Young Queens Research Articles

Multiple Convergent Origins of Workerlessness and Inbreeding in the Socially Parasitic Ant Genus Myrmoxenus.

The socially parasitic ant genus Myrmoxenus varies strongly in fundamental life history traits, such as queen-worker ratio, the timing of sexual production, and mating behavior. Myrmoxenus queens generally take over nests of Temnothorax ants, kill the resident queen by throttling, and force the workers to take care of the social parasite’s brood. Young queens of M. ravouxi and other species produce large numbers of workers, which during “slave-raids” pillage host pupae from neighboring Temnothorax colonies to increase the workforce in their own nests. Other species, such as M. corsicus, have lost caste polyphenism and rear only male and female sexual offspring. Using sequences of the genes CO I / CO II and wingless we reconstruct the phylogeny of Myrmoxenus and document that the worker caste was lost convergently at least three times. Furthermore, mating in the nest and inbreeding obviously also evolved in parallel from ancestors whose sexuals presumably mated during nuptial flights. Myrmoxenus might thus provide a suitable model to investigate caste differentiation and the plasticity of mating behavior in Hymenoptera.

Streptococcal infections in cats: ABCD guidelines on prevention and management.

Streptococcus canis is most prevalent in cats, but recently S equi subsp zooepidemicus has been recognised as an emerging feline pathogen. S canis is considered part of the commensal mucosal microflora of the oral cavity, upper respiratory tract, genital organs and perianal region in cats. The prevalence of infection is higher in cats housed in groups; and, for example, there may be a high rate of vaginal carriage in young queens in breeding catteries. A wide spectrum of clinical disease is seen, encompassing neonatal septicaemia, upper respiratory tract disease, abscesses, pneumonia, osteomyelitis, polyarthritis, urogenital infections, septicaemia, sinusitis and meningitis. S equi subsp zooepidemicus is found in a wide range of species including cats. It was traditionally assumed that this bacterium played no role in disease of cats, but it is now considered a cause of respiratory disease with bronchopneumonia and pneumonia, as well as meningoencephalitis, often with a fatal course. Close confinement of cats, such as in shelters, appears to be a major risk factor. As horses are common carriers of this bacterium, contact with horses is a potential source of infection. Additionally, the possibility of indirect transmission needs to be considered. Streptococci can be detected by conventional culture techniques from swabs, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid or organ samples. Also real-time PCR can be used, and is more sensitive than culture. In suspected cases, treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics should be initiated as soon as possible and, if appropriate, adapted to the results of culture and sensitivity tests.

Avoid mistakes when choosing a new home: Nest choice and adoption of Leptothorax ant queens

In ants, mating and colony founding are critical steps in the life of ant queens. Outside of their nests, young queens are exposed to intense predation. Therefore, they are expected to have evolved behavior to accurately and quickly locate a nesting place. However, data on the early life history of female reproductives are still lacking. Leptothorax gredleri is a suitable model organism to study the behavior of young queens. Reproductives can be reared under artificial conditions and readily mate in the laboratory. After mating, L. gredleri queens have the options to found solitarily, seek adoption into another colony, or return into their natal nest. In this study, we investigated the decision-making processes of female sexuals before and after mating. In particular, we tested whether female sexuals use chemical cues to find their way back to the nest, studied if they prefer their own nest over other nesting sites and followed the adoption dynamics of mated queens over 8weeks (plus hibernation and spring). We showed that female sexuals and freshly mated queens spent more time on substrate previously used by workers from their own colony and from another colony than on a blank substrate. This discriminatory capability of queens appears to be lost in old, reproductive queens. Nest choice experiments showed that female sexuals and freshly mated queens can distinguish their own nest while old mated queens’ do not. When reintroduced in their maternal colony, young queens were readily adopted, but a few weeks later aggression against young queens led to their emigration from the maternal nest and eventually also death.

