Institute for Experimental Ecology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89069 Ulm, Germany.
J Chem Ecol. 2010 Jun;36(6):565-9. doi: 10.1007/s10886-010-9793-3. Epub 2010 Apr 30.
Reproductive division of labor in advanced eusocial honey bees and stingless bees is based on the ability of totipotent female larvae to develop into either workers or queens. In nearly all species, caste is determined by larval nutrition. However, the mechanism that triggers queen development in Melipona bees is still unresolved. Several hypotheses have been proposed, ranging from the proximate (a genetic determination of caste development) to the ultimate (a model in which larvae have complete control over their own caste fate). Here, we showed that the addition of geraniol, the main compound in labial gland secretions of nurse workers, to the larval food significantly increases the number of larvae that develop into queens. Interestingly, the proportion of queens in treated brood exactly matched the value (25%) predicted by the two-locus, two-allele model of genetic queen determination, in which only females that are heterozygous at both loci are capable of developing into queens. We conclude that labial gland secretions, added to the food of some cells by nurse bees, trigger queen development, provided that the larvae are genetically predisposed towards this developmental pathway. In Melipona beecheii, geraniol acts as a primer pheromone representing the first caste determination substance identified to date.
在高级真社会性蜜蜂和无刺蜜蜂中，生殖分工基于全能雌性幼虫发育为工蜂或蜂王的能力。在几乎所有物种中，等级是由幼虫营养决定的。然而，触发 Melipona 蜜蜂发育为蜂王的机制仍未解决。已经提出了几个假设，从直接原因（等级发育的遗传决定）到终极原因（幼虫完全控制自己的等级命运的模型）。在这里，我们表明，向幼虫食物中添加香叶醇（工蜂唇部腺分泌物中的主要化合物）可显著增加发育为蜂王的幼虫数量。有趣的是，经处理的幼虫中蜂王的比例与遗传蜂王决定的双基因座双等位基因模型（只有在两个基因座都杂合的雌性才能发育为蜂王）所预测的值（25%）完全匹配。我们得出结论，唇部腺分泌物由护理蜂添加到某些细胞的食物中，触发蜂王发育，但前提是幼虫在遗传上倾向于这种发育途径。在 Melipona beecheii 中，香叶醇作为启动信息素发挥作用，它是迄今为止鉴定出的第一种决定等级的物质。
