Pithan Jacob B, Kohler Brooke L, Rajamohan Arun, Greenlee Kendra J
Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USA.
USDA-ARS, Fargo, ND 58102, USA.
Insects. 2025 Jun 10;16(6):612. doi: 10.3390/insects16060612.
The disposable soma theory posits that organisms allocate limited resources between reproduction, maintenance, and growth, resulting in trade-offs, particularly as they age. In this study, we examined age-related reproductive senescence in , a solitary bee and important agricultural pollinator. We hypothesized that, similarly to social bees, aging females would show declines in foraging behavior and reproductive fitness. Contrary to this hypothesis, we found no evidence of reproductive senescence in within the timeframe observed. Instead, older females increased their foraging rate, leading to larger provisions and offspring. We also observed that older bees exhibited improved foraging efficiency, likely due to learning and muscle physiology changes. Furthermore, ovarian development showed no decline with age, indicating that reproductive capacity remains stable throughout the observed timeframe. Our results challenge conventional assumptions about reproductive senescence in solitary bees and suggest that older may contribute to more efficient pollination, with implications for pollinator management. This study provides new insights into the aging process in solitary bees, emphasizing the need for further research into the mechanisms behind age-related behavioral and reproductive changes.
一次性体细胞理论认为，生物体在繁殖、维持和生长之间分配有限的资源，这会导致权衡取舍，尤其是随着它们年龄的增长。在本研究中，我们研究了独居蜜蜂（一种重要的农业传粉者）与年龄相关的生殖衰老。我们假设，与群居蜜蜂类似，衰老的雌性蜜蜂在觅食行为和生殖适应性方面会出现下降。与该假设相反，在观察到的时间范围内，我们没有发现独居蜜蜂存在生殖衰老的证据。相反，年龄较大的雌性蜜蜂提高了它们的觅食率，从而带来更多的食物储备和后代。我们还观察到，年龄较大的蜜蜂表现出更高的觅食效率，这可能是由于学习和肌肉生理变化所致。此外，卵巢发育并未随年龄增长而下降，这表明在观察到的时间范围内，生殖能力保持稳定。我们的研究结果挑战了关于独居蜜蜂生殖衰老的传统假设，并表明年龄较大的独居蜜蜂可能有助于提高授粉效率，这对传粉者管理具有重要意义。这项研究为独居蜜蜂的衰老过程提供了新的见解，强调了进一步研究与年龄相关的行为和生殖变化背后机制的必要性。
