Title: | The Nasonov gland pheromone as a potential source of death cue in Apis cerana |
Author(s): | Klett K; Zhang JJ; Zhang YY; Wang Z; Dong S; Tan K; |
Address: | "CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650000, Yunnan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Academy of Animal Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650000, Yunnan, China. CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650000, Yunnan, China. Electronic address: dongshihao@xtbg.ac.cn. CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650000, Yunnan, China. Electronic address: kentan@xtbg.ac.cn" |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2021.104238 |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1879-1611 (Electronic) 0022-1910 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "The ability to detect and remove dead adult bees is an essential part of honeybee colony fitness that prevents the spread of pathogens. Fatty acid olfactory cues stimulate undertaking behavior among different social species within Hymenoptera, but the chemicals responsible for the death cue in Apis cerana have not yet been identified. We explored the Nasonov gland as a potential source of these chemicals in A. cerana. Gas chromatography indicated that unlike A. mellifera, the A. cerana Nasonov gland does not contain any volatile terpenes, only fatty acids. As a bioassay, dead honeybees were rinsed free of their individual cuticular hydrocarbons via dichloromethane and two concentrations of oleic acid and a synthetic blend of the Nasonov pheromone in A. cerana were applied to the dummies. Results showed that oleic acid did not stimulate corpse removal in A. cerana. However, the synthetic pheromone blend of A. cerana Nasonov did stimulate removal" |
Keywords: | "Animals Bees/*chemistry Behavior, Animal Cues *Death Pheromones/*chemistry Apis cerana Death cue Nasonov Gland Necromone Necrophoresis Social Immunity;" |
Notes: | "MedlineKlett, Katrina Zhang, Jun-Jun Zhang, Ying-Ying Wang, Zhengwei Dong, Shihao Tan, Ken eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2021/04/12 J Insect Physiol. 2021 May-Jun; 131:104238. doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2021.104238. Epub 2021 Apr 8" |