The Role of Le Balet Comique in Forging the Stuart Masque: Part 2 Continuation

Following the discussion in Part 1 (Dance Research 32.2 2014, 185–207) of the use made by the Jacobean court of Le Balet Comique ( McGowan 1982 ) to frame innovation in the masque, this article will explore two further examples of the continuing use of the text. The overt adoption of features of Le Balet Comique for Tempe Restored (1632, Aurelian Townshend and Inigo Jones) brought French practice into play once more for the Caroline masque. Following in his father's footsteps, Charles 1 was able to bring to the masque his personal skill as a dancer and the participation of his young and beautiful French queen Henrietta Maria. From the re-launch of the court masque in 1631, until the break-up of the Whitehall court in 1640, both retrospective and innovative practices were pursued. Although this was a new reign, a strong element of continuity prevailed in the court personnel serving the masque. Acting as artistic director, Inigo Jones was now firmly in control of masque concepts, pursuing a design process of imaginative imitation based on Renaissance practice. In collaboration with individuals among the music and dance artists, Jones had been intimately involved in adapting features of the ballet in devising The Masque of Queens of 1609. 1 That Le Balet Comique formed the basis for Tempe Restored is made very plain in the published text. The influence of the 1581 ballet on A Masque presented at Ludlow Castle 1634 (known as Comus) by John Milton can only be discerned by analysing the performance conditions of a work that is now published as a poem. Once again the Circe persona takes the stage, this time in masculine form as Comus. I argue here that the link between the two is the personnel of Tempe Restored. An analysis of the original performance of Comus draws on understanding of elite dance practice of the day leading to new insights into this innovative masque.

A depauperate immune repertoire precedes evolution of sociality in bees.

BackgroundSociality has many rewards, but can also be dangerous, as high population density and low genetic diversity, common in social insects, is ideal for parasite transmission. Despite this risk, honeybees and other sequenced social insects have far fewer canonical immune genes relative to solitary insects. Social protection from infection, including behavioral responses, may explain this depauperate immune repertoire. Here, based on full genome sequences, we describe the immune repertoire of two ecologically and commercially important bumblebee species that diverged approximately 18 million years ago, the North American Bombus impatiens and European Bombus terrestris.ResultsWe find that the immune systems of these bumblebees, two species of honeybee, and a solitary leafcutting bee, are strikingly similar. Transcriptional assays confirm the expression of many of these genes in an immunological context and more strongly in young queens than males, affirming Bateman’s principle of greater investment in female immunity. We find evidence of positive selection in genes encoding antiviral responses, components of the Toll and JAK/STAT pathways, and serine protease inhibitors in both social and solitary bees. Finally, we detect many genes across pathways that differ in selection between bumblebees and honeybees, or between the social and solitary clades.ConclusionsThe similarity in immune complement across a gradient of sociality suggests that a reduced immune repertoire predates the evolution of sociality in bees. The differences in selection on immune genes likely reflect divergent pressures exerted by parasites across social contexts.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13059-015-0628-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Apis mellifera(Hymenoptera: Apidae) drone sperm quality in relation to age, genetic line, and time of breeding

AbstractA honey bee (Apis melliferaLinnaeus; Hymenoptera: Apidae) queen’s life expectancy is strongly dependent on the number of sperm she obtains by mating with drones during nuptial flights. Unexplained replacement of queens by the colony and young queens showing sperm depletions have been reported in North America, and reduced drone fertility has been a suspected cause. The aim of this study was to evaluate drone reproductive qualities during the queen-rearing season, from May to August. Drones from two different genetic lines were reared six times during the 2012 beekeeping season at our research centre in Québec (Canada). Semen volume as well as sperm number and viability were assessed at the ages of 14, 21, and 35 days. Results showed (1) a greater proportion of older drones with semen at the tip of the genitalia after eversion; (2) an influence of rearing date on semen production; and (3) no influence of drone genetic line, age or time of breeding on sperm viability. These results highlight the necessity of better understanding drone rearing and how it can be improved to ensure optimum honey-bee queen mating.

First Evidence of Inclusive Sexual Selection in the Ant Cataglyphis cursor: Worker Aggressions Differentially Affect Male Access to Virgin Queens

AbstractSexual selection typically shapes the traits of individuals capable of reproduction. However, in social species, it may also affect the behaviour of non‐reproductive individuals if this increases their inclusive fitness. We examined the potential role of workers during mating in the polyandrous ant Cataglyphis cursor. In this species, mating takes place on the ground near the nest entrance, and workers chase away foreign males trying to mate with young queens (gynes). We investigated the effects of worker aggression on male mating attempts by placing three or four males in the presence of one foreign gyne and 20 of her nestmate workers and contrasted this with a second group of 3–4 males in the presence of another gyne without nestmate workers (n = 8 paired replicates). Workers strongly attacked males (more than 20 aggressions per minute), although this did not affect the total number of mating attempts by the 3–4 males or the skew in the number of mating attempts among these males. However, there was an interaction between worker aggression and relative male weight, as relatively heavy males attempted to mate more often than lighter males in the absence of worker whereas the reverse occurred in the presence of workers. Our study is the first to experimentally test the potential role of non‐reproductive individuals in sexual selection. It shows that workers could potentially change male mating success by disfavouring heavier males.

