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Bastide H, Legout H, Dogbo N, Ogereau D, Prediger C, Carcaud J, Filée J, Garnery L, Gilbert C, Marion-Poll F, Requier F, Sandoz JC, Yassin A. The genome of the blind bee louse fly reveals deep convergences with its social host and illuminates Drosophila origins. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1122-1132.e5. [PMID: 38309271 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Social insects' nests harbor intruders known as inquilines,1 which are usually related to their hosts.2,3 However, distant non-social inquilines may also show convergences with their hosts,4,5 although the underlying genomic changes remain unclear. We analyzed the genome of the wingless and blind bee louse fly Braula coeca, an inquiline kleptoparasite of the western honey bee, Apis mellifera.6,7 Using large phylogenomic data, we confirmed recent accounts that the bee louse fly is a drosophilid8,9 and showed that it had likely evolved from a sap-breeder ancestor associated with honeydew and scale insects' wax. Unlike many parasites, the bee louse fly genome did not show significant erosion or strict reliance on an endosymbiont, likely due to a relatively recent age of inquilinism. However, we observed a horizontal transfer of a transposon and a striking parallel evolution in a set of gene families between the honey bee and the bee louse fly. Convergences included genes potentially involved in metabolism and immunity and the loss of nearly all bitter-tasting gustatory receptors, in agreement with life in a protective nest and a diet of honey, pollen, and beeswax. Vision and odorant receptor genes also exhibited rapid losses. Only genes whose orthologs in the closely related Drosophila melanogaster respond to honey bee pheromone components or floral aroma were retained, whereas the losses included orthologous receptors responsive to the anti-ovarian honey bee queen pheromones. Hence, deep genomic convergences can underlie major phenotypic transitions during the evolution of inquilinism between non-social parasites and their social hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Héloïse Bastide
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | - Hélène Legout
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Noé Dogbo
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - David Ogereau
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Carolina Prediger
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Julie Carcaud
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Jonathan Filée
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Lionel Garnery
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Clément Gilbert
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Frédéric Marion-Poll
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, 91123 Palaiseau Cedex, France
| | - Fabrice Requier
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Sandoz
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Amir Yassin
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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Isidorov V, Zalewski A, Zambrowski G, Swiecicka I. Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Properties of Honey Bee Venom. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28104135. [PMID: 37241876 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28104135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to its great medical and pharmaceutical importance, honey bee venom is considered to be well characterized both chemically and in terms of biomedical activity. However, this study shows that our knowledge of the composition and antimicrobial properties of Apis mellifera venom is incomplete. In this work, the composition of volatile and extractive components of dry and fresh bee venom (BV) was determined by GC-MS, as well as antimicrobial activity against seven types of pathogenic microorganisms. One-hundred and forty-nine organic C1-C19 compounds of different classes were found in the volatile secretions of the studied BV samples. One-hundred and fifty-two organic C2-C36 compounds were registered in ether extracts, and 201 compounds were identified in methanol extracts. More than half of these compounds are new to BV. In microbiological tests involving four species of pathogenic Gram-positive and two species of Gram-negative bacteria, as well as one species of pathogenic fungi, the values of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentration (MBC/MFC) were determined for samples of dry BV, as well as ether and methanol extracts from it. Gram-positive bacteria show the greatest sensitivity to the action of all tested drugs. The minimum MIC values for Gram-positive bacteria in the range of 0.12-7.63 ng mL-1 were recorded for whole BV, while for the methanol extract they were 0.49-125 ng mL-1. The ether extracts had a weaker effect on the tested bacteria (MIC values 31.25-500 ng mL-1). Interestingly, Escherichia coli was more sensitive (MIC 7.63-500 ng mL-1) to the action of bee venom compared to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC ≥ 500 ng mL-1). The results of the tests carried out indicate that the antimicrobial effect of BV is associated with the presence of not only peptides, such as melittin, but also low molecular weight metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valery Isidorov
- Institute of Forest Sciences, Bialystok Technical University, 15-351 Bialystok, Poland
| | - Adam Zalewski
- Department of Experimental Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Zambrowski
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bialystok, 15-328 Bialystok, Poland
| | - Izabela Swiecicka
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bialystok, 15-328 Bialystok, Poland
- Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bialystok, 15-328 Bialystok, Poland
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A GABA Receptor Modulator and Semiochemical Compounds Evidenced Using Volatolomics as Candidate Markers of Chronic Exposure to Fipronil in Apis mellifera. Metabolites 2023; 13:metabo13020185. [PMID: 36837804 PMCID: PMC9959115 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13020185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Among the various "omics" approaches that can be used in toxicology, volatolomics is in full development. A volatolomic study was carried out on soil bacteria to validate the proof of concept, and this approach was implemented in a new model organism: the honeybee Apis mellifera. Emerging bees raised in the laboratory in pain-type cages were used. Volatolomics analysis was performed on cuticles, fat bodies, and adhering tissues (abdomens without the digestive tract), after 14 and 21 days of chronic exposure to 0.5 and 1 µg/L of fipronil, corresponding to sublethal doses. The VOCs analysis was processed using an HS-SPME/GC-MS method. A total of 281 features were extracted and tentatively identified. No significant effect of fipronil on the volatolome could be observed after 14 days of chronic exposure. Mainly after 21 days of exposure, a volatolome deviation appeared. The study of this deviation highlighted 11 VOCs whose signal abundances evolved during the experiment. Interestingly, the volatolomics approach revealed a VOC (2,6-dimethylcyclohexanol) that could act on GABA receptor activity (the fipronil target) and VOCs associated with semiochemical activities (pheromones, repellent agents, and compounds related to the Nasonov gland) leading to a potential impact on bee behavior.
