Research center on Animal Cognition, CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse Cedex, France.
Chem Senses. 2011 Oct;36(8):675-92. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjr040. Epub 2011 May 26.
Taste is crucial for honeybees for choosing profitable food sources, resins, water sources, and for nestmate recognition. Peripheral taste detection occurs within cuticular hairs, the chaetic and basiconic sensilla, which host gustatory receptor cells and, usually a mechanoreceptor cell. Gustatory sensilla are mostly located on the distal segment of the antennae, on the mouthparts, and on the tarsi of the forelegs. These sensilla respond with varying sensitivity to sugars, salts, and possibly amino acids, proteins, and water. So far, no responses of receptor cells to bitter substances were found although inhibitory effects of these substances on sucrose receptor cells could be recorded. When bees are free to express avoidance behaviors, they reject highly concentrated bitter and saline solutions. However, such avoidance disappears when bees are immobilized in the laboratory. In this case, they ingest these solutions, even if they suffer afterward a malaise-like state or even die from such ingestion. Central processing of taste occurs mainly in the subesophageal ganglion, but the nature of this processing remains unknown. We suggest that coding tastants in terms of their hedonic value, thus classifying them in terms of their palatability, is a basic strategy that a central processing of taste should achieve for survival.
对于蜜蜂来说，味觉在选择有利可图的食物来源、树脂、水源以及巢内伙伴识别方面至关重要。外周味觉检测发生在表皮毛、触毛和刺毛感器中，这些感器中包含味觉受体细胞和通常的机械感受器细胞。味觉感器主要位于触角的远端节段、口器和前腿的跗节上。这些感器对糖、盐以及可能的氨基酸、蛋白质和水的反应具有不同的敏感性。尽管已经记录到这些物质对蔗糖受体细胞的抑制作用，但迄今为止，还没有发现受体细胞对苦味物质的反应。当蜜蜂可以自由表达回避行为时，它们会拒绝高浓度的苦味和盐水溶液。然而，当蜜蜂在实验室中被固定时，这种回避行为就会消失。在这种情况下，它们会摄入这些溶液，即使之后会感到不适，甚至因摄入这些溶液而死亡。味觉的中枢处理主要发生在食管下神经节，但这种处理的性质尚不清楚。我们认为，根据味觉的愉悦值对味觉进行编码，从而根据其可接受性对其进行分类，是味觉中枢处理为了生存而应采取的基本策略。
