Intraspecific social parasitism as a reproductive strategy in stingless bees (Apidae, Meliponini)

• Grant number: 10/19717-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2011
• End date: November 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Animal Behavior
• Principal Investigator: Fábio Santos do Nascimento
• Grantee: Denise de Araujo Alves
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 10/10027-5 - Behavioural mediation, chemical signalisation and physiological aspects regulating the social organization in hymenopterans, AP.JP

Abstract

Insect societies are well-known for their high degree of cooperation, but their colonies can also be exploited by intraspecific social parasites. When these "cheaters" do not have direct reproductive options in their natal nest, they seek for reproductive opportunities in other, unrelated colonies. Thus, their brood is reared by unrelated individuals, and the costs are carried by these resident workers. The aim of this project is to investigate the evolutionary conseuqences of the intraspecific social parasitism by reproductive workers and queens in the stingless bees, as well as the proximate mechanisms social parasites have evolved to circumvent the mechanisms that colonies evolved to protect themselves from being exploited. As model systems, we will study Melipona quadrifasciata, M. scutellaris e Scaptotrigona depilis. Five questions are posed: Can reproductive workers succeed in entering unrelated colonies? If the reproductive workers can succeed in entering unrelated colonies, do they prefer to joy a queenright or queenless colony nearby? Given that queens infiltrate and take over other unrelated nests, is there a positive relation between the proportion of reared queen and the number of queens that leave the hives? Is social parasitism by queens linked exclusively to species that produce queens in great excess? Have queens managed to circumvent the mechanisms evolved by the colonies to ensure protection from being exploited? To answer these questions we will use an approach focusing on the biological information available for the chosen species to test the hypotheses using behavioural observations, molecular biology and chemical ecology techniques. We believe that our results will be of interest to the scientific community that work with behavioural ecology, particularly those ones interested in the origin and evolution of social behaviour. (AU)

Scientific publications

(7)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

VOLLET-NETO, AYRTON; DOS SANTOS, CHARLES FERNANDO; SANTIAGO, LEANDRO RODRIGUES; ALVES, DENISE DE ARAUJO; DE FIGUEIREDO, JULIA PINHEIRO; NANZER, MARINO; ARIAS, MARIA CRISTINA; IMPERATRIZ-FONSECA, VERA LUCIA. Diploid males of Scaptotrigona depilis are able to join reproductive aggregations (Apidae, Meliponini). JOURNAL OF HYMENOPTERA RESEARCH, v. 45, p. 125-130, 2015. (12/16716-2, 10/19717-4, 12/11144-0)

JONES, SAM M.; VAN ZWEDEN, JELLE S.; GRUETER, CHRISTOPH; MENEZES, CRISTIANO; ALVES, DENISE A.; NUNES-SILVA, PATRICIA; CZACZKES, TOMER; IMPERATRIZ-FONSECA, VERA L.; RATNIEKS, FRANCIS L. W.. The role of wax and resin in the nestmate recognition system of a stingless bee, Tetragonisca angustula. BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY, v. 66, n. 1, p. 1-12, JAN 2012. (10/19717-4, 07/50218-1, 05/58093-8, 04/15801-0, 08/57782-2)

JAFFE, RODOLFO; PIOKER-HARA, FABIANA C.; DOS SANTOS, CHARLES F.; SANTIAGO, LEANDRO R.; ALVES, DENISE A.; KLEINERT, ASTRID DE M. P.; FRANCOY, TIAGO M.; ARIAS, MARIA C.; IMPERATRIZ-FONSECA, VERA L.. Monogamy in large bee societies: a stingless paradox. NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN, v. 101, n. 3, p. 261-264, MAR 2014. (10/19717-4, 12/13200-5, 11/07857-9)

VAN OYSTAEYEN, ANNETTE; ALVES, DENISE ARAUJO; OLIVEIRA, RICARDO CALIARI; DO NASCIMENTO, DANIELA LIMA; DO NASCIMENTO, FABIO SANTOS; BILLEN, JOHAN; WENSELEERS, TOM. Sneaky queens in Melipona bees selectively detect and infiltrate queenless colonies. ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR, v. 86, n. 3, p. 603-609, SEP 2013. (10/19717-4, 11/21084-2, 10/10027-5)

OLIVEIRA, RICARDO CALIARI; OI, CINTIA AKEMI; CASTRO DO NASCIMENTO, MAURICIO MEIRELLES; VOLLET-NETO, AYRTON; ALVES, DENISE ARAUJO; CAMPOS, MARIA CLAUDIA; NASCIMENTO, FABIO; WENSELEERS, TOM. The origin and evolution of queen and fertility signals in Corbiculate bees. BMC Evolutionary Biology, v. 15, NOV 16 2015. (10/19717-4)

WENSELEERS, TOM; HELANTERA, HEIKKI; ALVES, DENISE A.; DUENEZ-GUZMAN, EDGAR; PAMILO, PEKKA. Towards greater realism in inclusive fitness models: the case of worker reproduction in insect societies. BIOLOGY LETTERS, v. 9, n. 6, DEC 23 2013. (10/19717-4)

KAERCHER, MARTIN H.; MENEZES, CRISTIANO; ALVES, DENISE A.; BEVERIDGE, OLIVER S.; IMPERATRIZ-FONSECA, VERA-LUCIA; RATNIEKS, FRANCIS L. W.. Factors influencing survival duration and choice of virgin queens in the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata. NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN, v. 100, n. 6, p. 571-580, JUN 2013. (10/19717-4, 07/50218-1, 06/59115-8, 05/58093-8, 04/15801-0)