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Noël A, Dumas C, Rottier E, Beslay D, Costagliola G, Ginies C, Nicolè F, Rau A, Le Conte Y, Mondet F. Detailed chemical analysis of honey bee (Apis mellifera) worker brood volatile profile from egg to emergence. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0282120. [PMID: 36809298 PMCID: PMC9943000 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemical communication is a widely used mode of communication for social insects and has been demonstrated to be involved in many behaviours and physiological processes such as reproduction, nutrition or the fight against parasites and pathogens. In the honey bee, Apis mellifera, the release of chemical compounds by the brood plays a role in worker behaviour, physiology, and foraging activities and colony health as a whole. Several compounds have already been described as brood pheromones, such as components of the brood ester pheromone and (E)-β-ocimene. Several other compounds originating from diseased or varroa-infested brood cells have been described as triggering the hygienic behaviour of workers. So far, studies of brood emissions have focused on specific stages of development and little is known about the emission of volatile organic compounds by the brood. In this study, we investigate the semiochemical profile of worker honey bee brood during its whole developmental cycle, from egg to emergence, with a specific focus on volatile organic compounds. We describe variation in emissions of thirty-two volatile organic compounds between brood stages. We highlight candidate compounds that are particularly abundant in specific stages and discuss their potential biological significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amélie Noël
- INRAE, UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, Avignon, France
- * E-mail: ,
| | - Charlène Dumas
- INRAE, UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, Avignon, France
| | | | | | - Guy Costagliola
- INRAE, UR 1115 Plantes et Systèmes de Culture Horticoles, Avignon, France
| | - Christian Ginies
- INRAE, UMR 408 Sécurité et Qualité des Produits d’Origine Végétale, Avignon, France
| | - Florence Nicolè
- Université de Lyon, UJM-Saint-Etienne, CNRS, LBVpam, Saint-Étienne, France
| | - Andrea Rau
- INRAE, UMR 1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Jouy-en-Josas, France
- BioEcoAgro Joint Research Unit, INRAE, Université de Liège, Université de Lille, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Estrées-Mons, France
| | - Yves Le Conte
- INRAE, UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, Avignon, France
| | - Fanny Mondet
- INRAE, UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, Avignon, France
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Reduction of stress responses in honey bees by synthetic ligands targeting an allatostatin receptor. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16760. [PMID: 36202961 PMCID: PMC9537510 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20978-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Honey bees are of great economic and ecological importance, but are facing multiple stressors that can jeopardize their pollination efficiency and survival. Therefore, understanding the physiological bases of their stress response may help defining treatments to improve their resilience. We took an original approach to design molecules with this objective. We took advantage of the previous identified neuropeptide allatostatin A (ASTA) and its receptor (ASTA-R) as likely mediators of the honey bee response to a biologically relevant stressor, exposure to an alarm pheromone compound. A first series of ASTA-R ligands were identified through in silico screening using a homology 3D model of the receptor and in vitro binding experiments. One of these (A8) proved also efficient in vivo, as it could counteract two behavioral effects of pheromone exposure, albeit only in the millimolar range. This putative antagonist was used as a template for the chemical synthesis of a second generation of potential ligands. Among these, two compounds showed improved efficiency in vivo (in the micromolar range) as compared to A8 despite no major improvement in their affinity for the receptor in vitro. These new ligands are thus promising candidates for alleviating stress in honey bees.
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Bray DP, Hall DR, Harte SJ, Farman DI, Vankosky MA, Mori BA. Components of the Female Sex Pheromone of the Newly-Described Canola Flower Midge, Contarinia brassicola. J Chem Ecol 2022; 48:479-490. [PMID: 35771405 PMCID: PMC9375766 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-022-01369-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The canola flower midge, Contarinia brassicola Sinclair (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is a newly-described species that induces galls on canola, Brassica napus Linnaeus and Brassica rapa Linnaeus (Brassicaceae). Identification of the sex pheromone of C. brassicola is essential to developing monitoring tools to elucidate the geographic range and hosts of this new pest, and the extent to which it threatens the $30 billion Canadian canola industry. The aim of this study was to identify and synthesize the female-produced sex pheromone of C. brassicola and demonstrate its effectiveness in attracting males to traps in the field. Two peaks were identified through GC-EAG analysis of female-produced volatiles which elicited electrophysiological responses in male antennae. These peaks were initially characterized through GC–MS and synthesis as 2,7-diacetoxynonane (major component) and 2-acetoxynonane (minor component), and the racemic compounds elicited EAG responses in male antennae. All four stereoisomers of 2,7-diacetoxynonane were synthesized and the naturally-produced compound was shown to be primarily the (2R,7S)-isomer by analysis on an enantioselective GC column, with a small amount of (2R,7R)-2,7-diacetoxynonane also present. The configuration of the minor component could not be determined because of the small amount present, but this was assumed to be (2R)-2-acetoxynonane by comparison with the configuration of the other two components. In field trials, none of the four stereoisomers of 2,7-diacetoxynonane, presented individually or as a racemic mixture, was attractive to male C. brassicola. However, dispensers loaded with a 10 µg:1 µg blend of (2R,7S)- and (2R,7R)-2,7-diacetoxynonane caught large numbers of male C. brassicola and significantly more than other blends tested. The addition of 0.5 µg of (2R)-2-acetoxynonane to this blend further increased the number of males caught. In future work, we will seek to identify the optimum trapping protocol for the application of the pheromone in monitoring and surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P Bray
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, Kent, UK.
