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dos Santos Conceição Lopes B, Campbell AJ, Contrera FAL. Queen loss changes behavior and increases longevity in a stingless bee. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-2811-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Galvani GL, Soto EM, Canavoso LE, Settembrini BP. Fat body morphology, but not body size, changes in forager bees of Scaptotrigona jujuyensis (Apidae: Meliponini) during foraging season. ZOOL ANZ 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2019.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Vollet-Neto A, Imperatriz-Fonseca VL, Ratnieks FLW. Queen Execution, Diploid Males, and Selection For and Against Polyandry in the Brazilian Stingless Bee Scaptotrigona depilis. Am Nat 2019; 194:725-735. [PMID: 31613668 DOI: 10.1086/705393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Female mating frequency varies. Determining the causes of this variation is an active research area. We tested the hypothesis that in stingless bees, Meliponini, single mating is due to the execution of queens that make a matched mating at the complementary sex determination locus and have diploid male offspring. We studied the Brazilian species Scaptotrigona depilis. We made up 70 test colonies so that 50% (single matched mating), 25% (double mating), 12.5% (quadruple mating), or 0% (single nonmatched mating) of the emerging brood were diploid males. Queen execution following diploid male emergence was equal and high in colonies producing 50% (77% executed) and 25% (75%) diploid males versus equal and low in colonies producing 12.5% (7%) and 0% (0%) diploid males. These results show that queens that mate with two males with similar paternity suffer an increased chance of being executed, which selects against double mating. However, double mating with unequal paternity (e.g., 25∶75), which occasionally occurs in S. depilis, is selectively neutral. Single mating and double mating with unequal paternity form one adaptive peak. The results show a second adaptive peak at quadruple mating. However, this is inaccessible via gradual evolutionary change in a selective landscape with reduced fitness at double mating.
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Strobl V, Straub L, Bruckner S, Albrecht M, Maitip J, Kolari E, Chantawannakul P, Williams GR, Neumann P. Not every sperm counts: Male fertility in solitary bees, Osmia cornuta. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0214597. [PMID: 30921425 PMCID: PMC6440592 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 03/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproductive strategies can act as strong selective forces on reproductive traits
of male insects, resulting in species-specific variation in sperm quantity and
viability. For solitary bees, basic measures of sperm quantity and viability are
scarce. Here we evaluated for the first time quantity and viability of sperm in
male Osmia cornuta solitary bees at different times after
emergence, and how they were affected by male body mass and environmental
condition (laboratory or semi-field arena). Sperm viability immediately after
adult emergence showed no significant difference compared to four day old
individuals, suggesting that O. cornuta males
are capable of mating immediately post emergence. However, sperm counts were
significantly higher in four day old individuals from the semi-field arena when
compared to newly emerged males. This might reflect a final phase of sperm
maturation. Regardless of individual male age and body mass differences,
O. cornuta males produced on average
~175’000 spermatozoa that were ~65% viable, which are both significantly lower
compared to eusocial honeybees and bumblebees. Moreover, sperm quantity, but not
viability, was positively correlated with male body mass four days after
emergence, while no such relationship was detected immediately after emergence.
