scholarly journals Body Size and Behavioural Plasticity Interact to Influence the Performance of Free-Foraging Bumble Bee Colonies

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 236
Author(s):  
Jacob Holland ◽  
Shinnosuke Nakayama ◽  
Maurizio Porfiri ◽  
Oded Nov ◽  
Guy Bloch
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Insect Societies ◽  
Comparable Performance ◽  
Colony Performance ◽  
Size Diversity ◽  
Bee Colonies

Specialisation and plasticity are important for many forms of collective behaviour, but the interplay between these factors is little understood. In insect societies, workers are often developmentally primed to specialise in different tasks, sometimes with morphological or physiological adaptations, facilitating a division of labour. Workers may also plastically switch between tasks or vary their effort. The degree to which developmentally primed specialisation limits plasticity is not clear and has not been systematically tested in ecologically relevant contexts. We addressed this question in 20 free-foraging bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) colonies by continually manipulating colonies to contain either a typically diverse, or a reduced (“homogeneous”), worker body size distribution while keeping the same mean body size, over two trials. Pooling both trials, diverse colonies produced a larger comb mass, an index of colony performance. The link between body size and task was further corroborated by the finding that foragers were larger than nurses even in homogeneous colonies with a very narrow body size range. However, the overall effect of size diversity stemmed mostly from one trial. In the other trial, homogeneous and diverse colonies showed comparable performance. By comparing behavioural profiles based on several thousand observations of individuals, we found evidence that workers in homogeneous colonies in this trial rescued colony performance by plastically increasing behavioural specialisation and/or individual effort, compared to same-sized individuals in diverse colonies. Our results are consistent with a benefit to colonies of large and small specialists under certain conditions, but also suggest that plasticity or effort can compensate for reduced (size-related) specialisation. Thus, we suggest that an intricate interplay between specialisation and plasticity is functionally adaptive in bumble bee colonies.

scholarly journals Is diversity in worker body size important for the performance of bumble bee colonies?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob G. Holland ◽  
Shinnosuke Nakayama ◽  
Maurizio Porfiri ◽  
Oded Nov ◽  
Guy Bloch
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Insect Societies ◽  
Physiological Adaptations ◽  
Comparable Performance ◽  
Colony Performance ◽  
Size Diversity ◽  
Individual Effort ◽  
Bee Colonies

ABSTRACTSpecialization and plasticity are important for many forms of collective behavior, but the interplay between these factors is little understood. In insect societies, workers are often predisposed to specialize in different tasks, sometimes with morphological or physiological adaptations, facilitating a division of labor. Workers may also plastically switch between tasks or vary their effort. The degree to which predisposed specialization limits plasticity is not clear and has not been systematically tested in ecologically relevant contexts. We addressed this question in 20 freely-foraging bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) colonies by continually manipulating colonies to contain either a typically diverse or reduced (“homogeneous”) worker body size distribution, over two trials. Pooling both trials, diverse colonies did better in several indices of colony performance. The importance of body size was further demonstrated by the finding that foragers were larger than nurses even in homogeneous colonies with a very narrow body size range. However, the overall effect of size diversity stemmed mostly from one trial. In the other trial, homogeneous and diverse colonies showed comparable performance. By comparing behavioral profiles based on several thousand observations, we found evidence that workers in homogeneous colonies in this trial rescued colony performance by plastically increasing behavioral specialization and/or individual effort, compared to same-sized individuals in diverse colonies. Our results are consistent with a benefit to colonies of predisposed (size-diverse) specialists under certain conditions, but also suggest that plasticity or effort, can compensate for reduced (size-related) specialization. Thus, we suggest that an intricate interplay between specialization and plasticity is functionally adaptive in bumble bee colonies.

scholarly journals Reproductive workers show queen-like gene expression in an intermediately eusocial insect, the buff-tailed bumble beeBombus terrestris.

