scholarly journals Optimizing Laboratory Rearing of a Key Pollinator, Bombus impatiens

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 673
Author(s):  
Erin Treanore ◽  
Katherine Barie ◽  
Nathan Derstine ◽  
Kaitlin Gadebusch ◽  
Margarita Orlova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Cues ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Laboratory Rearing ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
The Social ◽  
Solitary Phase ◽  
Early Phases ◽  
Effect Of Age

Bumble bees are key pollinators for wild and managed plants and serve as a model system in various research fields, largely due to their commercial availability. Despite their extensive use, laboratory rearing of bumble bees is often challenging, particularly during the solitary phase queens undergo before founding a colony. Using a literature survey, we demonstrate that most studies rely on commercially available species that are provided during the colony’s social phase, limiting study on early phases of the life cycle and the ability to control for colony age and relatedness. Laboratory rearing is challenging since the queen solitary phase is less understood compared to the social phase. To overcome this barrier, we examined several aspects related to the queen solitary phase: the effect of age on likelihood of mating, how the timing of CO2 narcosis post-mating (a technique to bypass diapause) affects egg-laying, and whether different social cues affect the success of colony initiation. Our data show an optimum age for mating in both sexuals and decreased egg-laying latency in the presence of workers and pupae. The timing of CO2 narcosis did not significantly affect egg laying in queens. These findings can be incorporated to improve bumble bee rearing for research purposes.

Chromosome numbers of 15 North American bumble bee species (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombini)

1983 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-29
Author(s):  
Robin E. Owen
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Number ◽  
North American ◽  
Chromosome Numbers ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Morphological Divergence ◽  
Chromosome Counts ◽  
Monophyletic Origin ◽  
The Social

Chromosome counts were obtained for 14 Bombus Latr. species (the social bumble bees) belonging to four subgenera and for one Psithyrus Lep. species (the social parasitic bumble bees). In Bombus the haploid numbers were consistent within each subgenus and there was variation between subgenera; the subgenera Bombus s.s. and Pyrobombus have n = 18, while Separatobombus and Cullumanobombus have n = 19. Thus considerable morphological divergence between subgenera is often, but not always, paralleled by divergence in chromosome number. Psithyrus ashtoni has n = 25, higher than all Bombus species yet examined. This provides support for the monophyletic origin of Psithyrus, but the high n is not expected if eusociality selects for increase in chromosome number.

scholarly journals Novel Characteristics of Immune Responsive Protein IRP30 in the Bumble Bee Bombus lantschouensis (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Dong ◽  
Jie Wu ◽  
Lei Han ◽  
Jiaxing Huang ◽  
Deqian Wang
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Specific Protein ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
The Family ◽  
Single Clade ◽  
Worker Caste

Abstract Immune responsive protein 30 (IRP30) is a Hymenoptera-specific protein first identified from honey bee hemolymph in response to bacterial infection. However, its function remains elusive. Here, we cloned the full-length IRP30 gene and clarified its expression pattern in the bumble bee Bombus lantschouensis (Vogt). The full-length IRP30 gene measures 1443 bp and contains two exons and one intron. The length of the cDNA is 1082 bp, including a 36-bp 5′-UTR and a 218-bp 3′-UTR, and it encodes a putative protein of 275 amino acids. As expected, the sequence of the B. lantschouensis IRP30 protein was clustered with the bumble bee group, which appeared as a single clade next to honey bees. The family shared similar conserved protein domains. Moreover, bumble bee IRP30 belongs to a recently diverged clade that has four leucine-rich repeat (LRR) conserved domains. IRP30 is highly expressed in the worker caste, during pupal developmental stages, and in the head and thorax tissues. Interestingly, its expression increases 20- to 90-fold when female bumble bees (B. lantschouensis) and honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) begin laying eggs. Overall, based on the expression of IRP30 during development and egg laying in female bumble bees, this protein not only responds to immune challenge but also may play an important role in metamorphosis and reproduction.

WORKER-MALE CONFLICT AND INBREEDING IN BUMBLE BEES (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE)

1979 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.C. Plowright ◽  
M.J. Pallett
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Colony Growth ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Diploid Males ◽  
Early Phases

AbstractWorker-male conflict in different bumble bee species is strongly associated with tendency, toward inbreeding. It is hypothesized that the major cost imposed by inbreeding arises from the production of diploid males in place of workers, during the early phases of colony development. The consequent dilution of the labour force slows down colony growth and leads to ultimate reduction in reproductive success. An experiment to test this hypothesis is described, using consanguineously mated queens of B. atratus Fkln. Colonies yielding a 1:1 mixture of males and workers grew significantly more slowly than normal all-worker producing colonies, providing support for the hypothesis.