Even though individuals maintained in semi-field conditions exhibited a
significantly greater loss of body mass, experimental arena had no significant
effect on male survival, sperm quality or total living sperm produced. This
suggests that the proposed laboratory design provides a cost-efficient and
simple experimental approach to assess sperm traits in solitary bees. In
conclusion, our data suggest a reduced investment in both sperm quantity and
quality by male O. cornuta, which appears to
be adaptive in light of the life history of this solitary bee.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Strobl
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
- Swiss Bee Research Centre, Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (VS); (LS)
| | - Lars Straub
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
- Swiss Bee Research Centre, Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (VS); (LS)
| | - Selina Bruckner
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
- Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, Auburn University,
Auburn, AL, United States of America
| | | | - Jakkrawut Maitip
- Faculty of Science, Energy and Environment, King Mongkut's University of
Technology, North Bangkok, Rayong Campus, Bankhai, Rayong,
Thailand
- Bee Protection Center, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang
Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Eleonora Kolari
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
- Swiss Bee Research Centre, Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Panuwan Chantawannakul
- Bee Protection Center, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang
Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Environmental Science Research Center, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai
University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Geoffrey R. Williams
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
- Swiss Bee Research Centre, Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, Auburn University,
Auburn, AL, United States of America
| | - Peter Neumann
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
- Swiss Bee Research Centre, Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland
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Luna-Lucena D, Rabico F, Simoes ZL. Reproductive capacity and castes in eusocial stingless bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae). CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 31:20-28. [PMID: 31109669 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Eusocial lifestyle is one of the most important transitions in the evolutionary history of some groups of organisms. In bees, there are only two eusocial groups: the honey bees (Apini) and the stingless bees (Meliponini). Despite similarities on the eusocial lifestyles of these taxa, they present profound differences related to caste determination, development, behavior, and reproductive capacity of their members. In most of them the queen has a monopoly on reproduction. However, even though workers are tipically sterile, they can contribute to producing haploid eggs that generate males, or trophic eggs, used as an additional nutrition by the queen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Luna-Lucena
- Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
| | - Franciene Rabico
- Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Zilá Lp Simoes
- Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil; Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
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Vollet-Neto A, Oliveira RC, Schillewaert S, Alves DA, Wenseleers T, Nascimento FS, Imperatriz-Fonseca VL, Ratnieks FLW. Diploid Male Production Results in Queen Death in the Stingless Bee Scaptotrigona depilis. J Chem Ecol 2017; 43:403-410. [PMID: 28386801 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-017-0839-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2016] [Revised: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
As in most Hymenoptera, the eusocial stingless bees (Meliponini) have a complementary sex determination (CSD) system. When a queen makes a "matched mating" with a male that shares a CSD allele with her, half of their diploid offspring are diploid males rather than females. Matched mating imposes a cost, since diploid male production reduces the colony workforce. Hence, adaptations preventing the occurrence or attenuating its effects are likely to arise. Here we provide clear evidence that in the stingless bee Scaptotrigona depilis, the emergence of diploid males induces queen death, and this usually occurs within 10-20 days of the emergence of diploid male offspring from their pupae. Queens that have not made a matched mating die when introduced into a colony in which diploid males are emerging. This shows that the adult diploid males, and not the queen that has made a matched mating herself, are the proximate cause of queen death. Analysis of the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of adult haploid and diploid males shows six compounds with significant differences. Moreover, the diploid and haploid males only acquire distinct cuticular hydrocarbon profiles 10 days after emergence. Our data shows that the timing of queen death occurs when the cuticular hydrocarbons of haploid and diploid males differ significantly, suggesting that these chemical differences could be used as cues or signals to trigger queen death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayrton Vollet-Neto
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Ricardo C Oliveira
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Zoological Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sharon Schillewaert
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Zoological Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Denise A Alves