Mitochondrial energy utilization maintains young status in the trophocytes and oenocytes of old queen honeybees

The lifespans of queen honeybees (Apis mellifera) are much longer than those of worker bees. Mitochondrial energy utilization in the trophocytes and oenocytes of worker bees during aging has been determined, but it remains unknown in queen bees. In this study, mitochondrial energy utilization was assayed in the trophocytes and oenocytes of young and old queen bees. The mitochondrial density and mitochondrial membrane potential (∆ψm); nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide reduced form (NADH), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels; NAD+/NADH ratio; and relative expression of NADH dehydrogenase 1 (ND1) and ATP synthase normalized against mitochondrial density were not significantly different between young and old queen bees. These results indicate that mitochondrial energy utilization maintains a young status in the trophocytes and oenocytes of old queen bees and that trophocytes and oenocytes have longevity-promoting mechanisms that can be investigated to clarify the secret of longevity in queen bees.

Morphometrics, life history and population biology of the Ponto-Caucasian slave-making ant Myrmoxenus tamarae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The ant genus Myrmoxenus consists of about ten socially parasitic species including active slave-makers and workerless degenerate slave-makers. Myrmoxenus tamarae was previously known only from type material, two workers collected at Daba, Georgia and nothing was known about its life history, colony structure or the morphology of its sexuals. An inspection of colonies of M. tamarae near the type locality in 2010 indicates that young queens of M. tamarae invade Temnothorax nests and kill the host queen by throttling. The simultaneous presence of two slave species in a single colony (an undescribed species related to T. nylanderi and a species morphologically resembling T. unifasciatus) indicates that M. tamarae is an active slave-maker. The genetic structure of the colonies matches that expected for a monogynous and monandrous ant, but three of eight colonies inspected appeared to contain work- ers belonging to an additional genetic lineage.

Expression of foraging and Gp-9 are associated with social organization in the fire ant Solenopsis invicta.

The aim of this study was to investigate levels of expression of two major genes, the odorant binding protein Gp-9 (general protein-9) and foraging, that have been shown to be associated with behavioural polymorphisms in ants. We analysed workers and young nonreproductive queens collected from nests of the monogyne (single reproductive queen per nest) and polygyne (multiple reproductive queens) social forms of Solenopsis invicta. In workers but not young queens, the level of foraging expression was significantly associated with social form and the task performed (ie localization in the nest or foraging area). The level of expression of Gp-9 was also associated with social form and worker localization. In addition there was a higher level of expression of the Gp-9(b) allele compared with the Gp-9(B) allele in the heterozygote workers and the young nonreproductive queens. Finally, in the polygyne colonies the level of expression of foraging was not significantly associated with the Gp-9 genotype for either workers or young nonreproductive queens, suggesting that both genes have independent non-epistatic effects on behaviour in S. invicta.

A royal passion: Queen Victoria and photography

This is a richly illustrated exploration of Queen Victoria's portrayal in photography and her role in shaping the medium. In January 1839, photography was announced to the world. Two years prior, a young Queen Victoria ascended to the throne of Great Britain and Ireland. These two events, while seemingly unrelated, marked the beginnings of a relationship that continued throughout the 19th century and helped construct the image of an entire age. A Royal Passion explores the connections between photography and the monarchy through Victoria's embrace of the new medium and her portrayal through the lens. Together with Prince Albert, the Queen amassed one of the earliest collections of photographs, including work by renowned photographers such as Roger Fenton, Gustave Le Gray, and Julia Margaret Cameron. Victoria was also the first British monarch to have her life recorded by the camera: images of her as wife, mother, widow, and empress proliferated around the world at a time when the British Empire spanned the globe. The featured essays consider Victoria's role in shaping the history of photography as well as photography's role in shaping the image of the Queen.

Energy-regulated molecules maintain young status in the trophocytes and fat cells of old queen honeybees.

Queen honeybees (Apis mellifera) have much longer lifespans than worker bees. Energy-regulated molecules in the trophocytes and fat cells of workers during aging have been determined, but are unknown in queen bees. In the present study, energy-regulated molecules were evaluated in the trophocytes and fat cells of young and old queen bees. Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase α2 (AMPK-α2), phosphorylated AMPK-α2 (pAMPK-α2), and cAMP-specific phosphodiesterases activity increased with aging. The pAMPK-α2/AMPK-α2 ratio and AMPK activity; adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) concentrations; the ADP/ATP ratio and the AMP/ATP ratio; the cyclic adenosine monophosphate concentration; forkhead box protein O expression; Silent information regulator T1 (SirT1) expression and activity; and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α)expression were not significantly different between young and old queen bees. These results show that energy-regulated molecules maintain a youthful status in the trophocytes and fat cells of queen bees during aging. These cells seem to have longevity-promoting mechanisms and may clarify the secret of longevity in queen bees.

