Individual brains, collective task: social regulation of stinging behaviour in honeybees

蜜蜂通过集体努力骚扰和蜇刺入侵者来保护自己的巢穴不受大型捕食者的伤害。毒刺装置已经进化到可以在刺痛的弹性皮肤（比如我们的皮肤）上分离，以最大限度地释放毒液，但缺点是被肢解的蜜蜂会在几个小时内死亡。因此，受到威胁的蜂群必须达到一种微妙的平衡：需要足够多的蜜蜂做出反应，成功地阻止入侵者，但又不会不必要地消耗殖民地的劳动力。是什么机制调节着每个人参与或不参与这种集体反应的决定，从而达到这种平衡？我建议蜜蜂整合有关其巢友行为的信息（社会反馈），以微调自己的反应。该项目的目的是研究这种调节机制的行为和神经生物学基础。由于行为实验，我将描述假设的社会反馈，并确定所涉及的感官通道。为了研究这种调节的神经生物学机制，将研究已知和推定的蜜蜂攻击性神经调节剂的作用。表征所涉及的神经元将提供一个起点，解开神经元回路介导的蜜蜂的刺痛反应。因此，该项目将解决基础研究问题，并可能提供新的方法来帮助养蜂人管理这种防御反应。

Honeybees defend their nest against large predators thanks to a collective effort to harass and sting the intruder. The stinger apparatus has evolved to detach upon stinging elastic skin (such as ours) to maximize venom delivery, but the drawback is that the mutilated bee will then die within a few hours. Thus, the honeybee colony under threat has to achieve a delicate balance: enough bees need to respond that the intruder is successfully deterred, but without unnecessarily depleting the colony of its workforce. What are the mechanisms regulating the decision of each individual to engage or not into this collective response, so that this balance is reached? I propose that honeybees integrate information about the behaviour of their nestmates (social feedback) to fine tune their own response. The aim of this project is to study both the behavioural and the neurobiological bases of this regulatory mechanism. Thanks to the behavioural experiments, I will characterize the postulated social feedback and identify the sensory channels involved. In order to study the neurobiological mechanism underlying this regulation, the role of known and putative neuromodulators of honeybee aggression will be investigated. Characterization of the neurons involved will provide a starting point to unravel the neuronal circuitry mediating the stinging response of honeybees. Hence this project will address fundamental research questions and may provide new ways to help beekeepers manage this defensive response.