scholarly journals Suitability of drone olfactory sensitivity as a selection trait for Varroa-resistance in honeybees

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivelina Ivanova ◽  
Kaspar Bienefeld

AbstractThe most effective strategy against brood diseases, such as those stemming from infestation by the mite Varroa destructor, is the early detection and removal of sick brood. Recent findings suggest that genes associated with worker bee olfactory perception play a central role in Varroa-sensitive hygiene (VSH). In this study, the odour sensitivity of Apis mellifera drones was examined through proboscis extension response (PER) conditioning. Individuals sensitive/insensitive to the two Varroa-parasitised-brood odours (extract-low and extract-high) were used for breeding. Twenty-one queens from a VSH-selected line (SelQ) and nineteen queens from a nonselected line (ConQ) were single-drone-inseminated with sperm from drones that showed either sensitivity (SenD+) or insensitivity (SenD−) to the two extracts. Individual VSH behaviour in a total of 5072 offspring of these combinations (SelQ × SenD+, SelQ× SenD−, ConQ × SenD+, ConQ × SenD−) was subsequently observed in a specially designed observation unit with infrared light. The results from the video observation were also separately examined, considering the genetic origin (VSH-selected or nonselected line) of the participating queens and drones. While the drone PER conditioning results were not significantly reflected in the VSH results of the respective offspring, the genetic origin of the participating queens/drones was crucial for VSH manifestation.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivelina Ivanova ◽  
Kaspar Bienefeld

Abstract The most effective strategy against brood diseases, such as infestation by the mite Varroa destructor, is the early detection and removal of sick brood. Recent findings suggest that genes associated with worker bees' olfactory perception play a central role in Varroa-sensitive hygiene (VSH). In the following approach, Apis mellifera drones' odour sensitivity was examined through a standardised Proboscis extension response (PER) test. Individuals with a positive/negative conditioning outcome to two parasitised-pupae extracts (extract-low and extract-high) were used for breeding. Twenty-one queens from a VSH selection line (SelQ) and nineteen queens from an unselected line (ConQ) were single-drone-inseminated with drones that showed either a positive (SenD+) or a negative (SenD-) PER test. Individual VSH behaviour of a total of 5072 offspring of these combinations (SelQ x SenD+, SelQ + x SenD-, ConQ x SenD+, ConQ x SenD-) was subsequently observed in a specially designed unit with infrared light. The results from the observation were also separately examined, considering the hygienic status of the participating queens and drones. The results of the PER test of the drones were not significantly reflected in the VSH results of the respective offspring. On the other hand, the participating queens/drones' hygienic status was crucial for the manifestation of VSH.


Honey Bees ◽  
2002 ◽  
pp. 67-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Pham-Del√®gue ◽  
A Decourtye

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boaz Yuval ◽  
Paola Lahuatte ◽  
Arul J. Polpass ◽  
Charlotte Causton ◽  
Edouard Jurkevitch ◽  
...  

AbstractPhilornis downsi (Diptera: Muscidae) is a nest parasitic fly that has invaded the Galapagos archipelago and exerts an onerous burden on populations of endemic land birds. As part of an ongoing effort to develop tools for the integrated management of this fly, our objective was to determine its long and short-range responses to bacterial and yeast cues associated with adult P. downsi. We hypothesized that the bacterial and yeast communities will elicit attraction at distance through volatiles, and appetitive responses upon contact. Accordingly, we amplified bacteria from guts of adult field-caught individuals and bird feces, and yeasts from fermenting papaya juice (a known attractant of P. downsi), on selective growth media, and assayed the response of flies to these microbes or their exudates. In the field, we baited traps with bacteria or yeast and monitored adult fly attraction. In the laboratory, we used the Proboscis Extension Response (PER) to determine the sensitivity of males and females to tarsal contact with bacteria or yeast. Long range trapping efforts yielded two female flies over 112 trap nights (one in extracts from bird faeces and one in extracts from gut bacteria from adult flies). In the laboratory, tarsal contact with bacterial stimuli from gut bacteria from adult flies elicited significantly more responses than did yeast stimuli. We discuss the significance of these findings in context with other studies in the field and identify targets for future work.


Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 431
Author(s):  
Boaz Yuval ◽  
Paola Lahuatte ◽  
Polpass Arul Jose ◽  
Charlotte E. Causton ◽  
Edouard Jurkevitch ◽  
...  

Philornis downsi Dodge and Aitken (Diptera: Muscidae) is an avian parasitic fly that has invaded the Galapagos archipelago and exerts an onerous burden on populations of endemic land birds. As part of an ongoing effort to develop tools for the integrated management of this fly, our objective was to determine its long- and short-range responses to bacterial and fungal cues associated with adult P. downsi. We hypothesized that the bacterial and fungal communities would elicit attraction at distance through volatiles, and appetitive responses upon contact. Accordingly, we amplified bacteria from guts of adult field-caught flies and from bird feces, and yeasts from fermenting papaya juice (a known attractant of P. downsi), on selective growth media, and assayed the response of flies to these microbes or their exudates. In the field, we baited traps with bacteria or yeast and monitored adult fly attraction. In the laboratory, we used the proboscis extension response (PER) to determine the sensitivity of males and females to tarsal contact with bacteria or yeast. Long range trapping efforts yielded two female flies over 112 trap-nights (attracted by bacteria from bird feces and from the gut of adult flies). In the laboratory, tarsal contact with stimuli from gut bacteria elicited significantly more responses than did yeast stimuli. We discuss the significance of these findings in context with other studies in the field and identify targets for future work.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 832-844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel Pratavieira ◽  
Anally Ribeiro da Silva Menegasso ◽  
Thaisa Roat ◽  
Osmar Malaspina ◽  
Mario Sergio Palma

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Klappenbach ◽  
Agustin E Lara ◽  
Fernando F Locatelli

Real-world experiences do often mix appetitive and aversive events. Understanding the ability of animals to extract, store and use this information is an important issue in neurobiology. We used honey bees as model to study learning and memory after a differential conditioning that combines appetitive and aversive training trials. First of all, we describe an aversive conditioning paradigm that constitutes a clear opposite of the well known appetitive olfactory conditioning of the proboscis extension response. A neutral odour is presented paired with the bitter substance quinine. Aversive memory is evidenced later as an odour-specific impairment in appetitive conditioning. Then we tested the effect of mixing appetitive and aversive conditioning trials distributed along the same training session. Differential conditioning protocols like this were used before to study the ability to discriminate odours, however they were not focused on whether appetitive and aversive memories are formed. We found that after a differential conditioning, honey bees establish independent appetitive and aversive memories that do not interfere with each other during acquisition or storage. Finally, we moved the question forward to retrieval and memory expression to evaluate what happens when appetitive and the aversive learned odours are mixed during test. Interestingly, opposite memories compete in a way that they do not cancel each other out. Honey bees showed the ability to switch from expressing appetitive to aversive memory depending on their satiation level.


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