PRF/J: Hormonal Regulation of Worker Behavior in Stingless Bees (Melipona favosa F.)

在蜜蜂中发现的第一种关于分工可塑性的内分泌调节机制是保幼激素(JH)。在这项研究中，JH作为基于年龄的任务表现(年龄多形性)的分工调节器的进化将在高级社会性昆虫中得到检验。将寻求的是JH滴度与年龄多形性之间的相关性和因果关系，这两个物种表现出独立进化的高级社会行为：无刺蜜蜂Melipona efosa和蜂群创建的黄蜂Polybia occientals.巴拿马的实地研究将包括三个主题：(A)JH滴度与行为差异的关联，通过检查内源性JH滴度(通过放射免疫测定法进行评估)与来自未经处理的蜂群的工人的年龄多形性之间的相关性，(B)JH增加对行为的影响，方法是对黄曲霉工蚁局部应用JH，然后测试对年龄多形性的剂量依赖效应，(C)JH滴度与行为角色可塑性的相关性，通过将工蚁从觅食和筑巢工作中移除，然后与无反应的个体相比，测量行为改变的个体的JH滴度。结果将阐明分工的进化模式，分工是高级社会性昆虫昆虫群体整合的核心组成部分。昆虫协会是复杂的、自组织的实体，可用作神经系统和生物发育等其他系统的模型。这项研究将通过加强对系统各个组成部分的行为如何在生理上进行调节的理解，来增加我们对群体功能规则的了解。了解个体行为转化为群体功能的机制是昆虫社会生物学的中心焦点。这些信息对于发现当代陆地生态系统中共栖昆虫进化成功和生态影响的因素至关重要，特别是像这些膜翅目昆虫所栖息的热带生态系统。

The first endocrinological regulating mechanism for plasticity in division of labor identified in a eusocial insect, the honey bee (Apis mellifera), is juvenile hormone (JH). The evolution of JH as a regulator of division of labor by age-based task performance (age polyethism) in advanced eusocial insects will be examined in this research. What will be sought are correlative and causal relationships between JH titer and age polyethisms in workers of two species exhibiting independently- evolved advanced eusocial behavior: the stingless bee Melipona favosa and the swarm-founding wasp Polybia occidentalis. Field studies in Panama are to encompass three topics: (a) association of JH titer with behavioral differences, by examination of correlations between endogenous JH titer (assessed by radio-immunoassay) and rate of age polyethisms in workers from unmanipulated colonies, (b) effects of increased JH on behavior, by application of JH topically to M. favosa workers and then testing for dose-dependency effects on age polyethism, (c) correlation of JH titer with plasticity of behavioral role, to be studied by removal of workers from foraging and nest working tasks, then gauging the JH titers of behaviorally altered individuals compared with non-responsive ones. Results will elucidate patterns of the evolution of division of labor, a central component of insect colony integration of advanced eusocial insects. %%% Insect societies are complex, self-organizing entities that are useful as models for other systems such as nervous systems and organismal development. This study will augment our knowledge of rules governing colony function by enhancing understanding of how the behavior of individual components of the system are regulated physiologically. Comprehending mechanisms by which individual behavior is translated into colony function is a central focus of insect sociobiology. Such information is critical to discovering the elements responsible for evolutionary success and ecological impact of eusocial insect in contemporary terrestrial ecosystems, especially tropical ones such as these Hymenopterans inhabit.