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark C Harrison ◽  
Robert L Hammond ◽  
Eamonn B Mallon
Keyword(s):  
Differential Expression ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Differential Expression Analysis ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Strong Shift ◽  
Single Genome ◽  
Eusocial Species

Bumble bees represent a taxon with an intermediate level of eusociality within Hymenoptera. The clear division of reproduction between a single founding queen and the largely sterile workers is characteristic for highly eusocial species, whereas the morphological similarity between the bumble bee queen and the workers is typical for more primitively eusocial hymenopterans. Also, unlike other highly eusocial hymenopterans, division of labour among worker sub-castes is plastic and not predetermined by morphology or age. We conducted a differential expression analysis based on RNA-seq data from 11 combinations of developmental stage and caste to investigate how a single genome can produce the distinct castes of queens, workers and males in the buff-tailed bumble beeBombus terrestris. Based on expression patterns, we found males to be the most distinct of all adult castes (2,411 transcripts differentially expressed compared to non-reproductive workers). However, only relatively few transcripts were differentially expressed between males and workers during development (larvae: 71, pupae: 162). This indicates the need for more distinct expression patterns to control behaviour and physiology in adults compared to those required to create different morphologies. Among female castes, reproductive workers and their non-reproductive sisters displayed differential expression in over ten times more transcripts compared to the differential expression found between reproductive workers and their mother queen. This suggests a strong shift towards a more queen-like behaviour and physiology when a worker becomes fertile. This contrasts with eusocial species where reproductive workers are more similar to non-reproductive workers than the queen.

scholarly journals Mean body size predicts colony performance in the common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens )

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 458-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Herrmann ◽  
Nick M. Haddad ◽  
Douglas J. Levey
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Bombus Impatiens ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Colony Performance ◽  
The Common

scholarly journals Comparison of Different Pollen Substitutes for the Feeding of Laboratory Reared Bumble Bee (Bombus Terrestris) Colonies

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-104
Author(s):  
Laura Bortolotti ◽  
Filip Pošćić ◽  
Gherardo Bogo
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Mass Rearing ◽  
Protein Source ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Larval Feeding ◽  
Fresh Frozen ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Protein Diets

AbstractIn bumble bee colonies, pollen is the only protein source for larval feeding and its shortage causes a distress in larval development. Adult bumble bees need pollen for the development of glands and the reproductive system. In bumble bee rearing, honey bee collected pollen is used as the main protein source, either as fresh-frozen or dried pellets, and pollen provisioning is the most problematic and expensive aspect of mass rearing. In honey bee breeding, pollen substitutes are used during the period of food shortage or to stimulate colony strength. We tested different protein diets (five commercial pollen substitutes and two natural protein sources) for the maintenance of bumble bee colonies in captivity. We further mixed Feedbee®, one of the substitutes that gave the best results, with different amounts of pollen to evaluate the optimal amount needed for the whole colony development. Although none of the pure protein diets alone were adequate, diets with a 1 to 1 and 1 to 3 ratio of Feedbee to pollen were both suitable for colony development and queen production. The colony consumed between 2 and 4 g per day of the Feedbee mixed diets, corresponding to a protein consumption of 0.75–0.85 g day−1. Nevertheless, the consumption rate of the pure pollen showed that a mean amount of protein between 0.4 and 0.5 g day−1 was enough to allow colony development indicating the suitability of Feedbee mixed diets.

Control of Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), a pest in Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies

2003 ◽  
Vol 135 (6) ◽  
pp. 893-902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Jung Kwon ◽  
Shafqat Saeed ◽  
Marie José Duchateau
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Plodia Interpunctella ◽  
Mass Rearing ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Pollen Storage ◽  
Indian Meal Moth ◽  
Pest Outbreaks ◽  
Indian Meal ◽  
Bee Colonies

AbstractThe bumble bee Bombus terrestris L. is an important pollinator of commercial crops. Mass-rearing of bumble bees under controlled conditions is susceptible to pest outbreaks such as the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella L. This study showed that pollen collected from pollen traps at honey bee colonies can be contaminated with eggs of the Indian meal moth and that the eggs can hatch under bumble bee rearing conditions. Storage of pollen at −60 °C for more than 3 weeks can prevent an infestation of P. interpunctella in bumble bee colonies via pollen. Storage at −20 °C is less effective. Although P. interpunctella larvae slightly prefer pollen as their food source, they also feed on bumble bee pupae, especially when little pollen is present in a bumble bee colony. Spraying with the microbial insect pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis Aizawai at a concentration of 1 g/L water can control P. interpunctella (99.8% mortality) without harm to the bumble bee colonies. Higher concentrations have a negative impact on bumble bee colonies. Other B. thuringiensis strains, Kurstaki and Kurstaki Plus, are less effective.