- Departamento de Entomologia e Acarologia, Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz", Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
| | - Tom Wenseleers
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Zoological Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Fabio S Nascimento
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Vera L Imperatriz-Fonseca
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Instituto Tecnológico Vale, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Francis L W Ratnieks
- Laboratory of Apiculture & Social Insects (LASI), School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
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Koffler S, Meneses HM, Kleinert ADMP, Jaffé R. Competitive males have higher quality sperm in a monogamous social bee. BMC Evol Biol 2016; 16:195. [PMID: 27677838 PMCID: PMC5039913 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0765-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2016] [Accepted: 09/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reproductive success is determined by the interplay between mating and fertilization success. In social insect species with male-biased sex ratios and queen monogamy, males face particularly strong pre-copulatory sexual selection since they must compete with thousands of other males for a unique mating opportunity. Ejaculate quality is also expected to be under selection, because queens are long-lived and store sperm for life, so males with higher quality ejaculates are expected to provide queens with larger and longer-lived colonies, which in turn may produce more daughter queens (the only direct fitness gains of haplodiploid males). Considering the action of pre and post-copulatory sexual selection on male traits, three scenarios might thus be expected: positive, negative or no association between male mating ability and fertilization success. Here we explored these scenarios in the stingless bee Scaptotrigona aff. depilis, where males gather in large aggregations and queens mate with a single male. Male mating ability was assessed through the capacity of a male to reach an aggregation and persist on it; while sperm viability, sperm number, and sperm morphology were used as proxies for sperm quality. RESULTS Sperm viability was associated with persistence time in the aggregation, and males that persisted longer presented shorter spermatozoa and higher variation in sperm length than recently arrived males. However, sperm traits of males that reached aggregations did not differ from those of males collected inside their colonies. In addition, males that persisted longer in aggregations were smaller than other males. Male size and sperm viability were not correlated, suggesting that the observed patterns were not due to trade-offs in male resource allocation. CONCLUSIONS Persistence in male aggregations thus seems to select more competitive males with higher quality sperm. Our work is the first one to reveal an association between male competitive ability and fertilization success in a monogamous social insect. This finding sheds important light on the evolution of male traits in social insects and the general mechanisms of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheina Koffler
- Department of Ecology, University of São Paulo, Institute of Biosciences, Rua do Matão, travessa 14, 321 (05508-090), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Hiara Marques Meneses
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Ceará, Center of Agrary Sciences, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
| | - Astrid de Matos Peixoto Kleinert
- Department of Ecology, University of São Paulo, Institute of Biosciences, Rua do Matão, travessa 14, 321 (05508-090), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Rodolfo Jaffé
- Department of Ecology, University of São Paulo, Institute of Biosciences, Rua do Matão, travessa 14, 321 (05508-090), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Vale Institute of Technology, Sustainable Development, Belém, PA, Brazil
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8
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Prato M, Soares AEE. Production of Sexuals and Mating Frequency in the Stingless Bee Tetragonisca angustula (Latreille) (Hymenoptera, Apidae). NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2013; 42:474-482. [PMID: 23949986 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-013-0154-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2012] [Accepted: 07/04/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Queen, worker, and male production was studied for 1 year in three queenright colonies of Tetragonisca angustula (Latreille). We sampled brood combs monthly and noticed that the number of brood cells and production of individuals were similar among colonies. Although the production of queens did not vary significantly, the frequencies of workers, males, and the number of cells among the combs varied over time. The production of males was highly seasonal, occurring mostly from February to April, coinciding with the period of intense brood cells production, when colonies produced more males and less workers, resulting in a negative correlation. Although the frequency of queens has not varied in time, the seasonal availability of males affected the mating frequency and the time spent since emergence until fertilization of queens. In the T. angustula colonies studied, the population dynamics was highly seasonal and the mating success depended of male production, according to the season.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Prato
- Lab de Biologia e Genética de Abelhas, Depto Genética, FMRP-USP, Univ de São Paulo, bloco A, Av. Bandeirantes Univ de São Paulo, 3900, 14049-900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil.
