Gene expression profiles in the brain predict behavior in individual honey bees

We show that the age-related transition by adult honey bees from hive work to foraging is associated with changes in messenger RNA abundance in the brain for 39% of approximately 5500 genes tested. This result, discovered using a highly replicated experimental design involving 72 microarrays, demonstrates more extensive genomic plasticity in the adult brain than has yet been shown. Experimental manipulations that uncouple behavior and age revealed that messenger RNA changes were primarily associated with behavior. Individual brain messenger RNA profiles correctly predicted the behavior of 57 out of 60 bees, indicating a robust association between brain gene expression in the individual and naturally occurring behavioral plasticity.     

新烟碱类杀虫剂对蜜蜂行为与生理影响的研究进展

在过去的30年间,世界上农药种类的发展已经从有机磷酸酯类和氨基甲酸酯类转变成能够与昆虫乙酰胆碱受体结合的新烟碱类.新烟碱类杀虫剂通过作用于昆虫的乙酰胆碱受体,释放乙酰胆碱受体抑制剂,阻碍昆虫神经传导,影响昆虫正常生理行为,最终导致昆虫麻痹死亡.蜜蜂作为重要的授粉昆虫,在采集过程中,会经常接触到这类农药,不仅会对蜜蜂个体造成影响,蜜蜂采集归巢后,杀虫剂还会污染整个蜂群,这无疑给世界养蜂业带来了很大威胁.本文从蜜蜂的行为与生理方面进行综述,总结近年来有关新烟碱类杀虫剂对蜜蜂健康影响的报道,以期为后续相关研究与实践提供理论基础.     

Enzymatic basis of mannose toxicity in honey bees

Honey bees have a negligible amount of phosphomannoseisomerase, together with a high content of a hexokinase which phosphorylates mannose more efficiently than fructose or glucose. Competition at the phosphorylation level plus accumulation of mannose-6-phosphate can fully account for the toxicity of mannose in honey bees.     

Hearing in honey bees: detection of air-particle oscillations

Although the airborne sounds produced by dancing honey bees seem essential in the bees' dance communication, attempts to show directly that bees can detect airborne sounds have been unsuccessful. It is shown here that bees can in fact detect airborne sounds and that they do so by detecting air-particle movements. Most vertebrates, by contrast, detect pressure oscillations. Because all traveling sound waves have both components, either can be used in sound detection. The bees' acoustic sense appears to be sensitive enough to allow bees to detect the air-particle movements that occur within several millimeters of a sound-emitting dancer.     

Colony defense by africanized and European honey bees

Africanized and European honey bee (Apis mellifera) populations showed quantitative differences in colony defensive behavior. Africanized bees responded faster and in much larger numbers than European honey bees and produced 8.2 and 5.9 times as many stings during two different experiments. Times to react to alarming stimuli were negatively correlated with the number of bees responding and to the total number of stings. The number of bees responding was significantly correlated to the total number of stings only for the Africanized population.     

Competitive interactions between neotropical pollinators and africanized honey bees

The Africanized honey bee, a hybrid of European and African honey bees, is thought to displace native pollinators. After experimental introduction of Africanized honey bee hives near flowers, stingless bees became less abundant or harvested-less resource as visitation by Africanized honey bees increased. Shifts in resource use caused by colonizing Africanized honey bees may lead to population decline of Neotropical pollinators.     

A common pesticide decreases foraging success and survival in honey bees

Nonlethal exposure of honey bees to thiamethoxam (neonicotinoid systemic pesticide) causes high mortality due to homing failure at levels that could put a colony at risk of collapse. Simulated exposure events on free-ranging foragers labeled with a radio-frequency identification tag suggest that homing is impaired by thiamethoxam intoxication. These experiments offer new insights into the consequences of common neonicotinoid pesticides used worldwide.     

Hybridization between European and africanized honey bees in the neotropical yucatan peninsula

A population genetic analysis of honey bees of the Mexican neotropical Yucatan peninsula shows that the range expansion of Africanized bees there has involved extensive introgressive hybridization with European bees. Yucatan honey bee populations now include many colonies with intermediate morphologies. Genotypes of mitochondria have disassociated from historically correlated Africanized or European morphology, producing diverse phenotypic associations. This suggests that the size of resident European populations may be important in explaining previously reported asymmetrical hybridization. Evidence of natural hybridization is encouraging for the use of genetic management to mitigate the effects of Africanized bees in the United States.     

