We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Nectar profitability, not empty honey stores, stimulate recruitment and foraging in Melipona scutellaris (Apidae, Meliponini).
- Authors
Schorkopf, Dirk; Sá Filho, Geovan; Maia-Silva, Camila; Schorkopf, Martina; Hrncir, Michael; Barth, Friedrich
- Abstract
In stingless bees (Meliponini) like in many other eusocial insect colonies food hoarding plays an important role in colony survival. However, very little is known on how Meliponini, a taxon restricted to tropical and subtropical regions, respond to different store conditions. We studied the impact of honey removal on nectar foraging activity and recruitment behaviour in Melipona scutellaris and compared our results with studies of the honey bee Apis mellifera. As expected, foraging activity increased significantly during abundance of artificial nectar and when increasing its profitability. Foraging activity on colony level could thereby frequently increase by an order of magnitude. Intriguingly, however, poor honey store conditions did not induce increased nectar foraging or recruitment activity. We discuss possible reasons explaining why increasing recruitment and foraging activity are not used by meliponines to compensate for poor food conditions in the nest. Among these are meliponine specific adaptations to climatic and environmental conditions, as well as physiology and brood rearing, such as mass provisioning of the brood.
- Subjects
NECTAR; STINGLESS bees; INSECT societies; ANIMAL clutches; FORAGING behavior
- Publication
Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural & Behavioral Physiology, 2016, Vol 202, Issue 9/10, p709
- ISSN
0340-7594
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00359-016-1102-3