TY - JOUR
T1 - Comparing Reversal-Learning Abilities, Sucrose Responsiveness, and Foraging Experience Between Scout and Non-Scout Honey bee (Apis mellifera) Foragers
AU - Carr-Markell, Morgan K.
AU - Robinson, Gene E.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments We thank Sophia Liang for invaluable training in scout collection methods. We are indebted to Tara McGill, Christina Burden, and Brian Smith for advice and training in PER techniques and to Marla Spivak and Geraldine Wright for helpful recommendations. We thank Sam Akins, Adam Hamilton, Jake Herman, Nate Lawrence, Charley Nye, and Clare Rittschof for indispensable assistance in the field. We are particularly indebted to Nate and Charley for keeping records of the weight of the scale hive throughout the summer. We appreciate the technical assistance of Tom Newman, Amy Cash Ahmed, Scott Baker, and Jared Bear. We are grateful to Dan Sewell, Peibei Shi, and the Illinois Statistics Office for advice and data analyses. We thank Alison Bell, Andy Suarez, Charlie Whitfield, Karen Kapheim, Sophia Liang, Claudia Lutz, Tara McGill, and Marsha Wheeler for insightful feedback on the manuscript. This work was funded by a Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology Summer Research Grant to MCM and a National Institutes of Health Pioneer Grant to GER.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2014, Springer Science+Business Media New York (outside the USA).
PY - 2014/11/16
Y1 - 2014/11/16
N2 - Honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies divide foraging activities between scouts, who search for new sources of food, and non-scouts, who rely on information from waggle dances to find food sources. Molecular analyses of scouts and non-scouts have revealed differences in the expression of numerous genes, including several related to neurotransmitter signaling. Despite this progress, we know almost nothing about cognitive, sensory, or behavioral differences that underlie scouting. We tested three hypotheses related to differences between scouts and non-scouts. First, we tested whether scouts and non-scouts differ in their reversal-learning abilities and found that scouts showed a significantly faster reversal in their response to an odor that was punished and then rewarded. The results also suggested an interaction between the effects of foraging role (scout or non-scout) and seasonal effects on reversal-learning abilities. Second, we tested whether scouts and non-scouts show differences in responsiveness to sucrose rewards and found no difference. Third, we hypothesized that scouts have more foraging experience than do non-scouts. We tested this by comparing wing damage and found that non-scouts showed greater wing damage in the early summer but not the late summer. Together, these three results contribute to our understanding of the underpinnings of scouting behavior.
AB - Honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies divide foraging activities between scouts, who search for new sources of food, and non-scouts, who rely on information from waggle dances to find food sources. Molecular analyses of scouts and non-scouts have revealed differences in the expression of numerous genes, including several related to neurotransmitter signaling. Despite this progress, we know almost nothing about cognitive, sensory, or behavioral differences that underlie scouting. We tested three hypotheses related to differences between scouts and non-scouts. First, we tested whether scouts and non-scouts differ in their reversal-learning abilities and found that scouts showed a significantly faster reversal in their response to an odor that was punished and then rewarded. The results also suggested an interaction between the effects of foraging role (scout or non-scout) and seasonal effects on reversal-learning abilities. Second, we tested whether scouts and non-scouts show differences in responsiveness to sucrose rewards and found no difference. Third, we hypothesized that scouts have more foraging experience than do non-scouts. We tested this by comparing wing damage and found that non-scouts showed greater wing damage in the early summer but not the late summer. Together, these three results contribute to our understanding of the underpinnings of scouting behavior.
KW - Apidae
KW - cognition
KW - eusocial
KW - perception
KW - proboscis extension reflex
KW - specialization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84911362771&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84911362771&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10905-014-9465-1
DO - 10.1007/s10905-014-9465-1
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84911362771
VL - 27
SP - 736
EP - 752
JO - Journal of Insect Behavior
JF - Journal of Insect Behavior
SN - 0892-7553
IS - 6
ER -