| Title: | Drosophila melanogaster and worker honeybees (Apis mellifera) do not require olfaction to be susceptible to honeybee queen mandibular pheromone |
| Author(s): | Lovegrove MR; Knapp RA; Duncan EJ; Dearden PK; |
| Address: | "Genomics Aotearoa and Laboratory for Evolution and Development, Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT Leeds, United Kingdom. School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT Leeds, United Kingdom. Genomics Aotearoa and Laboratory for Evolution and Development, Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Electronic address: Peter.dearden@otago.ac.nz" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2020.104154 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1879-1611 (Electronic) 0022-1910 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Eusociality is characterised by the reproductive division of labour; a dominant female (queen) or females are responsible for the majority of reproduction, and subordinate females are reproductively constrained. Reproductive constraint can be due to behavioural aggression and/or chemical cues, so-called queen pheromones, produced by the dominant females. In the honeybee, Apis mellifera, this repressive queen pheromone is queen mandibular pheromone (QMP). The mechanism by which honeybee workers are susceptible to QMP is not yet completely understood, however it is thought to be through olfaction via the antennae and/or gustation via trophallaxis. We have investigated whether olfaction is key to sensing of QMP, using both Drosophila melanogaster- a tractable non-eusocial insect which is also reproductively repressed by QMP- and the target species, A. mellifera worker honeybees. D. melanogaster are still capable of sensing and responding to QMP without their antenna and maxillary palps, and therefore without olfactory receptors. When worker honeybees were exposed to QMP but unable to physically interact with it, therefore required to use olfaction, they were similarly not reproductively repressed. Combined, these findings support either a non-olfactory based mechanism for the repression of reproduction via QMP, or redundancy via non-olfactory mechanisms in both D. melanogaster and A. mellifera. This study furthers our understanding of how species are susceptible to QMP, and provides insight into the mechanisms governing QMP responsiveness in these diverse species" |
| Keywords: | Animals Bees/*physiology Drosophila melanogaster/*physiology Female *Olfactory Perception Pheromones/*metabolism *Smell Antennae Eusociality Maxillary palps Olfaction Oogenesis Qmp Queen pheromones; |
| Notes: | "MedlineLovegrove, M R Knapp, R A Duncan, E J Dearden, P K eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2020/10/12 J Insect Physiol. 2020 Nov-Dec; 127:104154. doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2020.104154. Epub 2020 Oct 8" |
