Ontogeny of cephalic volatile patterns in queens and mating biology of the neotropical stingless bee,Scaptotrigona postica
作者:
WOLF ENGELS,
ELISABETH ENGELS,
WITTKO FRANCKE,
期刊:
Invertebrate Reproduction & Development
(Taylor Available online 1997)
卷期:
Volume 31,
issue 1-3
页码: 251-256
ISSN:0792-4259
年代: 1997
DOI:10.1080/07924259.1997.9672583
出版商: Taylor & Francis Group
关键词: Stingless bee (Scaptotrigona postica);reproduction;mating biology;sex- and caste-specific volatile patterns;queen pheromones;developmental changes
数据来源: Taylor
摘要:
Chemical communication is an ancient yet still immensely important part of reproduction. Amongst all invertebrates, the most sophisticated “chemical languages” are used by social insects. Here the sex- and caste-specific pheromonal messages consist of multicomponent mixtures. In the neotropical stingless beeScaptotrigona postica, an inhabitant of dense tropical rain forests, the cephalic volatiles of a queen transmit information on her reproductive status to males. A distinct ontogenetic pattern of the queen pheromone composition allows drones to discriminate receptive virgins which are then chased during the short nuptial flight through the forest understorey. By means of gas chromatographic/mass spectroscopic analyses, the numerous volatile compounds found in pentane extracts of individual bee heads could be identified. Qualitative as well as quantitative changes of these volatiles in the course of imaginal development could be determined, and bioassays with synthetic compounds were undertaken in order to decode the chemical signals used during the short encounter of a young queen and her mate.
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