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Mattiacci A, Goñalons CM, Masciocchi M, Corley JC. Gustatory responsiveness in Vespula germanica workers: exploring the interplay between sensory perception and task specialization. INSECT SCIENCE 2024; 31:587-598. [PMID: 37534855 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Workers' task specialization and division of labor are critical features of social insects' ecological success. It has been proposed that the division of labor relies on response threshold models: individuals varying their sensitivity (and responsiveness) to biologically relevant stimuli and performing a specific task when a stimulus exceeds an internal threshold. In this work, we study carbohydrate and protein responsiveness and their relation to worker task specialization in Vespula germanica, an invasive social wasp. The sucrose and peptone responsiveness of two different subcastes, preforagers and foragers, was determined by stimulating the antenna of the wasps with increasing concentrations of the solution and quantifying whether each concentration elicited a licking response. We studied responsiveness in five different ways: (1) response threshold, (2) concentration 50 (concentration to which at least 50% of wasps responded), (3) maximum response, (4) mean scores and (5) median scores. Our results suggest that V. germanica foragers are more sensitive to sucrose (lower thresholds) than preforager workers. However, we found no differences for peptone thresholds (i.e., a protein resource). Nonetheless, this is the first study to investigate response thresholds for protein resources. The intercaste variation in sucrose responsiveness shown in our work contributes to the existing knowledge about response threshold theory as a mechanism for task specialization observed in V. germanica.
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Affiliation(s)
- Analía Mattiacci
- Grupo de Ecología de Poblaciones de Insectos, IFAB (CONICET, INTA EEA Bariloche), Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Carolina Mengoni Goñalons
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maité Masciocchi
- Grupo de Ecología de Poblaciones de Insectos, IFAB (CONICET, INTA EEA Bariloche), Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Juan C Corley
- Grupo de Ecología de Poblaciones de Insectos, IFAB (CONICET, INTA EEA Bariloche), Bariloche, Argentina
- Departamento de Ecología, Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Universidad Nacional Del Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina
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Kardum Hjort C, Paris JR, Smith HG, Dudaniec RY. Selection despite low genetic diversity and high gene flow in a rapid island invasion of the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17212. [PMID: 37990959 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Invasive species are predicted to adjust their morphological, physiological and life-history traits to adapt to their non-native environments. Although a loss of genetic variation during invasion may restrict local adaptation, introduced species often thrive in novel environments. Despite being founded by just a few individuals, Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae) has in less than 30 years successfully spread across the island of Tasmania (Australia), becoming abundant and competitive with native pollinators. We use RADseq to investigate what neutral and adaptive genetic processes associated with environmental and morphological variation allow B. terrestris to thrive as an invasive species in Tasmania. Given the widespread abundance of B. terrestris, we expected little genetic structure across Tasmania and weak signatures of environmental and morphological selection. We found high gene flow with low genetic diversity, although with significant isolation-by-distance and spatial variation in effective migration rates. Restricted migration was evident across the mid-central region of Tasmania, corresponding to higher elevations, pastural land, low wind speeds and low precipitation seasonality. Tajima's D indicated a recent population expansion extending from the south to the north of the island. Selection signatures were found for loci in relation to precipitation, wind speed and wing loading. Candidate loci were annotated to genes with functions related to cuticle water retention and insect flight muscle stability. Understanding how a genetically impoverished invasive bumblebee has rapidly adapted to a novel island environment provides further understanding about the evolutionary processes that determine successful insect invasions, and the potential for invasive hymenopteran pollinators to spread globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Kardum Hjort
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Josephine R Paris
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
| | - Henrik G Smith
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Rachael Y Dudaniec
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Gómez-Moracho T, Durand T, Lihoreau M. The gut parasite Nosema ceranae impairs olfactory learning in bumblebees. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:275951. [PMID: 35726829 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Pollinators are exposed to numerous parasites and pathogens when foraging on flowers. These biological stressors may affect critical cognitive abilities required for foraging. Here, we tested whether exposure to Nosema ceranae, one of the most widespread parasites of honey bees also found in wild pollinators, impacts cognition in bumblebees. We investigated different forms of olfactory learning and memory using conditioning of the proboscis extension reflex. Seven days after feeding parasite spores, bumblebees showed lower performances in absolute, differential, and reversal learning than controls. The consistent observations across different types of olfactory learning indicates a general negative effect of N. ceranae exposure that did not specifically target particular brain areas or neural processes. We discuss the potential mechanisms by which N. ceranae impairs bumblebee cognition and the broader consequences for populations of pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Gómez-Moracho
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI); CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Tristan Durand
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI); CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Mathieu Lihoreau
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI); CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
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Nery D, Palottini F, Farina WM. Classical olfactory conditioning promotes long-term memory and improves odor-cued flight orientation in the South American native bumblebee Bombus pauloensis. Curr Zool 2021; 67:561-563. [PMID: 34616954 PMCID: PMC8489049 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoaa073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Denise Nery
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Florencia Palottini
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Walter M Farina
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Amaya-Márquez M, Tusso S, Hernández J, Jiménez JD, Wells H, I. Abramson C. Olfactory Learning in the Stingless Bee Melipona eburnea Friese (Apidae: Meliponini). INSECTS 2019; 10:insects10110412. [PMID: 31752087 PMCID: PMC6920981 DOI: 10.3390/insects10110412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Olfactory learning and floral scents are co-adaptive traits in the plant–pollinator relationship. However, how scent relates to cognition and learning in the diverse group of Neotropical stingless bees is largely unknown. Here we evaluated the ability of Melipona eburnea to be conditioned to scent using the proboscis extension reflex (PER) protocol. Stingless bees did not show PER while harnessed but were able to be PER conditioned to scent when free-to-move in a mini-cage (fmPER). We evaluated the effect of: 1) unconditioned stimulus (US) reward, and 2) previous scent–reward associations on olfactory learning performance. When using unscented-US, PER-responses were low on day 1, but using scented-US reward the olfactory PER-response increased on day 1. On day 2 PER performance greatly increased in bees that previously had experienced the same odor and reward combination, while bees that experienced a different odor on day 2 showed poor olfactory learning. Bees showed higher olfactory PER conditioning to guava than to mango odor. The effect of the unconditioned stimulus reward was not a significant factor in the model on day 2. This indicates that olfactory learning performance can increase via either taste receptors or accumulated experience with the same odor. Our results have application in agriculture and pollination ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisol Amaya-Márquez
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá 111321, Colombia; (J.H.); (J.D.J.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +57-1-3165000 (ext. 11503/11546)
| | - Sergio Tusso
- Science for Life Laboratories and Department of Evolutionary Biology, Norbyvägen 18D, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden;
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich, 82152 Grosshaderner Str. Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Juan Hernández
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá 111321, Colombia; (J.H.); (J.D.J.)
| | - Juan Darío Jiménez
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá 111321, Colombia; (J.H.); (J.D.J.)
| | | | - Charles I. Abramson
- Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA;
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