Effects of Intracolonial Genetic Diversity on Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colony Performance

Oldroyd, Benjamin P.; Rinderer, Thomas E.; Harbo, John R.; Buco, Steven M.

doi:10.1093/aesa/85.3.335

Cited by 93 publications

(76 citation statements)

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“…That such strong differences were found between colony types with a modest sample size (a necessary trade of colony number for detailed behavioural observations) is compelling evidence that these differences are real. Furthermore, it reinforces the trend that single-patriline honey bee colonies consistently underperform relative to multiple-patriline colonies (Fuchs and Schade, 1994;Jones et al, 2004;Seeley, 2007, 2010;Mattila et al, 2008;Oldroyd et al, 1992), rather than showing similar mean performance with a relative increase in variation around that mean.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

“…Honey bee queens who mate multiply minimize the fitness load incurred by colonies as a result of the production of sterile diploid males (Page, 1980;Shaskolsky, 1976;Tarpy and Page, 2002) and produce work forces with an enhanced ability to overcome the effects of parasites and pathogens (Baer and Schmid-Hempel, 2001;Palmer and Oldroyd, 2003;Seeley and Tarpy, 2007;Sherman et al, 1988;Tarpy and Seeley, 2006). Importantly, intracolonial genetic diversity has been linked to an increase in colony-level productivity and long-term fitness (Fuchs and Schade, 1994;Jones et al, 2004;Oldroyd et al, 1992;Mattila and Seeley, 2007). Similar increases in colony growth and foraging productivity have been found in harvester ants (Cole and Wiernasz, 1999;Wiernasz et al, 2004Wiernasz et al, , 2008 and wasps (Goodisman et al, 2007) as mate number per queen rises.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Recruitment-dance signals draw larger audiences when honey bee colonies have multiple patrilines

2010

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Honey bee queens (Apis mellifera) who mate with multiple males produce colonies that are filled with numerous genetically distinct patrilines of workers. A genetically diverse colony benefits from an enhanced foraging effort, fuelled in part by an increase in the number of recruitment signals that are produced by foragers. However, the influence of patriline diversity on the attention paid to these signals by audiences of potentially receptive workers remains unexplored. To determine whether recruitment dances performed by foragers in multiple-patriline colonies attract a greater number of dance followers than dances in colonies that lack patriline diversity, we trained workers from multiple-and singlepatriline colonies to forage in a greenhouse and monitored their dance-following activity back in the hives. On average, more workers followed a dance if it was performed in a multiple-patriline colony rather than a single-patriline colony (33% increase), and for a greater number of dance circuits per follower. Furthermore, dance-following workers in multiple-patriline colonies were more likely to exit their hive after following a dance, although this did not translate to a difference in colony-level exit rates between treatment types. Recruiting nest mates to profitable food sources through dance communication is critical to a colony's foraging success and long-term fitness; polyandrous queens produce colonies that benefit not only from increased recruitment signalling, but also from the generation of larger and more attentive audiences of signal receivers. This study highlights the importance of integrating responses of both signal senders and receivers to understand more fully the success of animal-communication systems.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recruitment-dance signals draw larger audiences when honey bee colonies have multiple patrilines

2010

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“…In the honeybee, it has been shown that short-term productivity of small colonies tends to be higher in genetically more diverse colonies (Fuchs & Schade 1994). However, this trend does not occur in larger nests and/or over longer time periods, and it depends on genotypes (Oldroyd et al 1992;Fuchs & Schade 1994). Genetic diversity was also shown to reduce colony-level variance in task performance or at maintaining a stable temperature in the nest (Jones et al 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One proposal for the evolution of polyandry in social Hymenoptera is that increased genetic diversity among worker offspring translates into a more efficient division of labour (polyethism), so raising the efficiency of the colony and its overall productivity (Crozier & Page 1985;Mattila & Seeley 2007;Oldroyd & Fewell 2007). By mating multiply, queens produce genetically diverse workers that carry different genes from their respective fathers.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic diversity, worker size polymorphism and division of labour in the polyandrous ant Cataglyphis cursor

