• Search Research Projects
  • Search Researchers
  • How to Use
  1. Back to previous page

Task specialization of worker polyethism in honeybee colony

Research Project

Project/Area Number 08660067
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section一般
Research Field 蚕糸・昆虫利用学
Research InstitutionTAMAGAWA UNIVERSITY

Principal Investigator

NAKAMURA Jun  Tamagawa Univ., Research Institute, Assist.Prof., 学術研究所, 講師 (30256002)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) SASAKI Masami  Tamagawa Univ., Fac.Agric., Prof., 農学部, 教授 (40096061)
MATSUKA Mitsuo  Tamagawa Univ., Fac.Agric., Prof., 農学部, 教授 (30074339)
Project Period (FY) 1996 – 1997
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 1997)
Budget Amount *help
¥2,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000)
Fiscal Year 1997: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000)
Fiscal Year 1996: ¥1,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000)
Keywordshoneybee / division of labor / specialist / 父系多型 / DNA / マイクロサテライト
Research Abstract

To analyze the specialization on tasks by a honeybee workers from both genetic and behavioral backgrounds of the bee are determined. Our hypothesis is if genetic background takes part in the specialization, all workers in particular task should be in one patriline group and if behavioral background does, they show similar ethograms or behavioral patterns.
As a specialist task we observed "undertaking" behavior. Because of the sample size was too small and kin-analysis using DNA-markers was not so clear, we could not unveil the contribution of genetic background on the specialization. Whereas, there were significant differences of lineup of behavioral contents and performance frequency of each content between workers that took specialized task and ones took only general tasks. Also specialized workers showed hypersensitive response against exogenous stimuli.
Only 1 % of worker bees showed specialization, so specialization is thought to be subjected genetic background, rather it suggests that a portion of workers from (several) kin group (s) has set lower threshold to response and they are the potential specialists.
It is necessary to use methods with higher sensitivity on DNA markers, and for this purpose we have introduced sequence-gel electrophoresis. Further we need another specialized task which can be observed in ordinary s-zed colony because the observation hive base sampling can limited the size of specialist samples.

Report

(3 results)
  • 1997 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report Summary
  • 1996 Annual Research Report

URL: 

Published: 1996-04-01   Modified: 2016-04-21  

Information User Guide FAQ News Terms of Use Attribution of KAKENHI

Powered by NII kakenhi