Effect of mating delay on the ovary of Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides (Hymenoptera: Apidae) queens

Abstract

The effect of mating delay on the ovary structure of virgin queens of Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides (Hymenoptera: Apidae) was investigated. Virgin queens 15, 20, 25 and 30 days old were dissected to analyze their degree of ovary degeneration. To verify whether the degeneration would cause permanent sterility, virgin queens of the same ages (15, 20, 25 and 30 days) were mated and accompanied for at least 14 days to verify whether there was physogastry and then dissected. The ovaries were analyzed by histology, histochemical tests and TUNEL to verify programmed cell death. The results showed that mating delay interrupted oogenesis preventing vitellogenesis. Mating delay results in ovary degeneration which increased with queen age. However, even when there was ovariole degeneration, 25-day-old virgin queens after mating presented normal ovariole activation.

Oosorption in the Endoparasitoid,Pteromalus puparum

“…Nutritional deficiency is the main cause of oosorption, but other factors such as season, parasitism, age, social pressure (reproductive dominance by an individual), and absence of mating are also closely associated with oosorption (King and Richards 1968; Bell and Bohm 1975; Patricio and Cruz-Landim 2002; De Souza et al 2007). The present investigation shows that starvation, which leads to degeneration of mature oocytes, is an important factor inducing oosorption in P. puparum .…”

“…This process has been demonstrated in various insect species (King and Ratcliffe 1969; Bell and Bohm 1975; Rivero-Lynch and Godfray 1997; Rosenheim et al 2000; Kotaki 2003; Asplen and Byrne 2006; De Souza et al 2007). Resorption of oocytes is assumed, in most cases, to be a way of recycling eggs that have reached maturity, but which have not been used in oviposition (Rivero and Godfray 1997).…”

Postembryonic Development of Rectal Pads in Bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

“…The presence of TUNEL-positive cells, and cells with vacuolated cytoplasm and pycnotic nuclei within the intrapapillary lumen may also be indicative of the occurrence of cell death (Kerr et al, 1972;Souza et al, 2007). In the insect gut, both apoptotic and necrotic cell death have been observed (Rost, 2006;Tettamanti et al, 2007;Rost-Roszkowska, 2008a, 2008bFialho et al, 2009;Park et al, 2009), while in some species necrosis accompanies apoptosis (Rost-Roszkowska, 2008b).…”

Ontogeny and reproductive biology of Diadegma semiclausum (Hym.: Ichneumonidae), a larval endoparasitoid of Diamondback Moth, Plutella xylostella (Lep.: Plutellidae)

“…One of the important life-history variables that correlate with ovigeny index is parasitoid egg resorption capability (Jervis et al, 2005). Egg resorption of oocytes in the ovary defined as oosorption (Asplen and Byrne, 2006;Jervis and Kidd, 1986a,b;Guo et al, 2011) is induced by environmental stress including host or food scarcity (Jervis et al, 2001;Guo et al, 2011) and mating delay (De Souza et al, 2007). However, information on oosorption in D. semiclausum remains deficient and requires further study.…”