Intracolonial genetic diversity in honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies increases pollen foraging efficiency

Eckholm, Bruce; Anderson, Kirk E.; Weiss, Milagra; DeGrandi-Hoffman, Gloria

doi:10.1007/s00265-010-1108-8

Cited by 28 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…2010). Competitive advantages attributed to a diverse workforce are well established in the honeybee (Mattila & Seeley 2007; Eckholm et al. 2010) and have been modelled as ‘social heterosis’ by Nonacs & Kapheim (2007), providing a mechanism by which DL systems may maintain genetic diversity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of an ant-ant obligate mutualism: colony growth, density dependence and frequency dependence

et al. 2011

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In insect societies, worker vs. queen development (reproductive caste) is typically governed by environmental factors, but many Pogonomyrmex seed-harvester ants exhibit strict genetic caste determination, resulting in an obligate mutualism between two reproductively isolated lineages. Same-lineage matings produce fertile queens while alternate-lineage matings produce sterile workers. Because new virgin queens mate randomly with multiple males of each lineage type, and both worker and queen phenotypes are required for colony growth and future reproduction, fitness is influenced by the relative frequency of each lineage involved in the mutualistic breeding system. While models based solely on frequency-dependent selection predict the convergence of lineage frequencies towards equal (0.5/0.5), we surveyed the lineage ratios of 49 systems across the range of the mutualism and found that the global lineage frequency differed significantly from equal. Multiple regression analysis of our system survey data revealed that the density and relative frequency of one lineage decreases at lower elevations, while the frequency of the alternate lineage increases with total colony density. While the production of the first worker cohort is largely frequency dependent, relying on the random acquisition of worker-biased sperm stores, subsequent colony growth is independent of lineage frequency. We provide a simulation model showing that a net ecological advantage held by one lineage can lead to the maintenance of stable but asymmetric lineage frequencies. Collectively, these findings suggest that a combination of frequency-dependent and frequency-independent mechanisms can generate many different localized and independently evolving system equilibria.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of an ant-ant obligate mutualism: colony growth, density dependence and frequency dependence

et al. 2011

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“…In our study, pollen foragers from MDI colonies had significantly higher hemolymph protein titers than pollen foragers from SDI colonies. Since MDI hives collect more pollen (Mattila and Seeley 2007;Eckholm et al 2011), and greater food availability can lead to earlier foraging activity (Seeley 1985), higher hemolymph protein among MDI foragers may be indicative of earlier onset of foraging behavior. However, since nurses from MDI colonies are both consuming and distributing more protein than nurses from SDI colonies, the increased protein demand by a genetically diverse nurse population may be expediting the pollen foraging effort as well.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Schmickl and Crailsheim (2002) found that nursing frequency and duration were correlated with the amount of available pollen, resulting in higher larval protein content in well-nourished colonies. MDI colonies collect more pollen than SDI colonies (Mattila and Seeley 2007;Eckholm et al 2011). Thus, more nutrients flow into MDI colonies, affording increases in both brood rearing and brood protein content.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Variation in behavioral states within a multiple patriline colony thus enhances the overall foraging effort. Indeed, when compared to honey bee colonies with reduced intracolonial genetic diversity, honey bee colonies with greater intracolonial genetic diversity are more efficient at pollen foraging, resulting in greater amounts of pollen collected and increased brood production (Mattila and Seeley 2007;Eckholm et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Honey bee (Apis mellifera) intracolonial genetic diversity influences worker nutritional status

Eckholm¹,

Huang

Anderson

et al. 2014

Apidologie

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International audienceHoney bee queens mate with multiple males resulting in high intracolonial genetic diversity among nestmates; a reproductive strategy known as extreme polyandry. Several studies have demonstrated the adaptive significance of extreme polyandry for overall colony performance and colony growth. Colonies that are more genetically diverse collect more pollen than colonies with less diversity. However, the effects of intracolonial genetic diversity on worker nutritional status are unknown. We created colonies headed by queens instrumentally inseminated with sperm from either 1 or 20 drones, then compared protein consumption, digestion, and uptake among nestmates. We found that nurse bees from colonies with multiple-drone-inseminated (MDI) queens consumed more pollen, had lower amounts of midgut tissue protease, and invested more protein into larvae than nurse bees from single-drone-inseminated (SDI) queens. Pollen foragers from MDI colonies had significantly higher hemolymph protein concentration than pollen foragers from SDI colonies. Differences in hemolymph protein concentration between nurses and pollen foragers were significantly smaller among MDI colonies than among SDI colonies. While intracolonial genetic diversity is correlated with increased foraging, our results suggest that this relationship may be driven in part by the elevated resource demands of nurse bees in genetically diverse colonies that consume and distribute more protein in response to the social context within the hive

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“…There are also a number of less obvious mechanisms that can help to provide an adequate diversity of solutions. Firstly, scouts are half sisters but they contain a certain level of genetic diversity due to their patrilineal descent from a number of different fathers (Eckholm et al, 2011;Mattila and Seeley, 2010). This may introduce slight differences in the propensity to explore and maybe even in their valuations of any given potential nest site.…”

Section: Diversity Of Potential Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Major Mechanisms Contributing to Swarm Intelligence

Foss

2016

Syst. Res

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This article examines some of the major mechanisms that might contribute to the apparent collective intelligence of the honey bee swarm and determines their role in its nest site decision making process. Decentralization of power allowed the swarm to utilize massively parallel information processing during its search for a new home. Various diversity generating mechanisms provided the swarm with a full range of potential nest sites for consideration. Numerous independent evaluations of nest site quality provided a relatively unbiased and noise free assessment of each site's survival worthiness. Differential net recruitment to the better quality sites aggregated evidence in favour of each site. A natural selection type process selected out the best competing sites and the first site to accumulate a quorum level of support was chosen as the swarm's new home. The article discusses the implications of these findings and how they relate to collective decision making by human groups. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Intracolonial genetic diversity in honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies increases pollen foraging efficiency

Cited by 28 publications

References 47 publications

Dynamics of an ant-ant obligate mutualism: colony growth, density dependence and frequency dependence

Dynamics of an ant-ant obligate mutualism: colony growth, density dependence and frequency dependence

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) intracolonial genetic diversity influences worker nutritional status

Major Mechanisms Contributing to Swarm Intelligence

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