scholarly journals Worker-Born Males Are Smaller but Have Similar Reproduction Ability to Queen-Born Males in Bumblebees

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1008
Author(s):  
Huiyue Zhao ◽  
Yanjie Liu ◽  
Hong Zhang ◽  
Tom D. Breeze ◽  
Jiandong An
Keyword(s):  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Worker Reproduction ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Reproductive Ability ◽  
Evolution Of Sociality ◽  
Sperm Counts ◽  
Virgin Queens

Queen-worker conflict over the reproduction of males exists in the majority of haplodiplioidy hymenpteran species such as bees, wasps, and ants, whose workers lose mating ability but can produce haploid males in colony. Bumblebee is one of the representatives of primitively eusocial insects with plastic division labor and belongs to monandrous and facultative low polyandry species that have reproductive totipotent workers, which are capable of competing with mother queen to produce haploid males in the queenright colony compared to higher eusocial species, e.g., honeybees. So, bumblebees should be a better material to study worker reproduction, but the reproductive characteristics of worker-born males (WMs) remain unclear. Here, we choose the best-studied bumblebee Bombus terrestris to evaluate the morphological characteristics and reproductive ability of WMs from the queenless micro-colonies. The sexually matured WMs showed smaller in forewing length and weight, relatively less sperm counts but equally high sperm viability in comparison with the queen-born males (QMs) of the queenright colony. Despite with smaller size, the WMs are able to successfully mate with the virgin queens in competition with the QMs under laboratory conditions, which is quite different from the honeybees reported. In addition, there was no difference in the colony development, including the traits such as egg-laying rate, colony establishment rate, and populations of offspring, between the WM- and the QM-mated queens. Our study highlights the equivalent reproductive ability of worker-born males compared to that of queens, which might exhibit a positive application or special use of bumblebee rearing, especially for species whose males are not enough for copulation. Further, our finding contributes new evidence to the kin selection theory and suggests worker reproduction might relate to the evolution of sociality in bees.

scholarly journals Hormonal and Pheromonal Regulation of Reproduction in the Bumble Bee Bombus terrestris

1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abraham Hefetz ◽  
Gene Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Ovarian Development ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Worker Reproduction ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Social Species ◽  
Before And After ◽  
High Aggression ◽  
Total Body ◽  
Virgin Queens ◽  
The Brain

Bombus terrestris constitute important pollinators of greenhouse crops. In Israel the species utilized is, whose colonies are reared commercially. This is a primitively social species with a particular colony development. It encompasses two social phases: a eusocial phase in which the queen dominates reproduction, and a competition phase in which workers compete with the queen for the parentage of males. These workers are distinguished by accelerated ovarian development, high production of JH, and elevated levels of dopamine in the brain. Queen-worker conflict is also manifested in overt aggression among all members of the nest. High aggression is correlated with dominance status of the bees and is also correlated with octopamine levels in the brain. After verifying that JH III is the only JH produced by the bees and validating the assay for its measurements (RCA & RIA), we used JH as an indicator of worker reproduction. Queens taken from colonies both before and after the competition phase were equally effective in inhibiting worker reproduction. Moreover, there is only a narrow window, around the competition point, in which workers may have the opportunity to initiate reproduction. Before that point they are inhibited by the dominant queen, while after that point both the queen and those workers with accelerated ovarian development exert strong inhibition on worker nest mates. Thus, "queen dominance deterioration" is not the primary cause in eliciting the queen-worker conflict. Queens convey their presence by means of a chemical signal that is extractable in organic solvent and that is normally spread on the cuticle. Total body extract and body washes, applied on dead virgin queens, were able to inhibit the release of JHin vitro in queenless workers. However, none of the prominent exocrine gland investigated mimicked this function. It is possible that the source of the putative pheromone is an unknown gland, or that it emanates from an assembly of glands. Chemical analyses of the prominent glands revealed a plethora of compounds the function of which should be further investigated. Understanding the social behavior of B. terrestris paves the way to facilitate colony manipulation and to adjust the colonies for specific pollination requirements.

scholarly journals Experience in Rearing Common Carder Bees (Bombus pascuorum Scop.), with Some Notes on Three Similar Species: Shrill Carder Bee (B. sylvarum L.), Red-shanked Carder Bee (B. ruderarius Müll.), and Brown-banded Carder Bee (B. humilis Ill.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 1535-1542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimír Ptáček ◽  
Alena Votavová ◽  
Olga Komzáková
Keyword(s):  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Vegetation Period ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Sugar Solution ◽  
Rearing Method ◽  
Small Plastic ◽  
Fresh Pollen ◽  
New Generation