et al. 2008

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Understanding the adaptive significance of multiple mating (polyandry) by females has long been a challenge in evolutionary biology. Several genetic and nongenetic benefits have been proposed to explain the evolution and maintenance of polyandry. In eusocial Hymenoptera, a prominent hypothesis is that increased genetic diversity within colonies results in more polymorphic workers and facilitates division of labour. We analysed the genetic basis of worker size (i.e. worker head width) and task preference in Cataglyphis cursor, an ant showing natural variations in queen-mating frequency. Our data show that increased genetic diversity within colonies does not result in more polymorphic workers. Moreover, worker head width is not different between patrilines within colonies. Consistent with these findings, worker size has a low heritable component. Moreover, task performance is not correlated with patriline. By contrast, it is significantly associated with worker size: the first foragers leaving the nest at sunrise are significantly larger than workers remaining in the nest. Overall, these results do not support the hypothesis that multiple mating is favoured because increased genetic diversity within colonies translates into more polymorphic workers and facilitates genetic polyethism. We discuss other hypotheses to account for the evolution of polyandry in C. cursor.

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“…In addition, a number of studies, while not directly investigating the relationship between genetic diversity and disease, have investigated whether it improves colony fitness. Although some have found colony fitness benefits to result from polyandry (Oldroyd et al 1992;Fuchs and Schade 1994;Page et al 1995;Cole and Wiernaz 1999), others have not (Fuchs et al 1996;Sundström and Ratnieks 1998;Neumann and Moritz 2000;Costa and Ross 2003;Fjerdingstad et al 2003). The evidence for the genetic diversity/disease resistance hypothesis is thus currently limited to just two species {Apis mellifera and Bombus terrestris), of which one {Bombus terrestris) is obligately monoandrous (Schmid-Hempel and Schmid-Hempel 2000; .…”

Section: Acromyrmex and Pogonomyrmex])mentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic Diversity and Disease Resistance in Leaf-Cutting Ant Societies

Hughes

Boomsma

2004

Evol

112

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Abstract.•Multiple mating by females (polyandry) remains hard to explain because, while it has substantial costs, clear benefits have remained elusive. The problem is acute in the social insects because polyandry is probably particularly costly for females and most material benefits of the behavior are unlikely to apply. It has been suggested that a fitness benefit may arise from the more genetically diverse worker force that a polyandrous queen will produce. One leading hypothesis is that the increased genetic diversity of workers will improve a colony's resistance to disease. We investigated this hypothesis using a polyandrous leaf-cutting ant and a virulent fungal parasite as our model system. At high doses of the parasite most patrilines within colonies were similarly susceptible, but a few showed greater resistance. At a low dose of the parasite there was more variation between patrilines in their resistance to the parasite. Such genetic variation is a key prerequisite for polyandry to result in increased disease resistance of colonies. The relatedness of two hosts did not appear to affect the transmission of the parasite between them, but this was most likely because the parasite tested was a virulent generalist that is adapted to transmit between distantly related hosts. The resistance to the parasite was compared between small groups of ants of either high or low genetic diversity. No difference was found at high doses of the parasite, but a significant improvement in resistance in high genetic diversity groups was found at a low dose of the parasite. That there is genetic variation for disease resistance means that there is the potential for polyandry to produce more disease-resistant colonies. That this genetic variation can improve the resistance of groups even under the limited conditions tested suggests that polyandry may indeed produce colonies with improved resistance to disease.

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Effects of Intracolonial Genetic Diversity on Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colony Performance

Cited by 93 publications

References 0 publications

Recruitment-dance signals draw larger audiences when honey bee colonies have multiple patrilines

Recruitment-dance signals draw larger audiences when honey bee colonies have multiple patrilines

Genetic diversity, worker size polymorphism and division of labour in the polyandrous ant Cataglyphis cursor

Genetic Diversity and Disease Resistance in Leaf-Cutting Ant Societies

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