T. Pankiw et Re. Page, The effect of genotype, age, sex, and caste on response thresholds to sucrose and foraging behavior of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.), J COMP PH A, 185(2), 1999, pp. 207-213
Citations number
11
Categorie Soggetti
Physiology
Journal title
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY A-SENSORY NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL PHYSIOLOGY
Bees derived from artificially selected high- and low-pollen-hoarding strai
ns were tested for their proboscis extension reflex response to water and v
arying sucrose concentrations. High-strain bees had a lower response thresh
old to sucrose than low-strain bees among pre-foragers, foragers, queens an
d drones. Preforaging low-strain workers showed ontogenetic changes in thei
r response threshold to sucrose which was inversely related to age. High-st
rain foragers were more likely to return with loads of water compared to lo
w-strain foragers. Whereas low-strain foragers were more likely to return w
ith loads of nectar. Low-strain nectar foragers collected nectar with signi
ficantly higher sucrose concentrations than did the high-strain nectar fora
gers. Alternatively, low-strain foragers were more likely to return empty c
ompared to high-strain foragers. These studies demonstrate how a genotypica
lly varied sensory-physiological process, the perception of sucrose, are as
sociated with a division of labor for foraging.