Abstract
BackgroundHoneybee foragers can transmit the information concerning the location of food sources to their nestmates using dance communication. We previously used a novel immediate early gene, termed kakusei, to demonstrate that the neural activity of a specific mushroom body (MB) neuron subtype is preferentially enhanced in the forager brain. The sensory information related to this MB neuron activity, however, remained unclear.Methodology/Principal FindingsHere, we used kakusei to analyze the relationship between MB neuron activity and types of foraging behavior. The number of kakusei-positive MB neurons was higher in the round dancers that had flown a short distance than in the waggle dancers that had flown a long distance. Furthermore, the amount of kakusei transcript in the MBs inversely related to the waggle-phase duration of the waggle dance, which correlates with the flight distance. Using a narrow tunnel whose inside was vertically or axially lined, we manipulated the pattern of visual input, which is received by the foragers during flight, and analysed kakusei expression. The amount of kakusei transcript in the MBs was related to the foraging frequency but not to the tunnel pattern. In contrast, the number of kakusei-positive MB neurons was affected by the tunnel patterns, but not related to foraging frequency.Conclusions/SignificanceThese results suggest that the MB neuron activity depends on the foraging frequency, whereas the number of active MB neurons is related to the pattern of visual input received during foraging flight. Our results suggest that the foraging frequency and visual experience during foraging are associated with different MB neural activities.
Highlights
The honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) is a eusocial insect with a highly ordered society
To examine whether the type of foraging behavior is related to neural activity in the forager brain, we first compared the number of kakusei-positive neurons in the brain of the round and waggle dancers, which visited food sources at short and long distances, respectively
These findings indicate that a higher number of mushroom body (MB) neurons are active in the round dancers than in the waggle dancers, strongly suggesting that differences in the foraging distance are reflected as differences in the number of active MB neurons in the forager brain
Summary
Foragers that find a rich food source return to the hive and transmit information about the location of the food source by ‘dance communication’ [1,2,3,4]. They perform a ‘round dance’ when the food source is a very short distance away (less than approximately 50 m) and a ‘waggle dance’ when the food source is a long distance away (.50 m) [2,3]. The sensory information perceived during foraging must be integrated and encoded in the brain before the dance is expressed in the hive. Honeybee foragers can transmit the information concerning the location of food sources to their nestmates using dance communication. The sensory information related to this MB neuron activity, remained unclear
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