Does context matter? Effects of robot appearance and reliability on social attention differs based on lifelikeness of gaze task

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulaziz Abubshait ◽  
Patrick P. Weis ◽  
Eva Wiese
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Physical Appearance ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Social Attention ◽  
Social Cues ◽  
Social Signals ◽  
Mind Perception ◽  
The Social ◽  
Behavioral Features

Social signals, such as changes in gaze direction, are essential cues to predict others’ mental states and behaviors (i.e., mentalizing). Studies show that humans can mentalize with non-human agents when they perceive a mind in them (i.e., mind perception). Robots that physically and/or behaviorally resemble humans likely trigger mind perception, which enhances the relevance of social cues and improves social-cognitive performance. The current ex-periments examine whether the effect of physical and behavioral influencers of mind perception on social-cognitive processing is modulated by the lifelikeness of a social interaction. Participants interacted with robots of varying degrees of physical (humanlike vs. robot-like) and behavioral (reliable vs. random) human-likeness while the lifelikeness of a social attention task was manipulated across five experiments. The first four experiments manipulated lifelikeness via the physical realism of the robot images (Study 1 and 2), the biological plausibility of the social signals (Study 3), and the plausibility of the social con-text (Study 4). They showed that humanlike behavior affected social attention whereas appearance affected mind perception ratings. However, when the lifelikeness of the interaction was increased by using videos of a human and a robot sending the social cues in a realistic environment (Study 5), social attention mechanisms were affected both by physical appearance and behavioral features, while mind perception ratings were mainly affected by physical appearance. This indicates that in order to understand the effect of physical and behavioral features on social cognition, paradigms should be used that adequately simulate the lifelikeness of social interactions.

scholarly journals Landscape Enhancements in Apple Orchards: Higher Bumble Bee Queen Species Richness, but No Effect on Apple Quality

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 421
Author(s):  
Amélie Gervais ◽  
Marc Bélisle ◽  
Marc J. Mazerolle ◽  
Valérie Fournier
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Pesticide Use ◽  
Apple Orchards ◽  
Seed Number ◽  
Apple Production ◽  
Apple Quality ◽  
Effective Pollinators ◽  
Quality Weight

Bumble bees are among the most effective pollinators in orchards during the blooming period, yet they are often threatened by the high levels of pesticide use in apple production. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of landscape enhancements (e.g., hedgerows, flower strips) on bumble bee queens in apple orchards. Bumble bee queens from 12 orchards in southern Québec (Canada) were marked, released, and recaptured in the springs and falls of 2017 to 2019. Half of the 12 orchards had landscape enhancements. Apples were harvested in 2018 and 2019 to compare their quality (weight, diameter, sugar level, and seed number) in sites with and without landscape enhancements. Species richness, as well as the occurrence of three species out of eight, was higher in orchards with landscape enhancements than in orchards without such structures. The occurrence of Bombus ternarius was lower in orchards with high levels of pesticide use. Apples had fewer seeds when collected in orchards with landscape enhancements and were heavier in orchards that used more pesticides. Our work provides additional evidence that landscape enhancements improve bumble bee presence in apple orchards and should therefore be considered as a means to enhance pollination within farms.

scholarly journals Olfactory coding in the antennal lobe of the bumble bee Bombus terrestris

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel Mertes ◽  
Julie Carcaud ◽  
Jean-Christophe Sandoz
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
Antennal Lobe ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Carbon Chain Length ◽  
Olfactory Coding ◽  
Major Transitions

AbstractSociality is classified as one of the major transitions in evolution, with the largest number of eusocial species found in the insect order Hymenoptera, including the Apini (honey bees) and the Bombini (bumble bees). Bumble bees and honey bees not only differ in their social organization and foraging strategies, but comparative analyses of their genomes demonstrated that bumble bees have a slightly less diverse family of olfactory receptors than honey bees, suggesting that their olfactory abilities have adapted to different social and/or ecological conditions. However, unfortunately, no precise comparison of olfactory coding has been performed so far between honey bees and bumble bees, and little is known about the rules underlying olfactory coding in the bumble bee brain. In this study, we used in vivo calcium imaging to study olfactory coding of a panel of floral odorants in the antennal lobe of the bumble bee Bombus terrestris. Our results show that odorants induce reproducible neuronal activity in the bumble bee antennal lobe. Each odorant evokes a different glomerular activity pattern revealing this molecule’s chemical structure, i.e. its carbon chain length and functional group. In addition, pairwise similarity among odor representations are conserved in bumble bees and honey bees. This study thus suggests that bumble bees, like honey bees, are equipped to respond to odorants according to their chemical features.

