never been ascertained whether this phenomenon is also present in more primitively eusocial and incipiently eusocial groups. Using incipiently eusocial hover wasps as model, we demonstrate that venom is present on insect cuticles and that it strongly acts against microorganisms. By contrast, the nest, regardless of materials, does not represent a ''medium" where the venom is deposited by wasps in order to act as a social antiseptic weapon. Our findings discussed in an evolutionary perspective indicate that a certain degree of sociality or a sufficient number of individuals in an insect society are thresholds to be reached for the rise of complex and efficient forms of collective and social immunity as mechanisms of resistance to diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Università degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Biologia Evoluzionistica Leo Pardi, Via Romana 17, 50125 Firenze, Italy.
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Baracchi D, Francese S, Turillazzi S. Beyond the antipredatory defence: Honey bee venom function as a component of social immunity. Toxicon 2011; 58:550-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2011.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2011] [Revised: 08/29/2011] [Accepted: 08/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Baracchi D, Dapporto L, Turillazzi S. Relevance of wing morphology in distinguishing and classifying genera and species of Stenogastrinae wasps. CTOZ 2011. [DOI: 10.1163/18759866-08003003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The phylogeny of the Stenogastrinae wasps is still under discussion and their systematic incomplete. In the present work we used geometric morphometrics, a technique based on a rigorous statistical assessment of shape, to compare the forewings of fifteen species of Stenogastrinae wasps belonging to four different genera to ascertain whether this approach may be used as a reliable method in the study of the taxonomy of the group. The results show that the wing vein junctions can be diagnostic for both genus and species identification. For the first time in this subfamily, we propose a phylogenetic classification of the species based on wing morphology that largely agrees with the cladistic data available at genus level and reflects the differences among species in terms of nesting material and architecture of their nest.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- 1 Università degli Studi di Firenze Dipartimento di Biologia Evoluzionistica ‘Leo Pardi’ Via Romana 17 50125 Firenze Italy
- 2 E-mail:
| | - Leonardo Dapporto
- 1 Università degli Studi di Firenze Dipartimento di Biologia Evoluzionistica ‘Leo Pardi’ Via Romana 17 50125 Firenze Italy
| | - Stefano Turillazzi
- 1 Università degli Studi di Firenze Dipartimento di Biologia Evoluzionistica ‘Leo Pardi’ Via Romana 17 50125 Firenze Italy
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Baracchi D, Cusseau G, Pradella D, Turillazzi S. Defence reactions ofApis mellifera ligusticaagainst attacks from the European hornetVespa crabro. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2010. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2010.502323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Baracchi D, Dapporto L, Teseo S, Hashim R, Turillazzi S. Medium molecular weight polar substances of the cuticle as tools in the study of the taxonomy, systematics and chemical ecology of tropical hover wasps (Hymenoptera: Stenogastrinae). J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0469.2009.00543.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Baracchi D, Turillazzi S. Differences in venom and cuticular peptides in individuals of Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) determined by MALDI-TOF MS. J Insect Physiol 2010; 56:366-75. [PMID: 19932113 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2009.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2009] [Revised: 11/16/2009] [Accepted: 11/16/2009] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The fraction between 950 and 4000Da of the venom of Apis mellifera has been analyzed with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and statistical facilities of the ClinProTools software. Consistent differences in the composition of this venom fraction were observed between queens and workers while younger and older workers (nurses and guards as well as foragers) differ for the relative percentages of two well known cytolytic peptides, namely Melittin and Apamin. Total in situ body methanol extracts and methanol micro-extractions on the cuticle of various parts of the body of drones and females confirmed that venom peptides are smeared on the body surface of females in a not yet clarified way. The observation that venom peptides have been found also on comb wax rises the hypothesis that the use of venom as antimicrobial agent makes part of the social immunity system of A. mellifera.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Dipartimento di Biologia Evoluzionistica Leo Pardi, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Romana 17, 50125 Firenze, Italy.
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Baracchi D, Zaccaroni M, Cervo R, Turillazzi S. Home Range Analysis in the Study of Spatial Organization on the Comb in the Paper Wasp Polistes Dominulus. Ethology 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2010.01770.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Turillazzi S, Fanelli D, Theodora P, Lambardi D, Ortolani I, Hashim R, Baracchi D. Determinants of immature brood and nest recognition in a stenogastrine wasp (Hymenoptera Vespidae). ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2008. [DOI: 10.1080/08927014.2008.9522540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Pezzoli M, Baracchi D, Zoccola GC. [Evaluation of pressure indicators for the adjustment of the metallic framework]. Minerva Stomatol 1984; 33:849-52. [PMID: 6394988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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Pezzoli M, Zoccola GC, Baracchi D. [Evaluation of indicators of the pressure of the prosthesis base in partial dentures]. Minerva Stomatol 1983; 32:891-896. [PMID: 6366507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
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