Pheromone paths attached to the substrate in meliponine bees: helpful but not obligatory for recruitment success


Autoria(s): SCHORKOPF, Dirk Louis P.; MORAWETZ, Linde; BENTO, Jose M. S.; ZUCCHI, Ronaldo; BARTH, Friedrich G.
Contribuinte(s)

UNIVERSIDADE DE SÃO PAULO

Data(s)

18/10/2012

18/10/2012

2011

Resumo

In contrast to marking of the location of resources or sexual partners using single-spot pheromone sources, pheromone paths attached to the substrate and assisting orientation are rarely found among flying organisms. However, they do exist in meliponine bees (Apidae, Apinae, Meliponini), commonly known as stingless bees, which represent a group of important pollinators in tropical forests. Worker bees of several Neotropical meliponine species, especially in the genus Scaptotrigona Moure 1942, deposit pheromone paths on substrates between highly profitable resources and their nest. In contrast to past results and claims, we find that these pheromone paths are not an indispensable condition for successful recruitment but rather a means to increase the success of recruiters in persuading their nestmates to forage food at a particular location. Our results are relevant to a speciation theory in scent path-laying meliponine bees, such as Scaptotrigona. In addition, the finding that pheromone path-laying bees are able to recruit to food locations even across barriers such as large bodies of water affects tropical pollination ecology and theories on the evolution of resource communication in insect societies with a flying worker caste.

Austrian Science Fund FWF[P17530]

Identificador

JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY A-NEUROETHOLOGY SENSORY NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL PHYSIOLOGY, v.197, n.7, p.755-764, 2011

0340-7594

http://producao.usp.br/handle/BDPI/19050

10.1007/s00359-011-0638-5

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00359-011-0638-5

Idioma(s)

eng

Publicador

SPRINGER

Relação

Journal of Comparative Physiology A-neuroethology Sensory Neural and Behavioral Physiology

Direitos

restrictedAccess

Copyright SPRINGER

Palavras-Chave #Pheromone trail #Evolution #Communication #Orientation #Flying worker caste #SCAPTOTRIGONA AFF. DEPILIS #COLLECTIVE DECISION-MAKING #STINGLESS BEES #SCENT TRAIL #GLAND SECRETIONS #ODOR-TRAIL #FOOD #COMMUNICATION #SUPERORGANISM #HYMENOPTERA #Behavioral Sciences #Neurosciences #Physiology #Zoology
Tipo

article

original article

publishedVersion