| | - A E E Soares
- Lab de Biologia e Genética de Abelhas, Depto Genética, FMRP-USP, Univ de São Paulo, bloco A, Av. Bandeirantes Univ de São Paulo, 3900, 14049-900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil
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9
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Leonhardt SD, Form S, Blüthgen N, Schmitt T, Feldhaar H. Genetic Relatedness and Chemical Profiles in an Unusually Peaceful Eusocial Bee. J Chem Ecol 2011; 37:1117-26. [PMID: 21948201 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-011-0016-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2011] [Revised: 05/23/2011] [Accepted: 09/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Alves DA, Imperatriz-Fonseca VL, Francoy TM, Santos-Filho PS, Billen J, Wenseleers T. Successful maintenance of a stingless bee population despite a severe genetic bottleneck. CONSERV GENET 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-010-0171-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Kronauer DJC, O'Donnell S, Boomsma JJ, Pierce NE. Strict monandry in the ponerine army ant genus Simopelta suggests that colony size and complexity drive mating system evolution in social insects. Mol Ecol 2010; 20:420-8. [PMID: 21121990 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2010.04945.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Altruism in social insects has evolved between closely related full-siblings. It is therefore of considerable interest why some groups have secondarily evolved low within-colony relatedness, which in turn affects the relatedness incentives of within-colony cooperation and conflict. The highest queen mating frequencies, and therefore among the lowest degrees of colony relatedness, occur in Apis honeybees and army ants of the subfamilies Aenictinae, Ecitoninae, and Dorylinae, suggesting that common life history features such as reproduction by colony fission and male biased numerical sex-ratios have convergently shaped these mating systems. Here we show that ponerine army ants of the genus Simopelta, which are distantly related but similar in general biology to other army ants, have strictly monandrous queens. Preliminary data suggest that workers reproduce in queenright colonies, which is in sharp contrast to other army ants. We hypothesize that differences in mature colony size and social complexity may explain these striking discrepancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J C Kronauer
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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Borges AA, de Oliveira Campos LA, Salomão TMF, Tavares MG. Genetic variability in five populations of Partamona helleri (Hymenoptera, Apidae) from Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Genet Mol Biol 2010; 33:781-4. [PMID: 21637591 PMCID: PMC3036148 DOI: 10.1590/s1415-47572010005000087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2010] [Accepted: 07/05/2010] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Partamona is a Neotropical genus of stingless bees that comprises 33 species distributed from Mexico to southern Brazil. These bees are well-adapted to anthropic environments and build their nests in several substrates. In this study, 66 colonies of Partamona helleri from five localities in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais (São Miguel do Anta, Teixeiras, Porto Firme, Viçosa and Rio Vermelho) were analyzed using nine microsatellite loci in order to assess their genetic variability. Low levels of observed (H(o) = 0.099-0.137) and expected (H (e) = 0.128-0.145) heterozygosity were encountered and revealed discrete genetic differentiation among the populations (F (ST) = 0.025). AMOVA further showed that most of the total genetic variation (94.24%) in P. helleri was explained by the variability within local populations.
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ALVES DA, IMPERATRIZ-FONSECA VL, FRANCOY TM, SANTOS-FILHO PS, NOGUEIRA-NETO P, BILLEN J, WENSELEERS T. The queen is dead-long live the workers: intraspecific parasitism by workers in the stingless beeMelipona scutellaris. Mol Ecol 2009; 18:4102-11. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2009.04323.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Müller JK, Braunisch V, Hwang W, Eggert AK. Alternative tactics and individual reproductive success in natural associations of the burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides. Behav Ecol 2006. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arl073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Lacerda LM, Simões ZLP. Ovos produzidos por rainhas e operárias de Scaptotrigona depilis (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponina): morfometria e aspectos relacionados. IHERINGIA. SERIE ZOOLOGIA 2006. [DOI: 10.1590/s0073-47212006000100016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A caracterização morfométrica de 785 ovos produzidos por rainhas e 193 (161 funcionais e 32 tróficos) produzidos por operárias de Scaptotrigona depilis (Moure, 1942), mostrou que eles são similares, em tamanho e formato, aos de outras espécies de abelhas Meliponina. Numa mesma colônia, ovos de rainha sempre apresentaram menor comprimento que os de operárias (funcionais ou tróficos). Entre ovos produzidos por operárias, ovos funcionais foram, normalmente, mais curtos e estreitos que os tróficos. O estudo dos ovos produzidos por rainhas não mostrou, como esperado, a presença de dois grupos de ovos distinguíveis pelo comprimento, como observado em S. postica (Latreille, 1807).
