Development and evolution of caste dimorphism in honeybees – a modeling approach

Olof Leimar; Klaus Hartfelder; Manfred D. Laubichler; Robert E. Page

doi:10.1002/ece3.414

journal article Open Access Nov 08, 2012

Development and evolution of caste dimorphism in honeybees – a modeling approach

Olof Leimar Klaus Hartfelder Manfred D. Laubichler Robert E. Page

Ecology and Evolution Vol. 2 No. 12 pp. 3098-3109 · Wiley

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Abstract

AbstractThe difference in phenotypes of queens and workers is a hallmark of the highly eusocial insects. The caste dimorphism is often described as a switch‐controlled polyphenism, in which environmental conditions decide an individual's caste. Using theoretical modeling and empirical data from honeybees, we show that there is no discrete larval developmental switch. Instead, a combination of larval developmental plasticity and nurse worker feeding behavior make up a colony‐level social and physiological system that regulates development and produces the caste dimorphism. Discrete queen and worker phenotypes are the result of discrete feeding regimes imposed by nurses, whereas a range of experimental feeding regimes produces a continuous range of phenotypes. Worker ovariole numbers are reduced through feeding‐regime‐mediated reduction in juvenile hormone titers, involving reduced sugar in the larval food. Based on the mechanisms identified in our analysis, we propose a scenario of the evolutionary history of honeybee development and feeding regimes.

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Metrics

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Citations

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References

Details

Published: Nov 08, 2012
Vol/Issue: 2(12)
Pages: 3098-3109
License: View

Authors

O

Olof Leimar

Department of Zoology Stockholm University Stockholm Sweden; Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin Wallotstrasse 19 Berlin Germany

K

Klaus Hartfelder

Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular e Bioagentes Patogênicos Universidade de São Paulo Ribeirão Preto São Paulo Brazil

M

Manfred D. Laubichler

Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin Wallotstrasse 19 Berlin Germany; School of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona

R

Robert E. Page

Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin Wallotstrasse 19 Berlin Germany; School of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona

Cite This Article

Olof Leimar, Klaus Hartfelder, Manfred D. Laubichler, et al. (2012). Development and evolution of caste dimorphism in honeybees – a modeling approach. Ecology and Evolution, 2(12), 3098-3109. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.414

Development and evolution of caste dimorphism in honeybees – a modeling approach

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