ORCID Profile
0000-0001-5181-2461
Current Organisation
Mais Abelhas Apicultura & Consultoria Ambiental Ltda
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Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-01-2014
DOI: 10.1007/S00114-014-1149-3
Abstract: High genetic ersity is important for the functioning of large insect societies. Across the social Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps), species with the largest colonies tend to have a high colony-level genetic ersity resulting from multiple queens (polygyny) or queens that mate with multiple males (polyandry). Here we studied the genetic structure of Trigona spinipes, a stingless bee species with colonies an order of magnitude larger than those of polyandrous honeybees. Genotypes of adult workers and pupae from 43 nests distributed across three Brazilian biomes showed that T. spinipes colonies are usually headed by one singly mated queen. Apart from revealing a notable exception from the general incidence of high genetic ersity in large insect societies, our results reinforce previous findings suggesting the absence of polyandry in stingless bees and provide evidence against the sperm limitation hypothesis for the evolution of polyandry. Stingless bee species with large colonies, such as T. spinipes, thus seem promising study models to unravel alternative mechanisms to increase genetic ersity within colonies or understand the adaptive value of low genetic ersity in large insect societies.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 31-01-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S00040-022-00894-0
Abstract: Queens play an essential role in the colonies of stingless bees. Typically, only one queen occurs in a colony at any time, and she dominates the egg laying. Their presence maintains colony cohesion and ensures the development and survivorship of these matriarchal societies. Yet there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of queen life cycles as compared to their daughters, the workers. In this review, we follow chronologically the life of queens from pre-emergence inside brood cells (caste determination), to their interaction with workers (queen selection) and males (sexual selection), and up to adulthood. Stingless bee queens can be determined either trophically or genetically. After emergence, the virgin queens undergo a selection process whereby many are executed by workers. The body size, pheromones, age and behaviour of virgin queens may play a role in queen selection. Queens then leave the nest on a nuptial flight during which they mate just once. After mating, queens are still susceptible to workers’ harassment. For ex le, if they produce diploid males they are killed by workers. Previous studies have successfully in vitro reared and mated virgin queens under laboratory conditions, which have revealed new insights of queen development time, the threshold of minimum and maximum provided food to larvae developing into queens, and lethal and sublethal effects of agrochemical substances. These new techniques have also provided new information about queen physiology. However, the daily routine of queens inside colonies demands further well-designed experiments to capture other patterns of behaviour which remain poorly understood, including their interactions with other queens, workers and even males.
Location: Brazil
Location: Brazil
Location: Brazil
No related grants have been discovered for Charles dos Santos.