Genotype, task specialization, and nest environment influence the stinging response thresholds of individual africanized and european honeybees to electrical stimulation
Por:
Uribe-Rubio J.L., Guzmán-Novoa E., Vázquez-Peláez C.G., Hunt G.J.
Publicada:
1 ene 2008
Resumen:
This study was conducted to analyze the stinging response thresholds of individual European and Africanized worker honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) to electrical stimulation. Newly emerged workers were identified, and either were placed into an incubator, into their natal colonies, or cross-fostered in common colonies of European or Africanized ancestry. Nest and guard bees of each type were collected and exposed to an electric stimulus of 0.5 mA, and the time they took to sting a leather substrate was recorded. Africanized bees consistently had significant lower thresholds of defensive response than European bees across all of the environments tested. Guards were faster to sting than nest bees only for the Africanized genotype, suggesting that alleles of African origin have pleiotropic effects on guarding and stinging. This is the first study that shows that single individuals specialized in guarding also may have a lower response threshold for stinging. Environmental effects were also e
Filiaciones:
Uribe-Rubio J.L.:
CENIDFA-INIFAP, Km 1, Carretera a Colón, Ajuchitlan, Qro 76280, Mexico
Guzmán-Novoa E.:
Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
Vázquez-Peláez C.G.:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, FMVZ, Dept Genet, Mexico City 04510, DF, Mexico
Hunt G.J.:
Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1158, United States
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