The rearing method under controlled conditions known for Bombus terrestris was successful in initiating egg-laying for 83% of B. pascuorum queens. After larvae had hatched, fresh pollen pellets needed to be inserted into brood pockets daily. After the first workers had emerged, colony development was advanced by placing them outdoors and supplying them with a sugar solution and pollen. The bees were able to use tightly pressed pollen from small plastic pots inserted near the brood. This feeding resulted in large colonies that produced dozens of young queens. In contrast, colonies managed in the laboratory were unable to utilize pollen in a similar manner. They raised only a few workers and several queens. Mating young queens was easy. It was stimulated by daylight, but in the case of B. humilis by direct sunshine. Several B. pascuorum and B. sylvarum queens were overwintered and began the new generation under artificial conditions. However, a lack of fresh pollen limited the development of colonies outside of the vegetation period.

scholarly journals Lower pollen nutritional quality delays nest building and egg laying in Bombus terrestris audax micro-colonies leading to reduced biomass gain

Apidologie ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan T. Ryder ◽  
Andrew Cherrill ◽  
Helen M. Thompson ◽  
Keith F. A. Walters
Keyword(s):  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Essential Amino Acids ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Nest Building ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Pollen Species ◽  
Colony Performance ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractThe performance of Bombus terrestris micro-colonies fed five diets differing in pollen species composition and level of nine essential amino acids (EAA; leucine, lysine, valine, arginine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, threonine, histidine, methionine) was assessed for 37 days by recording total biomass gain, nest building initiation, brood production (eggs, small and large larvae, pupae, drones), nectar, and pollen collection. Stronger colony performance was linked to higher amino acid levels but no consistent differences in biomass gain were recorded between mono- and poly-species diets. Poorest performance occurred in micro-colonies offered pure oilseed rape (OSR) pollen which contained the lowest EAA levels. Reduced micro-colony development (delayed nest initiation and lower brood production) was related to OSR proportion in the diet and lower EAA levels. Results are discussed in relation to selection of plant species in the design of habitats to promote bee populations.

Development and Reproductive Strategies in Bombus Terrestris Colonies

Behaviour ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 107 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 186-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. Duchateau ◽  
H.H.W. Velthuis
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Slow Phase ◽  
Switch Point ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Queen Production

The development and the reproductive output of 26 Bombus terrestris colonies were investigated. Four important points in colony development are distinguished. These are: a) the start of egg laying by the queen, leading to the beginning of the eusocial phase, the emergence of the first workers; b) the moment which we term the switch point, at which the queen switches from laying diploid eggs (producing workers or queens) to the laying of haploid eggs (producing males); c) the onset of queen production reared from diploid eggs; d) the loss of dominance by the queen, expressed by the beginning of aggression on the part of queen and workers, worker oviposition, oophagy and the functional elimination of the queen. This we call the competition point. The onset of queen production is highly correlated with the competition point but not correlated with the switch point. The pattern in time of the egg laying by a queen differed from the rate of increase of worker numbers published by previous authors. After an initial and slow phase, in which two broods of egg cells are produced, the rate of egg laying of a queen becomes constant, whether or not the eggs are fertilized. The transformation from this rate of egg laying to the earlier descriptions of increase in number is only possible if one neglects differences between colonies in time spent in the production of the two broods as well as the highly variable time needed for development into adults. The time at which the competition point occurs is much more predictable (at day 30.8 ± 4.9 after the emergence of the first worker) than the switch point. The latter ranges from day 6 to day 32. In our colonies two groups can be discerned, one of early switching colonies (at day 9.8 ± 2.4), the other of late switching colonies (at day 23.4 ± 4.6). The occurrence of the switch cannot be predicted from preceding behavioural or demographic data. As a consequence of the early switch such colonies produce mainly males. Partly due to the unfavourable larva/worker ratio only a few queens were reared from the last laid diploid eggs. In contradiction the late switching colonies produce on average sexuals at a 1.3:1 sex ratio (1:1.7 investment ratio). Remarkable however, biomass of sexuals is equal in both types of colonies. Males are about half the weight of queens. Certain colonies invest in males only ("3 males : 0 queens"). Since the two types of colonies occurred in about equal numbers, our local population is characterized by a 4:1 1(♂:♀) sex ratio. This male biased sex ratio, also observed for other bumblebees species (B. terricola and B. melanopygus, OWEN et al., 1980; OWEN & PLOWRIGHT, 1982), contrasts with existing theoretical models based on kin selection (TRIVERS & HARE, 1976) or local mate competition (ALEXANDER & SHERMAN, 1977) arguments. A model is proposed in which the males of the early switching colonies monopolize the matings due to their early appearance in the field. In fact, the early switching colonies, by investing mainly in males, parasitize on the reproductive strategy of the late switching colonies, which are characterized by a 1:1 sex ratio. At population level the two reproductive strategies are in equilibrium at a 1:1 frequency.