| | - David R Hall
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, Kent, UK
| | - Steven J Harte
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, Kent, UK
| | - Dudley I Farman
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, Kent, UK
| | | | - Boyd A Mori
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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Favaro R, Roved J, Haase A, Angeli S. Impact of Chronic Exposure to Two Neonicotinoids on Honey Bee Antennal Responses to Flower Volatiles and Pheromonal Compounds. FRONTIERS IN INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 2:821145. [PMID: 38468759 PMCID: PMC10926470 DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2022.821145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Volatile compounds provide important olfactory cues for honey bees (Apis mellifera L.), which are essential for their ecology, behavior, and social communication. In the external environment bees locate food sources by the use of floral scents, while inside the hive, pheromones such as the queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) and alarm pheromones serve important functions in regulating colony life and inducing aggressive responses against intruders and parasites. Widely reported alterations of various behaviors in- and outside the hive following exposure to pesticides could therefore be associated with a disturbance of odor sensitivity. In the present study, we tested the effects of neonicotinoid pesticides at field concentrations on the ability of honey bees to perceive volatiles at the very periphery of the olfactory system. Bee colonies were subjected to treatments during the summer with either Imidacloprid or Thiacloprid at sublethal concentrations. Antennal responses to apple (Malus domestica L.) flower volatiles were studied by GC-coupled electro-antennographic detection (GC-EAD), and a range of volatiles, a substitute of the QMP, and the alarm pheromone 2-heptanone were tested by electroantennography (EAG). Short-term and long-term effects of the neonicotinoid treatments were investigated on bees collected in the autumn and again in the following spring. Treatment with Thiacloprid induced changes in antennal responses to specific flower VOCs, with differing short- and long-term effects. In the short term, increased antennal responses were observed for benzyl-alcohol and 1-hexanol, which are common flower volatiles but also constituents of the honey bee sting gland secretions. The treatment with Thiacloprid also affected antennal responses to the QMP and the mandibular alarm pheromone 2-heptanone. In the short term, a faster signal degeneration of the response signal to the positive control citral was recorded in the antennae of bees exposed to Thiacloprid or Imidacloprid. Finally, we observed season-related differences in the antennal responses to multiple VOCs. Altogether, our results suggest that volatile-specific alterations of antennal responses may contribute to explaining several behavioral changes previously observed in neonicotinoid-exposed bees. Treatment effects were generally more prominent in the short term, suggesting that adverse effects of neonicotinoid exposure may not persist across generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Favaro
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Jacob Roved
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Albrecht Haase
- Center for Mind/Brain Science (CIMeC), University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
- Department of Physics, University of Trento, Povo, Italy
| | - Sergio Angeli
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
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López-Incera A, Nouvian M, Ried K, Müller T, Briegel HJ. Honeybee communication during collective defence is shaped by predation. BMC Biol 2021; 19:106. [PMID: 34030690 PMCID: PMC8147350 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01028-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social insect colonies routinely face large vertebrate predators, against which they need to mount a collective defence. To do so, honeybees use an alarm pheromone that recruits nearby bees into mass stinging of the perceived threat. This alarm pheromone is carried directly on the stinger; hence, its concentration builds up during the course of the attack. We investigate how bees react to different alarm pheromone concentrations and how this evolved response pattern leads to better coordination at the group level. RESULTS We first present a dose-response curve to the alarm pheromone, obtained experimentally. This data reveals two phases in the bees' response: initially, bees become more likely to sting as the alarm pheromone concentration increases, but aggressiveness drops back when very high concentrations are reached. Second, we apply Projective Simulation to model each bee as an artificial learning agent that relies on the pheromone concentration to decide whether to sting or not. Individuals are rewarded based on the collective performance, thus emulating natural selection in these complex societies. By also modelling predators in a detailed way, we are able to identify the main selection pressures that shaped the response pattern observed experimentally. In particular, the likelihood to sting in the absence of alarm pheromone (starting point of the dose-response curve) is inversely related to the rate of false alarms, such that bees in environments with low predator density are less likely to waste efforts responding to irrelevant stimuli. This is compensated for by a steep increase in aggressiveness when the alarm pheromone concentration starts rising. The later decay in aggressiveness may be explained as a curbing mechanism preventing worker loss. CONCLUSIONS Our work provides a detailed understanding of alarm pheromone responses in honeybees and sheds light on the selection pressures that brought them about. In addition, it establishes our approach as a powerful tool to explore how selection based on a collective outcome shapes individual responses, which remains a challenging issue in the field of evolutionary biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea López-Incera
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
| | - Morgane Nouvian
- Department of Biology, Universität Konstanz, Konstanz, 78457, Germany.
