Sperm limitation and the evolution of extreme polyandry in honeybees (Apis mellifera L.)

Honeybee queens (Apis mellifera) show extreme levels of polyandry, but the evolutionary mechanisms underlying this behaviour are still unclear. The sperm-limitation hypothesis, which assumes that high levels of polyandry are essential to get a lifetime sperm supply for large and long-lived colonies, has been widely disregarded for honeybees because the semen of a single male is, in principle, sufficient to fill the spermatheca of a queen. However, the inefficient post-mating sperm transfer from the queens lateral oviducts into the spermatheca requires multiple matings to ensure an adequate spermatheca filling. Males of the African honeybee subspecies A. m. capensis have fewer sperm than males of the European subspecies A. m. carnica. Thus, given that sperm limitation is a cause for the evolution of multiple mating in A. mellifera, we would expect A. m. capensis queens to have higher mating frequencies than A. m. carnica. Here we show that A. m. capensis queens indeed exhibit significantly higher mating frequencies than queens of A. m. carnica, both in their native ranges and in an experiment on a North Sea island under the same environmental conditions. We conclude that honeybee queens try to achieve a minimum number of matings on their mating flights to ensure a sufficient lifetime sperm supply. It thus seems premature to reject the sperm-limitation hypothesis as a concept explaining the evolution of extreme polyandry in honeybees.Communicated by R.E. Page     

The role of the queen in circadian rhythms of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.)

Summary Colonies and smaller social groups of honeybees (Apis mellifera carnica L.) show distinct free-running circadian rhythms similar to that of individual organisms. The workers of a colony synchronize their individual rhythms to one overall group rhythm. Caste plays an important role in this synchronization process. Queens were introduced into worker groups which were entrained to a phase-shifted light/dark cycle. The introduction of the queen caused a shift in the free-running phase under constant dark conditions. Single introduced workers had no effect on the free-running rhythms. This indicates that the queen plays an important role in the synchronization of circadian rhythms of honeybee colonies.     

Sperm utilization pattern in the honeybee (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Apis mellifera</Emphasis>)

Queen honeybees (Apis mellifera) mate with a large number of drones on their nuptial flights. Not all drones contribute equally to the queens offspring and the queens utilization pattern of spermatozoa from different drones has an important impact on the genetic composition of the colony. Here we study the consequences of sperm use for the fitness of the queens mates with microsatellite DNA-fingerprinting. Eight queens were instrumentally inseminated with semen of six or seven drones. Each drone contributed either 0.5 µl or 1.0 µl semen, respectively, and we analyzed both the impact of the insemination sequence and the amount of semen on the sperm utilization. Our data show no significant effect of the insemination sequence but a strong impact of the semen volume of a drone on the frequency of his worker offspring in the colony. This effect was not linear and the patriline frequencies of the drones contributing larger semen volumes are disproportionately enhanced. If these observations are also valid for natural matings, drone honeybees should maximize the number of sperm but not apply specific mating tactics to be first or last male in a mating sequence.Communicated by R. PageAn erratum to this article can be found at     

Mating flights select for symmetry in honeybee drones (Apis mellifera)

Males of the honeybee (Apis mellifera) fly to specific drone congregation areas (DCAs), which virgin queens visit in order to mate. From the thousands of drones that are reared in a single colony, only very few succeed in copulating with a queen, and therefore, a strong selection is expected to act on adult drones during their mating flights. In consequence, the gathering of drones at DCAs may serve as an indirect mate selection mechanism, assuring that queens only mate with those individuals having a better flight ability and a higher responsiveness to the queen’s visual and chemical cues. Here, we tested this idea relying on wing fluctuating asymmetry (FA) as a measure of phenotypic quality. By recapturing marked drones at a natural DCA and comparing their size and FA with a control sample of drones collected at their maternal hives, we were able to detect any selection on wing size and wing FA occurring during the mating flights. Although we found no solid evidence for selection on wing size, wing FA was found to be significantly lower in the drones collected at the DCA than in those collected at the hives. Our results demonstrate the action of selection during drone mating flights for the first time, showing that developmental stability can influence the mating ability of honeybee drones. We therefore conclude that selection during honeybee drone mating flights may confer some fitness advantages to the queens.     

Debt for brands: tracking down a bias in financing photovoltaic projects in Germany

What kinds of PV project configurations do lenders prefer to finance? Recent developments in the field of renewable energy project finance have reinforced the need for investigation, as fundraising has become more challenging and project evaluation by banks more demanding. To contribute to the limited research in this field, we focus on photovoltaic projects and report from an Adaptive Choice-Based Conjoint experiment with German experts in project finance. We find a bias which we call “debt for brands”. Simulations reveal that debt investors prefer projects with premium brand technology (modules, inverters) to low-cost technology. Although we assumed that lenders prefer projects with the highest Debt Service Cover Ratio (DSCR), they favor projects with lower DSCR, as long as those projects include premium brand technology. We find that, if premium brands were engaged, lenders would also choose projects with higher risk. Our findings have implications for renewable energy project finance in practice and research.     

An empirical perspective for understanding climate change impacts in Switzerland

Regional Environmental Change - Planning for the future requires a detailed understanding of how climate change affects a wide range of systems at spatial scales that are relevant to humans....     

Impact of three different fungicides on fungal epi- and endophytic communities of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and broad bean (Vicia faba)

In this study, the impacts of three different fungicides to fungal phyllosphere communities on broad bean (Vicia faba, Fabaceae) and common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris, Fabaceae) were analyzed. The fungicides included copper, sulfur, and azoxystrobin. The plants were sowed, grown, and treated under conditions occurring in conventional and organic farming. A culture-based approach was used to identify changes in the phyllosphere fungal community after the treatment. Different effects on species richness and growth index of the epiphytic and endophytic communities for common bean and broad bean could be shown. Treatments with sulfur showed the weakest effect, followed by those based on copper and the systemic azoxystrobin, which showed the strongest effect especially on endophytic communities. The epiphytic fungal community took five weeks to recover after treatment with azoxystrobin. However, the effect of azoxystrobin on the endophytic community lasted more than five weeks. Finally, the data suggest that the surface structure of the host leaves have a huge impact on the mode of action that the fungicides exert.     

Terminal double bonds in the alkenes and acetates of defensive secretion from the thrips Suocerathrips linguis Mound & Marullo, 1994 (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae)

Defensive secretions of adult males and females of the subsocial thrips Suocerathrips linguis were examined using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The samples contained six long-chain acetates and five aliphatic alkanes and alkenes. Whole-body extracts yielded six methyl esters of fatty acids as well as hexadecyl acetate. Structures of the two main components, (11Z)-icosa-11,19-dienyl acetate and octadecyl acetate, were confirmed. The third most abundant substance was identified as octadec-17-enyl acetate, which is a new natural product. In addition, (9Z)-octadec-9-enyl acetate was identified along with other acetates. Pure icosadienyl acetate was found to remain liquid down to −15°C, and is the solvent for the solid components of the secretion cocktail. A tentative biosynthetic pathway for all of the 12 acetates, alkanes and alkenes is discussed, considering especially the components with terminal double bonds that are uncommon in Thysanoptera and other insects.