Behavioral and Chemical Analyses of Trail Pheromones in the Amazonian Bumble Bee (Bombus transversalis)

动物行为计划非技术摘要标题：POWRE：亚马逊河流域熊蜂（熊蜂transversalis）的踪迹信息素的行为和化学分析。CameronProposal编号：9973447群居昆虫具有复杂的化学通讯系统，可以与人类复杂的通讯系统相媲美。 例如，众所周知，觅食的蚂蚁会沿着它们用化学信息素标记的地面足迹前进，以调解与殖民地其他成员的交流。 卡梅隆博士最近发现，亚马逊雨林中的一种社会性蜜蜂会清理和跟踪类似于蚂蚁地面足迹的足迹，这一发现令人震惊，因为蜜蜂（和黄蜂）并不知道使用地面足迹来收集资源。 卡梅隆博士的POWRE研究的重点是确定最近发现的跟踪蜜蜂是否像蚂蚁一样用通信信息素标记它们的踪迹。蚂蚁和这种不寻常的雨林蜜蜂在使用踪迹信息素方面的生态趋同似乎是很有可能的。 POWRE活动的组织，以测试这一假设与行为观察，实验操作，和化学分析，并证明了一个更大的比较研究的可行性线索信息素在蜜蜂。 卡梅隆进行试点研究，以收集关键的初步数据，并为她提供了机会，以获得所需的基本化学分析技能进行比较外分泌腺研究的扩大计划。 这些技能将通过在东道机构（特拉维夫大学）与昆虫化学通讯领域的一位主要科学家接触获得。 这项合作将推进我们对社会昆虫化学通讯的了解，并推进卡梅隆博士自己的研究计划，使她能够最终将行为和化学生态学与正在进行的蜜蜂社会行为进化研究相结合。

Animal Behavior ProgramNon-technical AbstractTitle: POWRE: Behavioral and Chemical Analyses of Trail Pheromones in the Amazonian bumble bee (Bombus transversalis)PI: Sydney A. CameronProposal #: 9973447 Social insects are endowed with complex chemical communication systems that rival the sophisticated communication systems of humans. It is well known, for instance, that foraging ants follow ground trails they chemically mark with pheromones to mediate communication with other members of the colony. The recent discovery by Dr. Cameron that a social bee in the Amazonian rain forest clears and follows trails resembling the ground trails of ants is striking because bees (and wasps) are not known to use ground trails for collecting resources. The focus of Dr. Cameron's POWRE research is to determine whether the recently discovered trail-following bees mark their trails with communication pheromones, as ants do. Ecological convergence between ants and this unusual rain forest bee in the use of trail pheromones seems quite possible. The POWRE activities are organized to test this hypothesis with behavioral observations, experimental manipulations, and chemical analyses, and to demonstrate the feasibility of a larger comparative study of trail pheromones in bees. The POWRE grant allows Dr. Cameron to conduct a pilot study to collect critical preliminary data, and affords her the opportunity to acquire the basic chemical-analytical skills required to carry on an expanded program in comparative exocrine-gland research. These skills will be acquired through contact at the host institution (Tel Aviv University) with a leading scientist in the field of chemical communication in insects. This collaboration will advance our knowledge of chemical communication in social insects and advance Dr. Cameron's own research program by enabling her to ultimately integrate behavior and chemical ecology with ongoing research into the evolution of social behavior in bees.