Age Differences in the Social Associative Learning of Trust Information

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendra Leigh Seaman ◽  
Alexander P. Christensen ◽  
Katherine Senn ◽  
Jessica Cooper ◽  
Brittany Shane Cassidy
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Social Cues ◽  
Trust Game ◽  
Time Model ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Cortical Areas ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Social ◽  
Over Time

Trust is a key component of social interaction. Older adults, however, often exhibit excessive trust relative to younger adults. One explanation is that older adults may learn to trust differently than younger adults. Here, we examine how younger (N=33) and older adults (N=30) learn to trust over time. Participants completed a classic iterative trust game with three partners. Younger and older adults shared similar amounts but differed in how they shared money. Compared to younger adults, older adults invested more with untrustworthy partners and less with trustworthy partners. As a group, older adults displayed less learning than younger adults. However, computational modeling shows that this is because older adults are more likely to forget what they have learned over time. Model-based fMRI analyses revealed several age-related differences in neural processing. Younger adults showed prediction error signals in social processing areas while older adults showed over-recruitment of several cortical areas. Collectively, these findings suggest that older adults attend to and learn from social cues differently from younger adults.

The laying of male eggs by bumble bee queens: an experimental reappraisal and a new hypothesis

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 493-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Plowright ◽  
C. M. S. Plowright
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Laying Performance ◽  
Laying Workers ◽  
New Hypothesis

The hypothesis that proximal factors associated with high worker density in a bumble bee (Bombus terricola) colony trigger laying of male eggs by the queen was examined in a series of four experiments. Neither the age of workers, the presence or absence of laying workers, nor the amount of pollen available to the colony affected the date of first male egg laying. Moreover, queens that had begun laying male eggs did not revert to laying female eggs after being removed from their colonies and placed in isolation. Instead, onset of male egg production appeared to be associated with the date of attainment of a critical worker/larva ratio in the colony. Functional considerations lead to the new hypothesis that queens monitor their egg-laying performance and begin to lay male eggs when it can be predicted that their female eggs will be raised as young queens.

scholarly journals Transparency in Autonomous Teammates

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
April Rose Panganiban ◽  
Gerald Matthews ◽  
Michael D. Long
Keyword(s):  
Social Cues ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
Human Machine Interaction ◽  
Team Collaboration ◽  
Task Setting ◽  
The Social ◽  
Team Environment ◽  
Near Term ◽  
Occupational Settings ◽  
Machine Interaction

Human–Machine teaming is a very near term standard for many occupational settings and still requires considerations for the design of autonomous teammates (ATs). Transparency of system processes is important for human–machine interaction and reliance but standards for its implementation are still being explored. Embedding social cues is a potential design approach, which may capture the social benefits of a team environment, yet vary with task setting. The current study examined the manipulation of transparency of benevolent intent from an AT within a piloting task requiring suppression of enemy defenses. Specifically, the benevolent AT maintained task communication as in a neutral condition, but included messages of support and awareness of errors. Benevolent communication reduced reported workload and increased reported team collaboration, indicating that this team intent was beneficial. In addition, trust and acceptance of the AT were rated higher by individuals tasked with depending on the system to protect them from missile threats. The need for information from ATs is beneficial, however may vary depending on team type.

scholarly journals The Effect of Age and Genotype on Quality of Eggs in Brown Egg‑Laying Hybrids

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 407-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Kraus ◽  
Lukáš Zita
Keyword(s):  
Laying Hens ◽  
Egg Quality ◽  
Shape Index ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Average Weight ◽  
Eggshell Thickness ◽  
External Quality ◽  
Technological Value ◽  
Effect Of Age

The aim was to assess the internal and external quality of consumer eggs of egg‑laying hens of two selected genotypes depending on their age. All of these hens were kept in enriched cages. There were compared eggs from Hy‑Line Brown and ISA Brown hens at the age from 36 to 64 weeks. In total, 3840 eggs from 300 hens were evaluated. Quality of eggs was determined by their technological value. Statistically significant interactions (P = 0.001) between age and genotype were found in all evaluated parameters except for the yolk colour (P = 0.044), whereas there was not found interaction (P = 0.072) between age and genotype in eggshell strength. The significant effect of hens’ age was found in all evaluated parameters, with the only exception of the yolk colour. The results showed that the average weight of eggs, eggshell, albumen and yolk increased with the age. Also the eggshell proportion, its colour and yolk index values ​​increased, whereas the egg shape index, eggshell thickness and strength, albumen proportion, Haugh units, the albumen and the yolk index decreased. Statistically significant effect of the genotype was found in all evaluated parameters except for the yolk index. When comparing both genotypes, the eggs from ISA Brown hens had a better quality. The trend of deteriorating egg quality with age was confirmed.

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