Abstract
The honeybee Apis mellifera is one of many animal species for which empirical evidence of a magnetic sense has been provided. The underlying mechanisms postulated for magnetoreception in bees are varied, but most point towards the abdomen as the most likely anatomical region for its location, partly owing to the large accumulation of iron in trophocyte cells that comprise the honeybee fat body. Using a multi-modal imaging and analysis approach, we have investigated iron in the honeybee, with a particular focus on the abdomen and the utility of such techniques as applied to magnetoreception. Abdominal iron is shown to accumulate rapidly, reaching near maximum levels only 5 days after emerging from the comb and is associated with the accumulation of iron within the fat body. While fat body iron could be visualized, no regions of interest, other than perhaps the fat body itself, were identified as potential sites for magnetoreceptive cells. If an iron-based magnetoreceptor exists within the honeybee abdomen the large accumulation of iron in the fat body is likely to impede its discovery.
Highlights
Biogenic magnetite nanoparticles, such as those present in magnetotactic bacteria, form the basis of the magnetite hypothesis of magnetoreception, which postulates that specialized neuro-receptors & 2018 The Authors
Iron levels were determined for bees 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 days post eclosion using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES)
The sting apparatus, ventriculus, Malpighian tubules and the rectum were dissected from the abdomen, which was separated from the thorax and immediately placed 4 into freshly prepared cold (48C) glutaraldehyde (GA) (2.5%) and paraformaldehyde (PFA) (4%) fixative buffered in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) on a benchtop rocker overnight
Summary
Biogenic magnetite nanoparticles, such as those present in magnetotactic bacteria, form the basis of the magnetite hypothesis of magnetoreception, which postulates that specialized neuro-receptors. The magnetic behaviour of cells identified by this screening method was later shown to be caused by the attachment of contaminating substances [11] These sets of studies are significant as they have emphasized the pitfalls associated with the presence of endogenous and exogenous iron and the need for a rigorous, correlative approach to imaging and analysis when attempting to characterize magnetoreceptor systems. To do this we used mass spectrometry to quantify iron levels in the antennae, head, thorax and abdomen of worker bees at various ages and used a combination of optical, electron, X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging methods Such data serves to provide baseline information for further investigations into the biology of this economically important insect species, including determinations on the phenomenon of honeybee magnetoreception
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