Behavioural and neurophysiological adaptations for food localization using plant odours in bees and wasps: a comparison between specialists and generalists

蜜蜂和黄蜂利用植物气味进行食物定位的行为和神经生理学适应：专家和通才之间的比较

• 批准号: 265531173
• 负责人: Dr. Hannah Burger
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Arbeitsgruppe Neurobiologie
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2013-12-31 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/265531173?language=en
• 关键词: Behavioural; neurophysiological; adaptations; food; localization

Volatiles emitted by plants play a major role in guiding insects to food sources. Floral and vegetative odour patterns are described for many plant species but the behaviour-triggering compounds in interactions between plants and insect visitors have rarely been identified. The aim of this study is to investigate whether bees and wasps show specific adaptations in behaviour and olfactory processing to localize food sources. A combination of bioassays, electrophysiology and chemical analyses, as well as neurophysiological experiments will be used. We will test the hypothesis that specialist bees have evolved to recognize their specific host flowers using host-plant specific odour. Generalist bees and nectar-foraging wasps may orientate on generalist floral cues. Further, we will investigate whether specialist bees show functional adaptations in the neural processing of floral volatiles at the level of the first brain area processing odours, the antennal lobes, in comparison to a closely related generalist bee species. The long-term goal of this project is to understand the evolution of behavioural and physiological adaptations in specialist and generalist insects.

植物释放的挥发物在引导昆虫寻找食物来源方面起着重要作用。许多植物物种都描述了花和植物的气味模式，但植物和昆虫之间相互作用的行为触发化合物很少被确定。本研究的目的是调查蜜蜂和黄蜂是否在行为和嗅觉处理方面表现出特定的适应性来定位食物来源。将使用生物分析、电生理和化学分析以及神经生理实验相结合的方法。我们将测试这一假设，即专业蜜蜂已经进化到通过宿主植物的特定气味来识别其特定的宿主花朵。多面手蜜蜂和采蜜黄蜂可能根据多面手的花卉线索定位。此外，我们将研究专业蜜蜂是否在处理气味的第一大脑区域，即触角叶的水平上显示出对花挥发物的神经处理的功能适应，与密切相关的通才蜜蜂相比。该项目的长期目标是了解专门型和通才型昆虫的行为和生理适应的进化。