| Title: | The Stingless Bee Melipona solani Deposits a Signature Mixture and Methyl Oleate to Mark Valuable Food Sources |
| Author(s): | Alavez-Rosas D; Malo EA; Guzman MA; Sanchez-Guillen D; Villanueva-Gutierrez R; Cruz-Lopez L; |
| Address: | "El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Carretera Antiguo Aeropuerto Km. 2.5, CP 30700, AP 36, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Av. Centenario km 5.5, Apdo. Postal 424, CP 77014, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico. El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Carretera Antiguo Aeropuerto Km. 2.5, CP 30700, AP 36, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. lcruz@ecosur.mx" |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10886-017-0886-0 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1573-1561 (Electronic) 0098-0331 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Stingless bees foraging for food improve recruitment by depositing chemical cues on valuable food sites or pheromone marks on vegetation. Using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and bioassays, we showed that Melipona solani foragers leave a mixture composed mostly of long chain hydrocarbons from their abdominal cuticle plus methyl oleate from the labial gland as a scent mark on rich food sites. The composition of hydrocarbons was highly variable among individuals and varied in proportions, depending on the body part. A wide ratio of compounds present in different body parts of the bees elicited electroantennogram responses from foragers and these responses were dose dependent. Generally, in bioassays, these bees prefer to visit previously visited feeders and feeders marked with extracts from any body part of conspecifics. The mean number of visits to a feeder was enhanced when synthetic methyl oleate was added. We propose that this could be a case of multi-source odor marking, in which hydrocarbons, found in large abundance, act as a signature mixture with attraction enhanced through deposition of methyl oleate, which may indicate a rich food source" |
| Keywords: | Animal Communication Animals *Appetitive Behavior Arthropod Antennae/*physiology Bees/*physiology Food Hydrocarbons/*metabolism Odorants/analysis Oleic Acids/*metabolism Pheromones/metabolism Cuticular hydrocarbons Electroantennography Eusocial Gc/ms Labi; |
| Notes: | "MedlineAlavez-Rosas, David Malo, Edi A Guzman, Miguel A Sanchez-Guillen, Daniel Villanueva-Gutierrez, Rogel Cruz-Lopez, Leopoldo eng Thanks are given to the National Council of Science and Technology CONACYT for scholarship to D. A. R. (CV/grant number: 387462/255265). This study was supported by CONACYT INFR-2014-01(224846)/Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia/ 2017/09/18 J Chem Ecol. 2017 Oct; 43(10):945-954. doi: 10.1007/s10886-017-0886-0. Epub 2017 Sep 16" |