- Zukunftskolleg, Universität Konstanz, Konstanz, 78457, Germany.
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, Universität Konstanz, Konstanz, 78457, Germany.
| | - Katja Ried
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
| | - Thomas Müller
- Department of Philosophy, Universität Konstanz, Konstanz, 78457, Germany
| | - Hans J Briegel
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
- Department of Philosophy, Universität Konstanz, Konstanz, 78457, Germany
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Honey bee aggression: evaluating causal links to disease-resistance traits and infection. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02887-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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10
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Lai Y, Despouy E, Sandoz JC, Su S, de Brito Sanchez MG, Giurfa M. Degradation of an appetitive olfactory memory via devaluation of sugar reward is mediated by 5-HT signaling in the honey bee. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 173:107278. [PMID: 32652234 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) learning induces the devaluation of a preferred food through its pairing with a stimulus inducing internal illness. In invertebrates, it is still unclear how this aversive learning impairs the memories of stimuli that had been associated with the appetitive food prior to its devaluation. Here we studied this phenomenon in the honey bee and characterized its neural underpinnings. We first trained bees to associate an odorant (conditioned stimulus, CS) with appetitive fructose solution (unconditioned stimulus, US) using a Pavlovian olfactory conditioning. We then subjected the bees that learned the association to a CTA training during which the antennal taste of fructose solution was contingent or not to the ingestion of quinine solution, which induces malaise a few hours after ingestion. Only the group experiencing contingent fructose stimulation and quinine-based malaise exhibited a decrease in responses to the fructose and a concomitant decrease in odor-specific retention in tests performed 23 h after the original odor conditioning. Furthermore, injection of dopamine- and serotonin-receptor antagonists after CTA learning revealed that this long-term decrease was mediated by serotonergic signaling as its blockade rescued both the responses to fructose and the odor-specific memory 23 h after conditioning. The impairment of a prior CS memory by subsequent CTA conditioning confirms that bees retrieve a devaluated US representation when presented with the CS. Our findings further highlight the importance of serotonergic signaling in aversive learning in the bee and uncover mechanisms underlying aversive memories induced by internal illness in invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Lai
- College of Animal Science (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Elodie Despouy
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Sandoz
- Evolution, Genomes, Behavior and Ecology, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, 1 avenue de la Terrasse, F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Songkun Su
- College of Animal Science (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
| | - Maria Gabriela de Brito Sanchez
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
| | - Martin Giurfa
- College of Animal Science (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France; Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), France.
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Orlova M, Amsalem E. Context matters: plasticity in response to pheromones regulating reproduction and collective behavior in social Hymenoptera. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 35:69-76. [PMID: 31404906 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Revised: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Pheromones mediating social behavior are critical components in the cohesion and function of the colony and are instrumental in the evolution of eusocial insect species. However, different aspects of colony function, such as reproductive division of labor and colony maintenance (e.g. foraging, brood care, and defense), pose different challenges for the optimal function of pheromones. While reproductive communication is shaped by forces of conflict and competition, colony maintenance calls for enhanced cooperation and self-organization. Mechanisms that ensure efficacy, adaptivity and evolutionary stability of signals such as structure-to-function suitability, honesty and context are important to all chemical signals but vary to different degrees between pheromones regulating reproductive division of labor and colony maintenance. In this review, we will discuss these differences along with the mechanisms that have evolved to ensure pheromone adaptivity in reproductive and non-reproductive context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margarita Orlova
- Department of Entomology, Center for Chemical Ecology, Center for Pollinator Research, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Etya Amsalem
- Department of Entomology, Center for Chemical Ecology, Center for Pollinator Research, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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Rittschof CC, Vekaria HJ, Palmer JH, Sullivan PG. Biogenic amines and activity levels alter the neural energetic response to aggressive social cues in the honey bee Apis mellifera. J Neurosci Res 2019; 97:991-1003. [PMID: 31090236 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Revised: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondrial activity is highly dynamic in the healthy brain, and it can reflect both the signaling potential and the signaling history of neural circuits. Recent studies spanning invertebrates to mammals have highlighted a role for neural mitochondrial dynamics in learning and memory processes as well as behavior. In the current study, we investigate the interplay between biogenic amine signaling and neural energetics in the honey bee, Apis mellifera. In this species, aggressive behaviors are regulated by neural energetic state and biogenic amine titers, but it is unclear how these mechanisms are linked to impact behavioral expression. We show that brain mitochondrial number is highest in aggression-relevant brain regions and in individual bees that are most responsive to aggressive cues, emphasizing the importance of energetics in modulating this phenotype. We also show that the neural energetic response to alarm pheromone, an aggression inducing social cue, is activity dependent, modulated by the "fight or flight" insect neurotransmitter octopamine. Two other neuroactive compounds known to cause variation in aggression, dopamine, and serotonin, also modulate neural energetic state in aggression-relevant regions of the brain. However, the effects of these compounds on respiration at baseline and following alarm pheromone exposure are distinct, suggesting unique mechanisms underlying variation in mitochondrial respiration in these circuits. These results motivate new explanations for the ways in which biogenic amines alter sensory perception in the context of aggression. Considering neural energetics improves predictions about the regulation of complex and context-dependent behavioral phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare C Rittschof
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Hemendra J Vekaria
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Joseph H Palmer
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Patrick G Sullivan
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
