Brockmann Axel, Robinson Gene E
Department of Entomology, and Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Brain Behav Evol. 2007;70(2):125-36. doi: 10.1159/000102974. Epub 2007 May 18.
Honey bee dance language is a unique and complex form of animal communication used to inform nest mates in the colony about the specific location of food sources or new nest sites. Five different sensory systems have been implicated in acquiring and communicating the information necessary for dance language communication. We present results from neuronal tracer studies identifying the central projections from four of the five. Sensory neurons of the dorsal rim area of the compound eyes, involved in acquiring sun-compass based information, project to the dorsal-most part of the medulla. Sensory neurons of the neck hair plates, required to transpose sun-compass based information to gravity-based information in the dark hive, project to the dorsal labial neuromere of the subesophageal ganglion. Sensory neurons from the antennal joint hair sensilla and the Johnston's organ, which perceive information on dance direction and distance from mechanostimuli generated by abdomen waggling and wing vibration, project to the deutocerebral dorsal lobe and the subesophageal ganglion, and the posterior protocerebrum, respectively. We found no 'dance-specific' projections relative to those previously described for drone and queen honey bees and other insect species that do not exhibit dance communication. We suggest that the evolution of dance language communication was likely based on the modification of central neural pathways associated with path integration, the capability to calculate distance, and directional information during flight.
蜜蜂舞蹈语言是一种独特而复杂的动物交流形式，用于向蜂群中的巢伴通报食物源或新巢址的具体位置。五种不同的感觉系统参与获取和传递舞蹈语言交流所需的信息。我们展示了神经元示踪研究的结果，确定了这五种感觉系统中四种的中枢投射。复眼背缘区域的感觉神经元参与获取基于太阳罗盘的信息，投射到髓质的最背侧部分。颈部毛板的感觉神经元需要在黑暗的蜂巢中将基于太阳罗盘的信息转换为基于重力的信息，投射到咽下神经节的背唇神经节。来自触角关节毛感受器和约翰斯顿氏器的感觉神经元，它们从腹部摆动和翅膀振动产生的机械刺激中感知舞蹈方向和距离的信息，分别投射到中脑背叶和咽下神经节以及原脑后部。我们没有发现相对于之前描述的雄蜂和蜂王以及其他不表现舞蹈交流的昆虫物种而言的“舞蹈特异性”投射。我们认为舞蹈语言交流的进化可能基于与路径整合相关的中枢神经通路的改变，路径整合是一种在飞行过程中计算距离和方向信息的能力。
