O'Donnell Sean, Donlan Nicole A, Jones Theresa A
Neurobiology and Behavior Program and Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Neurosci Lett. 2004 Feb 19;356(3):159-62. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2003.11.053.
Highly eusocial insect workers exhibit age-related division of labor. Adults begin working inside the nest, moving to the nest periphery and later to foraging. Passage through this task sequence is associated with neuroanatomical changes in the mushroom bodies (MB) of honey bee (Apis) and ant (Camponotus) workers. We asked whether eusocial wasp workers (Polybia aequatorialis) exhibit similar changes in adult neuroanatomy. Wasps were identified as working in-nest, on-nest, or foraging. The volumes of the somata of workers' MB intrinsic neurons (Kenyon cells), and of the neuropils containing the Kenyon cell dendritic arbors (calyces), were estimated using stereological methods. In-nest workers had significantly smaller calyx to Kenyon cell volume ratios than on-nest and foraging workers. Age-related task specializations in Polybia workers are associated with major neuroanatomical reorganization in the mushroom bodies.
高度社会化的昆虫工蚁表现出与年龄相关的劳动分工。成年工蚁开始在巢穴内部工作，之后转移到巢穴周边，最后外出觅食。经历这一任务序列与蜜蜂（Apis）和蚂蚁（Camponotus）工蚁蘑菇体（MB）的神经解剖学变化有关。我们研究了社会化黄蜂工蚁（Polybia aequatorialis）在成年期神经解剖结构上是否也有类似变化。黄蜂被分为在巢内工作、在巢上工作或外出觅食三类。利用体视学方法估计了工蚁蘑菇体固有神经元（肯扬细胞）的胞体体积以及包含肯扬细胞树突分支（花萼）的神经纤维网的体积。巢内工作的工蚁的花萼与肯扬细胞体积比显著小于巢上工作和外出觅食的工蚁。Polybia工蚁与年龄相关的任务专业化与蘑菇体中的主要神经解剖学重组有关。