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Changes in responsiveness to allatostatin treatment accompany shifts in stress reactivity in young worker honey bees. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2018; 205:51-59. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-018-1302-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Revised: 10/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Nouvian M, Deisig N, Reinhard J, Giurfa M. Seasonality, alarm pheromone and serotonin: insights on the neurobiology of honeybee defence from winter bees. Biol Lett 2018; 14:rsbl.2018.0337. [PMID: 30158140 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Honeybees maintain their colony throughout the cold winters, a strategy that enables them to make the most of early spring flowers. During this period, their activity is mostly limited to thermoregulation, while foraging and brood rearing are stopped. Less is known about seasonal changes to the essential task of defending the colony against intruders, which is regulated by the sting alarm pheromone. We studied the stinging responsiveness of winter bees exposed to this scent or a control (solvent). Surprisingly, winter bees, while maintaining their responsiveness in control conditions, did not increase stinging frequency in response to the alarm pheromone. This was not owing to the bees not perceiving the pheromone, as shown by calcium imaging of the antennal lobes. As the alarm pheromone is thought to act through an increase in brain serotonin levels, ultimately causing heightened defensiveness, we checked if serotonin treatments would affect the stinging behaviour of winter bees. Indeed, treated winter bees became more inclined to sting. Thus, we postulate that loss of responsiveness to the sting alarm pheromone is based on a partial or total disruption of the mechanism converting alarm pheromone perception into high serotonin levels in winter bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Nouvian
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France .,Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Nina Deisig
- iEES Paris, UMR 1392, Departement Ecologie Sensorielle, INRA Versailles, Route de Saint Cyr, 78026 Versailles cedex, France
| | - Judith Reinhard
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France
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15
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Rittschof CC, Vekaria HJ, Palmer JH, Sullivan PG. Brain mitochondrial bioenergetics change with rapid and prolonged shifts in aggression in the honey bee, Apis mellifera. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb.176917. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.176917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal function demands high-level energy production, and as such, a decline in mitochondrial respiration characterizes brain injury and disease. A growing number of studies, however, link brain mitochondrial function to behavioral modulation in non-diseased contexts. In the honey bee, we show for the first time that an acute social interaction, which invokes an aggressive response, may also cause a rapid decline in brain mitochondrial bioenergetics. The degree and speed of this decline has only been previously observed in the context of brain injury. Furthermore, in the honey bee, age-related increases in aggressive tendency are associated with increased baseline brain mitochondrial respiration, as well as increased plasticity in response to metabolic fuel type in vitro. Similarly, diet restriction and ketone body feeding, which commonly enhance mammalian brain mitochondrial function in vivo, cause increased aggression. Thus, even in normal behavioral contexts, brain mitochondria show a surprising degree of variation in function over both rapid and prolonged timescales, with age predicting both baseline function and plasticity in function. These results suggest that mitochondrial function is integral to modulating aggression-related neuronal signaling. We hypothesize that variation in function reflects mitochondrial calcium buffering activity, and that shifts in mitochondrial function signal to the neuronal soma to regulate gene expression and neural energetic state. Modulating brain energetic state is emerging as a critical component of the regulation of behavior in non-diseased contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare C. Rittschof
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, S-225 Ag. Science Center North, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
| | - Hemendra J. Vekaria
- Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center and the Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky, 741 South Limestone Street, 475 BBSRB, Lexington, KY 40536-0509, USA
| | - Joseph H. Palmer
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, S-225 Ag. Science Center North, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
| | - Patrick G. Sullivan
- Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center and the Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky, 741 South Limestone Street, 475 BBSRB, Lexington, KY 40536-0509, USA
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16
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Nouvian M, Reinhard J, Giurfa M. The defensive response of the honeybee Apis mellifera. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 219:3505-3517. [PMID: 27852760 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.143016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are insects living in colonies with a complex social organization. Their nest contains food stores in the form of honey and pollen, as well as the brood, the queen and the bees themselves. These resources have to be defended against a wide range of predators and parasites, a task that is performed by specialized workers, called guard bees. Guards tune their response to both the nature of the threat and the environmental conditions, in order to achieve an efficient trade-off between defence and loss of foraging workforce. By releasing alarm pheromones, they are able to recruit other bees to help them handle large predators. These chemicals trigger both rapid and longer-term changes in the behaviour of nearby bees, thus priming them for defence. Here, we review our current understanding on how this sequence of events is performed and regulated depending on a variety of factors that are both extrinsic and intrinsic to the colony. We present our current knowledge on the neural bases of honeybee aggression and highlight research avenues for future studies in this area. We present a brief overview of the techniques used to study honeybee aggression, and discuss how these could be used to gain further insights into the mechanisms of this behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Nouvian
- Queensland Brain Institute, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia .,Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse cedex 9, 31062, France
| | - Judith Reinhard
- Queensland Brain Institute, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse cedex 9, 31062, France
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17
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C-type allatostatins mimic stress-related effects of alarm pheromone on honey bee learning and memory recall. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0174321. [PMID: 28323874 PMCID: PMC5360335 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
As honey bee populations worldwide are declining there is an urgent need for a deeper understanding of stress reactivity in these important insects. Our data indicate that stress responses in bees (Apis mellifera L.) may be mediated by neuropeptides identified, on the basis of sequence similarities, as allatostatins (ASTA, ASTC and ASTCC). Effects of allatostatin injection are compared with stress-related changes in learning performance induced by the honeybee alarm pheromone, isopentylacetate (IPA). We find that bees can exhibit two markedly different responses to IPA, with opposing effects on learning behaviour and memory generalisation, and that strikingly similar responses can be elicited by allatostatins, in particular ASTCC. These findings lend support to the hypothesis that allatostatins mediate stress reactivity in honey bees and suggest responses to stress in these insects are state dependent.
