Task specialization in a wild bee,Apis florea (Hymenoptera: Apidae), revealed by RFLP banding |
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| Authors: | Benjamin P Oldroyd H Allen Sylvester Siriwat Wongsiri Thomas E Rinderer |
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| Institution: | (1) Honey-Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, 1157 Ben Hur Road, 70820 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA;(2) Bee Biology Research Unit, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, 10330 Bangkok, Thailand;(3) Present address: Department of Genetics and Human Variation, La Trobe University, 3078 Bundoora, Vic, Australia |
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| Abstract: | Workers in a wild in situ colony of the dwarf honey bee, Apis florea, were observed undertaking the following behavior: liquid foraging, pollen foraging, guarding, stinging, fanning and wagging abdomen. Bees of each behavioral class were separately collected and frozen. Collections were made over a period of 10 days. Random samples of brood and workers were also collected. DNA was extracted from each bee and  fingerprinted using a probe of unknown sequence obtained from an A. mellifera genomic library. Patterns of fingerprints (Fig. 1) were dissimilar among behavioral classes (Tables 1 and 2), strongly suggesting a genetic component to division of labor in this species. This result supports similar findings in A. mellifera in a species that is not troubled by many of the experimental difficulties inherent in A. mellifera.
Correspondence to: B.P. Oldroyd |
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| Keywords: | Honey bee Subfamily RFLP Task specialization Dwarf honey bee Thailand Multiple mating |
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