Zhao Huiyue, Mashilingi Shibonage K, Liu Yanjie, An Jiandong
Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology of the Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Beijing 100093, China.
Insects. 2021 Jun 7;12(6):529. doi: 10.3390/insects12060529.
Bumblebees and honeybees are very important pollinators and play a vital role in agricultural and natural ecosystems. The quality of their colonies is determined by the queens and the reproductive drones of mother colonies, and mated drones transmit semen, including half of the genetic materials, to queens and enhance their fertility. Therefore, factors affecting drone fecundity will also directly affect progeny at the colony level. Here, we review environmental and bee-related factors that are closely related to drone reproductive ability. The environmental factors that mainly affect the sperm count and the viability of males include temperature, nutrients and pesticides. In addition, the inherent characteristics of male bees, such as body size, weight, age, seminal fluid proteins and proteins of the spermathecal fluid, contribute to mating success, sperm quality during long-term storage in the spermathecae and the reproductive behaviors of queens. Based on the results of previous studies, we also suggest that the effects of somatotype dimorphism in bumblebee males on sperm quality and queen fecundity and the indispensable and exploitable function of gland proteins in the fecundity of males and queens should be given more attention in further studies.
大黄蜂和蜜蜂是非常重要的传粉者，在农业和自然生态系统中发挥着至关重要的作用。蜂群的质量由蜂王和母蜂群的雄蜂决定，交配后的雄蜂将精液（包括一半的遗传物质）传递给蜂王并提高其繁殖力。因此，影响雄蜂繁殖力的因素也将直接影响蜂群层面的后代。在此，我们综述与雄蜂繁殖能力密切相关的环境因素和与蜜蜂相关的因素。主要影响精子数量和雄蜂活力的环境因素包括温度、营养物质和农药。此外，雄蜂的固有特征，如体型、体重、年龄、精液蛋白和受精囊液蛋白，有助于交配成功、精子在受精囊中长期储存期间的质量以及蜂王的繁殖行为。基于先前的研究结果，我们还建议在进一步研究中应更加关注大黄蜂雄性体型二态性对精子质量和蜂王繁殖力的影响，以及腺体蛋白在雄蜂和蜂王繁殖力中不可或缺且可利用的功能。
