Dissertation Research: Sociogenomics of pheromone response and reproductive traits in worker honey bees

阐明生态相关行为自然变异的机制基础是神经行为学、行为生态学、进化生物学和行为遗传学等许多学科的基本组成部分。本研究旨在了解化学通讯背后的遗传、生理和发育变异。蜜蜂的社会互动是由信息素信号调节的。蜂王产生一种信息素，抑制工蜂卵巢的发育，吸引工蜂舔它、舔它的触角、喂它。先前的研究表明，信息素的反应存在显著差异，然而，很少有研究集中在理解可能介导对信息素的反应的分子和生理过程上。蜂后信息素反应的自然变异是强大而广泛的，并且与蜜蜂工蜂大脑中基因表达模式的全球差异有关。此外，这种变异与基因型、生理和发育差异有关。本研究将通过结合分子和定量遗传方法来描述工蜂对蜂王费洛蒙的行为反应产生自然变化的分子机制和途径，以扩大我们对这些过程的理解。该项目将为一名研究生和几名本科生提供数量遗传学方面的培训。这些研究将提高对调节化学通讯的生理、发育、分子和基因型因素的理解，最终目标是了解因素（遗传、生理和环境）的不同组合如何影响生活史特征。

Elucidating the mechanistic bases of natural variation in ecologically relevant behavior is a fundamental component of many disciplines ranging from neuroethology, behavioral ecology, evolutionary biology and behavioral genetics. This proposal seeks to understand the genetic, physiological, and developmental variation underlying chemical communication. In honey bees, social interactions are modulated by pheromonal signaling. The queen produces a pheromone that inhibits worker ovary development and attracts workers to lick, antennate, and feed her. Previous work has demonstrated that there is significant variation in pheromone response, however, very little research has focused on understanding the molecular and physiological processes that might mediate responsiveness to pheromones. Natural variation in responsiveness to queen pheromone is robust and widespread, and is linked to global differences in gene expression patterns in the brains of honey bee workers. Furthermore, this variation is associated with genotypic, physiological and developmental differences. This proposal will characterize the molecular mechanisms and pathways in worker honey bees that produce natural variation in behavioral responses to queen pheromone by using a combination of molecular and quantitative genetic approaches to expand our understanding of these processes. This project will provide training in quantitative genetics for a graduate student and several undergraduates. These studies will improve understanding of the physiological, developmental, molecular and genotypic factors that modulate chemical communication, with an ultimate goal of understanding how different combinations of factors (genetic, physiological, and environmental) influence life history traits.