RAPD分子标记在蜜蜂遗传育种中的应用

RAPD分子标记在蜜蜂遗传育种中得到较广泛应用 .利用 RAPD分子遗传标记 ,估测蜜蜂性别决定位点 (x)与低幼虫存活率位点的标记序列位置 (STS)之间的遗传距离为 1 .6c M;构建了蜜蜂 (Apismellifera)遗传连锁图 ,确定了蜜蜂性基因位点 (x)、黑色体色基因位点 (blk)、苹果酸脱氢酶 (Mdh-1 )位点分别位于第 3、6、1 8个连锁群 ;确定了影响蜜蜂采粉、报警信息素水平、螫刺行为和体长等数量性状的基因座位 ;筛选出 5种引物 ,这些引物所扩增的 RAPD标记可作为鉴别欧洲蜜蜂和非洲蜜蜂 (A. mellifera L.)的分子标记 .蜜蜂高产性状 RAPD标记的研究已取得一定进展     

Investigation of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) breeds and populations for developing criteria for genetic certification of bees

Data on investigation of honey bee breeds and populations in Russia are given. The structure of populations and genetic diversity of breeds are studied with the use of mtDNA diagnostics. Amplification products with a fragment length from 300 to 1000 bp are obtained in various bee breeds by PCR. The main morphological traits of bees of various origins are given and the parent material for developing criteria for their genetic certification is selected.     

Brood care in halictine bees

Four species of the halictine bee genus Evylaeus keep their brood cells open during most or part of the development of the larvae. In the colonial summer phase, house bees care for the young and keep brood cells clean from feces and exuviae. Progressive feeding of nector is present at least in Evylaeus malachurus, whose fully fed larvae are, on an average, 60 percent heavier than the egg-and-pollen stage. Interactions between the two generations of social Halictinae are of general occurrence, and their intensity corresponds to the level of social behavior attained.     

I&Q系统对颈部鳞状上皮细胞癌治疗作用的监测

目的:近红外光光谱技术监测颈部鳞状细胞癌肿的治疗作用.方法:应用I&Q(同步或正交相位)检测系统来跟踪监测颈部癌肿病人的血氧含量.结果:现今临床采用的放疗和化疗方法都能改变肿瘤组织内血和氧含量,结论:I&Q系统则可以定量地检测组织的生物特性的变化.     

Polymorphism in some nearctic halictine bees

Average difference in size between queens and workers of four social Halictinae common to southern Ontario ranges from 6 percent in Augochlorella striata (Prov.) to 15 percent in Evylaeus cinctipes (Prov.). Spring larvae receive. provisions averaging 33.9 milligrams and become small workers; summer larvae consume on average 61.7 milligrams and develop into large queens and males.     

蜜蜂微卫星的研究进展

蜜蜂个体在遗传上是不同的,其本质不是在基因产物上,而是在DNA水平上的差异.分子标记能在DNA水平上反映蜜蜂遗传基础的差异,是蜜蜂遗传育种领域内的一项新兴技术.微卫星(microsatellite)是指以少数几个核苷酸(多数为1-5个)为单位多次串联重复的DNA序列,人们也称之为简单序列重复(simple sequence repeats)、短串联重复(short tandem repeats)或简单序列长度多态性(simple sequence length polymorphism).是当今四大分子标记技术之一.1989年,3个独立的研究小组几乎同时建立了这一技术,并且证实它作为位点特异遗传标记具有巨大潜力.     

人工羽化对蜜蜂的影响

结果表明,人工羽化[温度(34.5±0.2)℃,相对湿度35%-45%]与自然羽化工蜂(ApismelliferaL.)的封盖期、吻长、翅面积和背板长差异均不显著(P>0.05),但初生重差异极显著(P<0.01).     

Behavioral control of workers by queens in primitively eusocial bees

Queens of Lasioglossum zephyrum, a primitively eusocial bee, are considerably more active than workers. The queen's behavior stimulates worker activities; removal of the queen results in a marked reduction in activities of other bees. The queen not only activates workers but also directs them by a primitive recruitment behavior suggestive of tandem running of highly eusocial ants.     

Queen pheromone blocks aversive learning in young worker bees

Queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) has profound effects on dopamine signaling in the brain of young worker honey bees. As dopamine in insects has been strongly implicated in aversive learning, we examined QMP's impact on associative olfactory learning in bees. We found that QMP blocks aversive learning in young workers, but leaves appetitive learning intact. We postulate that QMP's effects on aversive learning enhance the likelihood that young workers remain in close contact with their queen by preventing them from forming an aversion to their mother's pheromone bouquet. The results provide an interesting twist to a story of success and survival.