Genetic diversity within honeybee colonies increases signal production by waggle-dancing foragers

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
Heather R MattilaT D Seeley

Abstract

Recent work has demonstrated considerable benefits of intracolonial genetic diversity for the productivity of honeybee colonies: single-patriline colonies have depressed foraging rates, smaller food stores and slower weight gain relative to multiple-patriline colonies. We explored whether differences in the use of foraging-related communication behaviour (waggle dances and shaking signals) underlie differences in foraging effort of genetically diverse and genetically uniform colonies. We created three pairs of colonies; each pair had one colony headed by a multiply mated queen (inseminated by 15 drones) and one colony headed by a singly mated queen. For each pair, we monitored the production of foraging-related signals over the course of 3 days. Foragers in genetically diverse colonies had substantially more information available to them about food resources than foragers in uniform colonies. On average, in genetically diverse colonies compared with genetically uniform colonies, 36% more waggle dances were identified daily, dancers performed 62% more waggle runs per dance, foragers reported food discoveries that were farther from the nest and 91% more shaking signals were exchanged among workers each morning prior to foraging. ...Continue Reading

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Citations

May 5, 2009·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Lars ChittkaNigel E Raine
Dec 18, 2013·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Raphaël Jeanson, Anja Weidenmüller
May 16, 2013·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Jennifer M JandtAndrew Sih
Oct 2, 2012·Current Biology : CB·Heather R MattilaMichael L Smith
May 31, 2019·Genes, Brain, and Behavior·Ebi A GeorgeRicarda Scheiner
Jul 17, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Chelsea N CookBrian H Smith
Jan 1, 2012·Insects·Robert BrodschneiderKarl Crailsheim

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