scholarly journals Effects of Three Kinds of Sugar Syrups on Colony Development of Bumble Bee (Bombus terrestris L.)

2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 13-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fehmi Gurel ◽  
Bahar A. Karsli ◽  
Ayhan Gosterit
Keyword(s):  
Production Rate ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Sugar Syrup ◽  
High Fructose ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Total Pollen ◽  
Fresh Pollen

Abstract The effects of three kinds of sugar syrups on colony development were studied. Weekly sugar syrup consumption of the Bombus terrestris dalmatinus colonies were investigated. A total of 60 queens were separately placed in standard nest boxes and randomly divided into three groups. We tested high fructose corn syrup (HFCS - fructose 42-45%, glucose 50-54%), sucrose syrup (SS - sucrose 99%), and industrial bee feeding sugar syrup (BFSS - fructose 37-40%, glucose 27-30%, sucrose 30-36%). All queens and colonies were fed with the same fresh pollen and reared under standard laboratory conditions (28 ± 1oC, 60 ± 5% RH). Pollen and sugar syrups (approximately 1:1 water:sugar) were provided ad libitum. Colony development traits, weekly syrup consumption, total syrup consumption, and total pollen consumption of each colony were recorded during periodic observations. The highest egg laying rate, colony production rate and saleable colony production rate (90, 75, and 50%, respectively) were found in the BFSS treatment. However, no significant difference was found among treatments in terms of examined colony characteristics. Until the colonies were large enough for sale (50-60 workers), the consumption of sugar syrup and pollen per one colony varied from 461 to 546 ml and from 164 to 190 g, respectively.

scholarly journals A conserved class of queen pheromones? Re-evaluating the evidence in bumblebees ( Bombus impatiens )

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1817) ◽  
pp. 20151800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Etya Amsalem ◽  
Margarita Orlova ◽  
Christina M. Grozinger
Keyword(s):  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Queen Pheromone ◽  
Worker Reproduction ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Bombus Impatiens ◽  
Queen Pheromones ◽  
Reproductive Division Of Labour ◽  
Reproductive Division ◽  
Adult Exposure

The regulation of reproductive division of labour is a key component in the evolution of social insects. Chemical signals are important mechanisms to regulate worker reproduction, either as queen-produced pheromones that coercively inhibit worker reproduction or as queen signals that honestly advertise her fecundity. A recent study suggested that a conserved class of hydrocarbons serve as queen pheromones across three independent origins of eusociality. In bumblebees ( Bombus terrestris ), pentacosane ( C 25) was suggested to serve as a queen pheromone. Here, we repeat these studies using a different species of bumblebee ( Bombus impatiens ) with a more controlled experimental design. Instead of dequeened colonies, we used same-aged, three-worker queenless groups comprising either experienced or naive workers (with/without adult exposure to queen pheromone). We quantified three hydrocarbons ( C 23, C 25 and C 27) on the cuticular surfaces of females and tested their effects on the two worker types. Our results indicate differences in responses of naive and experienced workers, genetic effects on worker reproduction, and general effects of hydrocarbons and duration of egg laying on ovary resorption rates. However, we found no evidence to support the theory that a conserved class of hydrocarbons serve as queen pheromones or queen signals in Bombus impatiens .

scholarly journals Nest wax triggers worker reproduction in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 150599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Marie Rottler-Hoermann ◽  
Stefan Schulz ◽  
Manfred Ayasse
Keyword(s):  
Ovarian Development ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Worker Reproduction ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Proximate Mechanisms ◽  
The Social ◽  
Dominance Behaviour ◽  
High Level ◽  
Primitively Eusocial

