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Artículos Científicos

URI permanente para esta colecciónhttp://10.0.96.45:4000/handle/11056/17242

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Examinando Artículos Científicos por browse.metadata.procedence "Centro de Investigación Apícolas Tropicales"

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    An unusual recruitment strategy in a mass-recruiting stingless bee, Partamona orizabaensis
    (Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2016-07-13) Flaig, Isabelle; Schmitt, Thomas; Jarau, Stefan; Aguilar, Ingrid
    Foragers of several stingless bee species deposit attractive scent marks on solid substrates to precisely recruit nestmates to food. Interestingly, Partamona workers quickly recruit large numbers of nest mates to resources, likely even without the deposition of attractive scent marks. However, systematic studies of the recruitment system of these bees are lacking. We now studied the recruitment behavior of P. orizabaensis. Our findings show that foragers of this species can recruit large numbers of nestmates to food sources at a particular location. The precise nestmate recruitment does not rely on attractive scent marks deposited on substrates. We never observed any scent marking behavior and feeders baited with labial or mandibular gland extracts were not attractive for the bees. Chemical analyses showed that the foragers' labial gland secretions exclusively contain long chain hydrocarbons, which render their role in recruitment communication unlikely. Whether mandibular gland secretions, which contain esters and alcohols that are known as attractive pheromones in other bee species, are used to guide recruits toward food during flight, remains elusive. We conclude that Partamona's quick recruitment system that does not rely on conspicuous scent marks has evolved as a strategy against competition with sympatrically occurring and more aggressive bee species.
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    Behavioural development and abdomen inflation of gynes and newly mated queens of Melipona beecheii (Apidae, Meliponinae)
    (Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, 1999-06-28) Van Veen, Johan; Sommeijer, M; Aguilar Monge, I
    The behaviour of gynes of Melipona beecheii in queen-deprived colonies was studied. The period after emergence until acceptance is characterized by agonistic behaviour of workers towards the gynes. The gynes escaped from this worker aggression by hiding in the periphery of the nest, by performing rapid turn-arounds once grabbed by a worker, and „feigning death“. Between acceptance and nup tial flight, gynes spent most of their time in pushing, hiding, and antennal contact with workers, and self-grooming or food solicitation. After the nuptial flight the queen’s be havioural repertoire shifted to less pushing and food solicita tion, to an increase in standing, tapping and antennal contact. Accepted gynes had a significantly more prolonged ab domen inflation than gynes that were eliminated. An hypothesis is presented to explain how abdomen enlargement and behavioural development influences the acceptance of gynes and the establishment of a dominance relation with workers under queenless conditions.