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Heiduk A, Brake I, von Tschirnhaus M, Göhl M, Jürgens A, Johnson SD, Meve U, Dötterl S. Ceropegia sandersonii Mimics Attacked Honeybees to Attract Kleptoparasitic Flies for Pollination. Curr Biol 2016; 26:2787-2793. [PMID: 27720617 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2016] [Revised: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 07/29/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Four to six percent of plants, distributed over different angiosperm families, entice pollinators by deception [1]. In these systems, chemical mimicry is often used as an efficient way to exploit the olfactory preferences of animals for the purpose of attracting them as pollinators [2,3]. Here, we report a very specific type of chemical mimicry of a food source. Ceropegia sandersonii (Apocynaceae), a deceptive South African plant with pitfall flowers, mimics attacked honeybees. We identified kleptoparasitic Desmometopa flies (Milichiidae) as the main pollinators of C. sandersonii. These flies are well known to feed on honeybees that are eaten by spiders, which we thus predicted as the model chemically mimicked by the plant. Indeed, we found that the floral scent of C. sandersonii is comparable to volatiles released from honeybees when under simulated attack. Moreover, many of these shared compounds elicited physiological responses in antennae of pollinating Desmometopa flies. A mixture of four compounds-geraniol, 2-heptanone, 2-nonanol, and (E)-2-octen-1-yl acetate-was highly attractive to the flies. We conclude that C. sandersonii is specialized on kleptoparasitic fly pollinators by deploying volatiles linked to the flies' food source, i.e., attacked and/or freshly killed honeybees. The blend of compounds emitted by C. sandersonii is unusual among flowering plants and lures kleptoparasitic flies into the trap flowers. This study describes a new example of how a plant can achieve pollination through chemical mimicry of the food sources of adult carnivorous animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annemarie Heiduk
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Plant Ecology, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; Department of Plant Systematics, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Irina Brake
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
| | | | - Matthias Göhl
- Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Andreas Jürgens
- Department of Biology, Plant Chemical Ecology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany; School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa
| | - Steven D Johnson
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa
| | - Ulrich Meve
- Department of Plant Systematics, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Stefan Dötterl
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Plant Ecology, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.
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Nouvian M, Hotier L, Claudianos C, Giurfa M, Reinhard J. Appetitive floral odours prevent aggression in honeybees. Nat Commun 2015; 6:10247. [PMID: 26694599 PMCID: PMC4703898 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Honeybees defend their colonies aggressively against intruders and release a potent alarm pheromone to recruit nestmates into defensive tasks. The effect of floral odours on this behaviour has never been studied, despite the relevance of these olfactory cues for the biology of bees. Here we use a novel assay to investigate social and olfactory cues that drive defensive behaviour in bees. We show that social interactions are necessary to reveal the recruiting function of the alarm pheromone and that specific floral odours-linalool and 2-phenylethanol-have the surprising capacity to block recruitment by the alarm pheromone. This effect is not due to an olfactory masking of the pheromone by the floral odours, but correlates with their appetitive value. In addition to their potential applications, these findings provide new insights about how honeybees make the decision to engage into defence and how conflicting information affects this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Nouvian
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (UMR5169), 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, Cedex 09, France
- UPS Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (UMR5169), Université de Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, Cedex 09, France
| | - Lucie Hotier
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (UMR5169), 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, Cedex 09, France
- UPS Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (UMR5169), Université de Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, Cedex 09, France
| | - Charles Claudianos
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3600, Australia
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (UMR5169), 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, Cedex 09, France
- UPS Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (UMR5169), Université de Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, Cedex 09, France
| | - Judith Reinhard
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
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20
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21
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Urlacher E, Tarr IS, Mercer AR. Social modulation of stress reactivity and learning in young worker honey bees. PLoS One 2014; 9:e113630. [PMID: 25470128 PMCID: PMC4254648 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2014] [Accepted: 10/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Alarm pheromone and its major component isopentylacetate induce stress-like responses in forager honey bees, impairing their ability to associate odors with a food reward. We investigated whether isopentylacetate exposure decreases appetitive learning also in young worker bees. While isopentylacetate-induced learning deficits were observed in guards and foragers collected from a queen-right colony, learning impairments resulting from exposure to this pheromone could not be detected in bees cleaning cells. As cell cleaners are generally among the youngest workers in the colony, effects of isopentylacetate on learning behavior were examined further using bees of known age. Adult workers were maintained under laboratory conditions from the time of adult emergence. Fifty percent of the bees were exposed to queen mandibular pheromone during this period, whereas control bees were not exposed to this pheromone. Isopentylacetate-induced learning impairments were apparent in young (less than one week old) controls, but not in bees of the same age exposed to queen mandibular pheromone. This study reveals young worker bees can exhibit a stress-like response to alarm pheromone, but isopentylacetate-induced learning impairments in young bees are suppressed by queen mandibular pheromone. While isopentylacetate exposure reduced responses during associative learning (acquisition), it did not affect one-hour memory retrieval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Urlacher
