The role of the queen mandibular gland pheromone in honeybees (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Apis mellifera</Emphasis>): honest signal or suppressive agent? |
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Authors: | Katrin Strauss Holger Scharpenberg Robin M Crewe Felix Glahn Heidi Foth Robin F A Moritz |
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Institution: | 1.Institut für Biologie,Martin-Luther-Universit?t Halle-Wittenberg,Halle (Saale),Germany;2.Department of Zoology and Entomology,University of Pretoria,Pretoria,South Africa;3.Institut für Umwelttoxikologie,Martin-Luther-Universit?t Halle-Wittenberg,Halle (Saale),Germany |
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Abstract: | Queen pheromones interfere with worker reproduction in social insects. However, there is still an unresolved question as to
whether this pheromone acts as an “honest” signal for workers, giving a reliable indication of the queen’s reproductive value,
or as a suppressive agent, inhibiting worker reproduction independent of the queen’s reproductive capacity. In honeybees (Apis mellifera), the queen’s mandibular gland secretion, a mix of fatty acids and some aromatic compounds, is crucial for regulating the
reproductive division of labor in the colony inhibiting ovary development in workers. We quantified the mandibular gland secretions
of virgin, drone-laying, and naturally mated queens using gas chromatography to test whether the queens’ mating, ovary activation,
or the reproductive value for workers correlated with the composition of the secretion. Although the absolute amounts of the
“queen substance” 9-oxo-2(E)-decenoic acid (9-ODA) were similar among the three groups, the proportions of 9-ODA decreased
with increasing reproductive quality. Furthermore, the ratios of queen to worker compounds were similar in all three treatment
groups, irrespective of the reproductive capacity. A multivariate analysis including all six compounds could not separate
drone-laying queens from naturally mated ones, both with active ovaries but only the latter ensuring colony survival. We suggest
that the mandibular gland pheromones are unlikely to function as reliable indicators of queen reproductive value and rather
operate as an agent to suppress worker reproduction. This does not exclude the possibility that other “honest” pheromone signals
exist in the honeybee colony, but these would have to arise from other semiochemicals, which could be produced by both the
queen and the brood. |
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Keywords: | Honeybee Queen– worker conflict Pheromone Fecundity Dominance |
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