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van Wilgenburg E, Driessen G, Beukeboom LW. Single locus complementary sex determination in Hymenoptera: an "unintelligent" design? Front Zool 2006; 3:1. [PMID: 16393347 PMCID: PMC1360072 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-3-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 210] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2005] [Accepted: 01/05/2006] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The haplodiploid sex determining mechanism in Hymenoptera (males are haploid, females are diploid) has played an important role in the evolution of this insect order. In Hymenoptera sex is usually determined by a single locus, heterozygotes are female and hemizygotes are male. Under inbreeding, homozygous diploid and sterile males occur which form a genetic burden for a population. We review life history and genetical traits that may overcome the disadvantages of single locus complementary sex determination (sl-CSD). Behavioural adaptations to avoid matings between relatives include active dispersal from natal patches and mating preferences for non-relatives. In non-social species, temporal and spatial segregation of male and female offspring reduces the burden of sl-CSD. In social species, diploid males are produced at the expense of workers and female reproductives. In some social species, diploid males and diploid male producing queens are killed by workers. Diploid male production may have played a role in the evolution or maintenance of polygyny (multiple queens) and polyandry (multiple mating). Some forms of thelytoky (parthenogenetic female production) increase homozygosity and are therefore incompatible with sl-CSD. We discuss a number of hypothetical adaptations to sl-CSD which should be considered in future studies of this insect order.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen van Wilgenburg
- Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010 Australia
- Institute of Biology Leiden, University of Leiden, P.O. Box 9516, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Gerard Driessen
- Department of Animal Ecology, Institute of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Institute of Biology Leiden, University of Leiden, P.O. Box 9516, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Leo W Beukeboom
- Evolutionary Genetics, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 14, NL-9750 AA Haren, The Netherlands
- Institute of Biology Leiden, University of Leiden, P.O. Box 9516, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
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Abstract
Mutual policing is an important mechanism that maintains social harmony in group-living organisms by suppressing the selfish behavior of individuals. In social insects, workers police one another (worker-policing) by preventing individual workers from laying eggs that would otherwise develop into males. Within the framework of Hamilton's rule there are two explanations for worker-policing behavior. First, if worker reproduction is cost-free, worker-policing should occur only where workers are more closely related to queen- than to worker-produced male eggs (relatedness hypothesis). Second, if there are substantial costs to unchecked worker reproduction, worker-policing may occur to counteract these costs and increase colony efficiency (efficiency hypothesis). The first explanation predicts that patterns of the parentage of males (male parentage) are associated with relatedness, whereas the latter does not. We have investigated how male parentage varies with colony kin structure and colony size in 50 species of ants, bees, and wasps in a phylogenetically controlled comparative analysis. Our survey revealed that queens produced the majority of males in most of the species and that workers produced more than half of the males in less than 10% of species. Moreover, we show that male parentage does not vary with relatedness as predicted by the relatedness hypothesis. This indicates that intra- and interspecific variation in male parentage cannot be accounted for by the relatedness hypothesis alone and that increased colony efficiency is an important factor responsible for the evolution of worker-policing. Our study reveals greater harmony and more complex regulation of reproduction in social insect colonies than that expected from simple theoretical expectations based on relatedness only. Workers of social insects prevent other workers laying eggs to increase colony efficiency and not -- as traditionally thought - purely because workers are more related to the queen of the colony
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert L Hammond
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Bâtiment de Biologie, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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18
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Cameron EC, Franck P, Oldroyd BP. Genetic structure of nest aggregations and drone congregations of the southeast Asian stingless bee Trigona collina. Mol Ecol 2004; 13:2357-64. [PMID: 15245407 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2004.02194.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In stingless bees, sex is determined by a single complementary sex-determining locus. This method of sex determination imposes a severe cost of inbreeding because an egg fertilized by sperm carrying the same sex allele as the egg results in a sterile diploid male. To explore how reproductive strategies may be used to avoid inbreeding in stingless bees, we studied the genetic structure of a population of 27 colonies and three drone congregations of Trigona collina in Chanthaburi, Thailand. The colonies were distributed across six nest aggregations, each aggregation located in the base of a different fig tree. Genetic analysis at eight microsatellite loci showed that colonies within aggregations were not related. Samples taken from three drone congregations showed that the males were drawn from a large number of colonies (estimated to be 132 different colonies in our largest swarm). No drone had a genotype indicating that it could have originated from the colony that it was directly outside. Combined, these results suggest that movements of drones and possibly movements of reproductive swarms among colony aggregations provide two mechanisms of inbreeding avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- E C Cameron
- School of Biological Sciences A12, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
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