- Department of Zoology, 340 Great King Street, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
- * E-mail:
| | - Ingrid S. Tarr
- Department of Zoology, 340 Great King Street, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Alison R. Mercer
- Department of Zoology, 340 Great King Street, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
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22
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Olfactory coding in the honeybee lateral horn. Curr Biol 2014; 24:561-7. [PMID: 24560579 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.01.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2011] [Revised: 11/22/2013] [Accepted: 01/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Olfactory systems dynamically encode odor information in the nervous system. Insects constitute a well-established model for the study of the neural processes underlying olfactory perception. In insects, odors are detected by sensory neurons located in the antennae, whose axons project to a primary processing center, the antennal lobe. There, the olfactory message is reshaped and further conveyed to higher-order centers, the mushroom bodies and the lateral horn. Previous work has intensively analyzed the principles of olfactory processing in the antennal lobe and in the mushroom bodies. However, how the lateral horn participates in olfactory coding remains comparatively more enigmatic. We studied odor representation at the input to the lateral horn of the honeybee, a social insect that relies on both floral odors for foraging and pheromones for social communication. Using in vivo calcium imaging, we show consistent neural activity in the honeybee lateral horn upon stimulation with both floral volatiles and social pheromones. Recordings reveal odor-specific maps in this brain region as stimulations with the same odorant elicit more similar spatial activity patterns than stimulations with different odorants. Odor-similarity relationships are mostly conserved between antennal lobe and lateral horn, so that odor maps recorded in the lateral horn allow predicting bees' behavioral responses to floral odorants. In addition, a clear segregation of odorants based on pheromone type is found in both structures. The lateral horn thus contains an odor-specific map with distinct representations for the different bee pheromones, a prerequisite for eliciting specific behaviors.
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23
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Johnson LK, Haynes LW, Carlson MA, Fortnum HA, Gorgas DL. Alarm substances of the stingless bee,Trigona silvestriana. J Chem Ecol 2013; 11:409-16. [PMID: 24310063 DOI: 10.1007/bf00989552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/1983] [Accepted: 07/25/1984] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
2-Nonanol, 2-heptanol, octyl decanoate, and octyl octanoate were identified from the heads ofTrigona silvestriana workers. When presented at the nest, 2-nonanol, 2-heptanol, and the mixture of the four compounds elicited angular flights, landing, and buzzing of guard bees. Octyl octanoate elicited a weaker response. No response was given to octyl decanoate, to the ether solvent, or to the control volatile, vanillin.
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Affiliation(s)
- L K Johnson
- Department of Zoology, The University of Iowa, 52242, Iowa City, Iowa
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24
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Alarm pheromone production by two honeybee (Apis mellifera) types. J Chem Ecol 2013; 15:1747-56. [PMID: 24272178 DOI: 10.1007/bf01012262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/1988] [Accepted: 08/15/1988] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Of 12 alarm pheromones assayed in European and Africanized honeybees, nine were found in larger quantities in the Africanized population. Isopentyl and 2-heptanone levels were similar in both; 2-methylbutanol-1 was greater in European workers. These differences were not due to age or geographical location. Significant positive correlations between alarm pheromone levels and defensive behavior, especially numbers of stings, were observed.
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25
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Abstract
In their natural environment, animals face complex and highly dynamic olfactory input. Thus vertebrates as well as invertebrates require fast and reliable processing of olfactory information. Parallel processing has been shown to improve processing speed and power in other sensory systems and is characterized by extraction of different stimulus parameters along parallel sensory information streams. Honeybees possess an elaborate olfactory system with unique neuronal architecture: a dual olfactory pathway comprising a medial projection-neuron (PN) antennal lobe (AL) protocerebral output tract (m-APT) and a lateral PN AL output tract (l-APT) connecting the olfactory lobes with higher-order brain centers. We asked whether this neuronal architecture serves parallel processing and employed a novel technique for simultaneous multiunit recordings from both tracts. The results revealed response profiles from a high number of PNs of both tracts to floral, pheromonal, and biologically relevant odor mixtures tested over multiple trials. PNs from both tracts responded to all tested odors, but with different characteristics indicating parallel processing of similar odors. Both PN tracts were activated by widely overlapping response profiles, which is a requirement for parallel processing. The l-APT PNs had broad response profiles suggesting generalized coding properties, whereas the responses of m-APT PNs were comparatively weaker and less frequent, indicating higher odor specificity. Comparison of response latencies within and across tracts revealed odor-dependent latencies. We suggest that parallel processing via the honeybee dual olfactory pathway provides enhanced odor processing capabilities serving sophisticated odor perception and olfactory demands associated with a complex olfactory world of this social insect.
