SHORT COMMUNICATION Do geomagnetic storms change the behaviour of the stingless bee guiruçu (Schwarziana quadripunctata)?
نویسندگان
چکیده
Six behavioural experiments were carried out to investigate the magnetic field effects on the nest-exiting flight directions of the honeybee Schwarziana quadripunctata (Meliponini). No significant differences resulted during six experiment days under varying geomagnetic field and the applied static inhomogeneous field (about ten times the geomagnetic field) conditions. A surprising statistically significant response was obtained on a unique magnetic storm day. The magnetic nanoparticles in these bees, revealed by ferromagnetic resonance, could be involved in the observed effect of the geomagnetic storm.
منابع مشابه
Characterization of microsatellite loci for the stingless bee Scaura
Seven microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized from a microsatellite enriched genomic library for the stingless bee Scaura latitarsis. Primers were tested in 12 individuals. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 6 (mean = 4.29) and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.00 to 0.75 (mean = 0.40). Cross-species tests showed successful amplification for Scaura atlantica, Scaur...
متن کاملCuticular hydrocarbons in the stingless bee Schwarziana quadripunctata (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini): differences between colonies, castes and age.
Chemical communication is of fundamental importance to maintain the integration of insect colonies. In honey bees, cuticular lipids differ in their composition between queens, workers and drones. Little is known, however, about cuticular hydrocarbons in stingless bees. We investigated chemical differences in cuticular hydrocarbons between different colonies, castes and individuals of different ...
متن کاملWorking-class royalty: bees beat the caste system.
The struggle among social classes or castes is well known in humans. Here, we show that caste inequality similarly affects societies of ants, bees and wasps, where castes are morphologically distinct and workers have greatly reduced reproductive potential compared with queens. In social insects, an individual normally has no control over its own fate, whether queen or worker, as this is sociall...
متن کاملInteraction and behavior of virgin and physogastric queens in three Meliponini species (Hymenoptera, Apidae).
We studied the behavior of virgin queens of the stingless bee species Schwarziana quadripunctata, Paratrigona lineata and Tetragona clavipes, investigating internal nest activities, including the cell provisioning and oviposition process. We made direct observation of queen behavior, with the aid of video filming. Forty-four virgin queens of S. quadripunctata were observed; one was larger and m...
متن کاملEXOCRINE GLANDS OF Schwarziana quadripunctata
This article describes the location, anatomy, histology and ontogeny of adult Schwarziana quadripunctata exocrine glands. These glands appear either as individualized organs (salivary gland system and Dufour gland) or as epidermis differentiation (tegumentary glands). Variations in the occurrence and degree of development among colony components with regard to their degree of maturity are also ...
متن کامل