scholarly journals Juvenile hormone interacts with multiple factors to modulate aggression and dominance in groups of orphan bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) workers

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atul Pandey ◽  
Uzi Motro ◽  
Guy Bloch
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Juvenile Hormone ◽  
Replacement Therapy ◽  
Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Dominance Rank ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Multiple Factors ◽  
Similar Body

AbstractJuvenile hormone (JH) is a key regulator of insect development and reproduction. Given that JH commonly affects adult insect fertility, it has been hypothesized to also regulate behaviors such as dominance and aggression that are associated with reproduction. We tested this hypothesis in the bumble bee Bombus terrestris for which JH has been shown to be the major gonadotropin. We used the allatoxin Precocene-I (P-I) to reduce hemolymph JH titers and replacement therapy with the natural JH to revert this effect. In small orphan groups of workers with similar body size but mixed treatment, P-I treated bees showed lower aggressiveness, oogenesis, and dominance rank compared with control and replacement therapy treated bees. In similar groups in which all bees were treated similarly, there was a clear dominance hierarchy, even in P-I and replacement therapy treatment groups in which the bees showed similar levels of ovarian activation. In a similar experiment in which bees differed in body size, larger bees were more likely to be dominant despite their similar JH treatment and ovarian state. In the last experiment, we show that JH manipulation does not affect dominance rank in groups that had already established a stable dominance hierarchy. These findings solve previous ambiguities concerning whether or not JH affects dominance in bumble bees. JH positively affects dominance, but bees with similar levels of JH can nevertheless establish dominance hierarchies. Thus, multiple factors including JH, body size, and previous experience affect dominance and aggression in social bumble bees.

scholarly journals Methylation and worker reproduction in the bumble-bee ( Bombus terrestris )

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1780) ◽  
pp. 20132502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harindra E. Amarasinghe ◽  
Crisenthiya I. Clayton ◽  
Eamonn B. Mallon
Keyword(s):  
Genomic Imprinting ◽  
Social Insects ◽  
Social Insect ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Worker Reproduction ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Reproductive Division Of Labour ◽  
Reproductive Division

Insects are at the dawn of an epigenetics era. Numerous social insect species have been found to possess a functioning methylation system, previously not thought to exist in insects. Methylation, an epigenetic tag, may be vital for the sociality and division of labour for which social insects are renowned. In the bumble-bee Bombus terrestris , we found methylation differences between the genomes of queenless reproductive workers and queenless non-reproductive workers. In a follow up experiment, queenless workers whose genomes had experimentally altered methylation were more aggressive and more likely to develop ovaries compared with control queenless workers. This shows methylation is important in this highly plastic reproductive division of labour. Methylation is an epigenetic tag for genomic imprinting (GI). It is intriguing that the main theory to explain the evolution of GI predicts that GI should be important in this worker reproduction behaviour.

scholarly journals Body size but not age influences phototaxis in bumble bee (Bombus terrestris, L.) workers

Apidologie ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 763-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Merling ◽  
Shmuel Eisenmann ◽  
Guy Bloch
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Bumble Bee

scholarly journals Body size but not age influences phototaxis in bumble bee (Bombus terrestris, L.) workers

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Merling ◽  
Shmuel Eisenmann ◽  
Guy Bloch
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Division Of Labor ◽  
Light Source ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Response Threshold ◽  
Separate Experiment ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Phototactic Response ◽  
Directional Movement

AbstractWe studied phototaxis, the directional movement relative to light, in the bumble bee Bombus terrestris. We first developed and validated a MATLAB based system enabling reliable high-resolution tracking of a bee and a measurement of her distance relative to a changing LED light source. Using this system we found in all our experiments that workers show positive phototaxis. The strength of the phototactic response was influenced by body size but not age, and this effect was significant when the light source was weak. In a separate experiment, foragers showed stronger phototactic response compared to nurses only in one of two trials in which they were larger and tested with weak light intensity. The evidence that phototaxis is associated with size-based division of labor in the bumble bee and with age-related division of labor in the honey bee, lends credence to response threshold models implicating the response to light in the organization of division of labor in cavity dwelling social insects.

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