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26
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Urlacher E, Francés B, Giurfa M, Devaud JM. An alarm pheromone modulates appetitive olfactory learning in the honeybee (apis mellifera). Front Behav Neurosci 2010; 4:157. [PMID: 20838475 PMCID: PMC2936933 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2010.00157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2010] [Accepted: 08/08/2010] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In honeybees, associative learning is embedded in a social context as bees possess a highly complex social organization in which communication among individuals is mediated by dance behavior informing about food sources, and by a high variety of pheromones that maintain the social links between individuals of a hive. Proboscis extension response conditioning is a case of appetitive learning, in which harnessed bees learn to associate odor stimuli with sucrose reward in the laboratory. Despite its recurrent use as a tool for uncovering the behavioral, cellular, and molecular bases underlying associative learning, the question of whether social signals (pheromones) affect appetitive learning has not been addressed in this experimental framework. This situation contrasts with reports underlining that foraging activity of bees is modulated by alarm pheromones released in the presence of a potential danger. Here, we show that appetitive learning is impaired by the sting alarm pheromone (SAP) which, when released by guards, recruits foragers to defend the hive. This effect is mimicked by the main component of SAP, isopentyl acetate, is dose-dependent and lasts up to 24 h. Learning impairment is specific to alarm signal exposure and is independent of the odorant used for conditioning. Our results suggest that learning impairment may be a response to the biological significance of SAP as an alarm signal, which would detract bees from responding to any appetitive stimuli in a situation in which such responses would be of secondary importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Urlacher
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, National Center for Scientific Research, University Paul SabatierToulouse, France
| | - Bernard Francés
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, National Center for Scientific Research, University Paul SabatierToulouse, France
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, National Center for Scientific Research, University Paul SabatierToulouse, France
| | - Jean-Marc Devaud
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, National Center for Scientific Research, University Paul SabatierToulouse, France
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27
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Sandoz JC, Deisig N, de Brito Sanchez MG, Giurfa M. Understanding the logics of pheromone processing in the honeybee brain: from labeled-lines to across-fiber patterns. Front Behav Neurosci 2007; 1:5. [PMID: 18958187 PMCID: PMC2525855 DOI: 10.3389/neuro.08.005.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2007] [Accepted: 11/30/2007] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Honeybees employ a very rich repertoire of pheromones to ensure intraspecific communication in a wide range of behavioral contexts. This communication can be complex, since the same compounds can have a variety of physiological and behavioral effects depending on the receiver. Honeybees constitute an ideal model to study the neurobiological basis of pheromonal processing, as they are already one of the most influential animal models for the study of general odor processing and learning at behavioral, cellular and molecular levels. Accordingly, the anatomy of the bee brain is well characterized and electro- and opto-physiological recording techniques at different stages of the olfactory circuit are possible in the laboratory. Here we review pheromone communication in honeybees and analyze the different stages of olfactory processing in the honeybee brain, focusing on available data on pheromone detection, processing and representation at these different stages. In particular, we argue that the traditional distinction between labeled-line and across-fiber pattern processing, attributed to pheromone and general odors respectively, may not be so clear in the case of honeybees, especially for social-pheromones. We propose new research avenues for stimulating future work in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Christophe Sandoz
- Research Center for Animal Cognition, CNRS - University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse Cedex 9 France.
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28
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Hunt GJ, Wood KV, Guzmán-Novoa E, Lee HD, Rothwell AP, Bonham CC. Discovery of 3-methyl-2-buten-1-yl acetate, a new alarm component in the sting apparatus of Africanized honeybees. J Chem Ecol 2003; 29:453-63. [PMID: 12737269 DOI: 10.1023/a:1022694330868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
We analyzed the alarm pheromone components from five colonies of Africanized honeybees and three colonies of European honeybees collected in Mexico. Analyses revealed a novel alarm pheromone component that was only present in appreciable quantities in the Africanized bee samples. Analysis of the mass spectrum and subsequent synthesis confirmed that this compound is 3-methyl-2-buten-1-yl acetate (3M2BA), an unsaturated derivative of IPA. In Africanized honeybees, sampling from stings of guards showed that 3M2BA was present at levels of 0-38% the amount of isoamyl acetate (IPA). Behavioral assays from three colonies each of Africanized and European bees showed that 3M2BA recruited worker bees from hives of both Africanized bees and European bees at least as efficiently as isopentyl acetate IPA, a compound widely reported to have the highest activity for releasing alarm and stinging behavior in honeybees. However, a mixture of of 3M2BA and IPA (1:2) recruited bees more efficiently than either of the compounds alone. None of the compounds differed in their efficacy for inducing bees to pursue the observers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg J Hunt
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2089, USA.
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Bioassay and apparatus for measuring the stinging response of an isolated worker honey-bee (Apis mellifera L. var. ligustica Spin.). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1995. [DOI: 10.1016/0300-9629(94)00190-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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30
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31
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Eclectic chemisociality of the honeybee. J Chem Ecol 1988; 14:2099-107. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01014252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/1988] [Accepted: 04/25/1988] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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32
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Moritz RFA, Southwick EE, Breh M. A metabolic test for the quantitative analysis of alarm behavior of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1985. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.1402350102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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