Social insects are well known for their high level of cooperation. Workers of the primitively eusocial bumblebee Bombus terrestris are able to produce male offspring in the presence of a queen. Nonetheless, they only compete for reproduction, in the so-called competition phase, when the workforce is large enough to support the rearing of reproductives. So far, little is known about the proximate mechanisms underlying the shift between altruism and selfish behaviour in bumblebee workers. In this study, we have examined the influence of chemical cues from the nest wax on the onset of worker reproduction. Chemical analyses of wax extracts have revealed that the patterns and amounts of cuticular lipids change considerably during colony development. These changes in wax scent mirror worker abundance and the presence of fertile workers. In bioassays with queen-right worker groups, wax affects the dominance behaviour and ovarian development of workers. When exposed to wax from a colony in competition phase, workers start to compete for reproduction. We suggest that wax scent enables workers to time their reproduction by providing essential information concerning the social condition of the colony.

scholarly journals Molecular heterochrony and the evolution of sociality in bumblebees ( Bombus terrestris )

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1780) ◽  
pp. 20132419 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Hollis Woodard ◽  
Guy M. Bloch ◽  
Mark R. Band ◽  
Gene E. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Maternal Care ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Microarray Platform ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Brain Gene Expression ◽  
Evolution Of Sociality ◽  
Sibling Care

Sibling care is a hallmark of social insects, but its evolution remains challenging to explain at the molecular level. The hypothesis that sibling care evolved from ancestral maternal care in primitively eusocial insects has been elaborated to involve heterochronic changes in gene expression. This elaboration leads to the prediction that workers in these species will show patterns of gene expression more similar to foundress queens, who express maternal care behaviour, than to established queens engaged solely in reproductive behaviour. We tested this idea in bumblebees ( Bombus terrestris ) using a microarray platform with approximately 4500 genes. Unlike the wasp Polistes metricus , in which support for the above prediction has been obtained, we found that patterns of brain gene expression in foundress and queen bumblebees were more similar to each other than to workers. Comparisons of differentially expressed genes derived from this study and gene lists from microarray studies in Polistes and the honeybee Apis mellifera yielded a shared set of genes involved in the regulation of related social behaviours across independent eusocial lineages. Together, these results suggest that multiple independent evolutions of eusociality in the insects might have involved different evolutionary routes, but nevertheless involved some similarities at the molecular level.

scholarly journals Queen control of a key life-history event in a eusocial insect

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 20130056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob G. Holland ◽  
Florian S. Guidat ◽  
Andrew F. G. Bourke
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Inclusive Fitness ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Switch Point ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Inclusive Fitness Theory ◽  
Queen Control ◽  
Potential Queen

In eusocial insects, inclusive fitness theory predicts potential queen–worker conflict over the timing of events in colony life history. Whether queens or workers control the timing of these events is poorly understood. In the bumble-bee Bombus terrestris , queens exhibit a ‘switch point’ in which they switch from laying diploid eggs yielding females (workers and new queens) to laying haploid eggs yielding males. By rearing foundress queens whose worker offspring were removed as pupae and sexing their eggs using microsatellite genotyping, we found that queens kept in the complete absence of adult workers still exhibit a switch point. Moreover, the timing of their switch points relative to the start of egg-laying did not differ significantly from that of queens allowed to produce normal colonies. The finding that bumble-bee queens can express the switch point in the absence of workers experimentally demonstrates queen control of a key life-history event in eusocial insects. In addition, we found no evidence that workers affect the timing of the switch point either directly or indirectly via providing cues to queens, suggesting that workers do not fully express their interests in queen–worker conflicts over colony life history.

scholarly journals Effects of Heat Stress on Mating Behavior and Colony Development in Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly Przybyla ◽  
Denis Michez ◽  
Ella Zambra ◽  
Abigaël Anselmo ◽  
Elise Hennebert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Waves ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Heat Exposure ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Experimental Protocol ◽  
Sensitive Species ◽  
Copulation Behavior ◽  
And Control ◽  
Virgin Queens ◽  
The Impact

Climate change is related to an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as heatwaves. In insect pollinators, heat exposure is associated with direct physiological perturbations, and in several species, could lead to a decrease of fitness related to a decrease in fertility. Here we developed a new experimental protocol in controlled conditions to assess if the exposure to high temperatures could modify the attractiveness and fertility of Bombus terrestris males. Our results show that virgin queens of B. terrestris do not have preferences between the pheromonal secretions of heat-exposed and control males. Moreover, mating with a heat-exposed male has no impact on the copulation behavior and the development of the nest (brood composition). We advise to extend trials to cover a range of wild and heat-sensitive species on multiple generations to better understand the impact of heat waves on the bumblebee communities.

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