The frequency of multi‐queen colonies increases with altitude in a Nearctic ant

1. Most ants in boreal and alpine habitats are facultatively polygynous, i.e. their colonies may contain one or several queens. It was investigated how the proportion of polygynous colonies varies along an elevation gradient from 60 to 2700 m in the Nearctic ant Temnothorax rugatulus (Emery).2. Across all populations, the proportion of polygynous colonies was positively correlated with altitude. The correlation was considerably stronger when only populations in the narrow area of the Chiricahua Mts, Arizona, were compared.3. The dominance of polygynous colonies at high altitudes may be associated with selection against solitary colony founding by young queens. In areas with short summers and long winters, hibernation mortality of solitarily founding queens may select for alternative reproductive tactics, such as polygyny and colony founding by budding.4. Colony founding tactics need to be taken into account to more fully understand altitudinal and latitudinal patterns of ant faunas.

Narrating the Queen in Jane Eyre

The autobiographical elements of Jane Eyre have been examined in detail. Charlotte Brontë’s incorporation of contemporary social issues and historical accuracy has also received scrutiny as exemplars of issues in early Victorian England. Despite the intense scrutiny, few commentators have paused to consider whether Charlotte Brontë also drew upon the public image of the young Queen Victoria when developing the character of Jane Eyre.

Notes on distribution of Bombus cryptarum (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) in Moravian territory (Czech Republic) and its laboratory rearing

B. cryptarum and B. magnus are among the so-called cryptic species whose identification is very difficult due to high interspecific variability of their morphological characteristics. This greatly limits possibilities for studying their biology, bionomics and ecology. The aim of this research was to contribute to knowledge about distribution of B. cryptarum in Moravia (Czech Republic) and to verify the possibility of its laboratory rearing. During 2006–2009, 26 collections were performed at Moravian localities. Of the 17 specimens that were assigned to B. cryptarum or B. aff. cryptarum based on morphology, the molecular analysis of mtDNA RFLP confirmed the identification of 10 speciemens. The molecular analysis even assigned to B. cryptarum one specimen determined morphologically as B. aff. magnus. Of four queens captured in spring, and while applying a laboratory method used for breeding of B. terrestris, two complete nests were successfully reared, including queens of the 2nd generation that then set up their own brood. Species identification of these queens as B. cryptarum was confirmed by both molecular analysis and analysis of the marking pheromones of males among their offspring. A single B. terrestris worker was able to raise young queens of B. cryptarum of the brood.

A scientific note on amoeboid movement of honey bee semen

honeybee /Apismellifera /spermatozoa /amoeboidmovement /spermcooperationHoney bee (Apis mellifera) semen is a tan, viscousliquid containing tightly packed and slowly movingspermatozoa (Stort & Goncalves 1986). Immediatelyafter transfer of spermatozoa to the queen’s sperma-theca, they move faster, but after 1 h, the movementstops (Kerr et al. 1962) and later during storage thespermatozoa remain immotile (Lensky & Schindler1967). The immotility is reversible as long as thespermatozoa are alive (Verma 1978). In nature, honeybee semen is diluted with spermathecal fluid but thespermatozoa survive also in many human madediluents (Moritz 1984; Taylor et al. 2009).Here, I report that diluted honey bee semenbehaves in an unusual way; it produces pseudopodiaand is able to move. The movement differs from theamoeboid movement of a single spermatozoon(Nelson & Ward 1981) and involves the coordinatedbehaviour of a group of spermatozoa.Honey bee drones were collected at hive entrancesand were stored in a cage attended by workers. Toinitiate ejaculation, the abdomen of a drone waspressed with fingers, a standard method (Laidlaw &Page 1997). The semen was collected with a syringedesigned for instrumental insemination of honey beequeens. The semen was evacuated from the syringeonto a microscopic slide. From there, it was collectedpassively into a MEDLAB glass capillary (insidediameter 0.7 mm, outside diameter 1.3 mm andlength 50 mm). The semen inside the capillary wasdiluted 1:1 (v/v) with spermathecal fluid obtained froma young uninseminated honey bee queen. Its sperma-theca wasdissectedfrom the queen immediately beforethe experiment and crushed on a microscope slide. Thespermathecalfluidwascollectedusingtheinseminationsyringe, and a droplet of it was evacuated onto anothercleanmicroscopicslide.Whenthecapillarywithsemenwas brought into contact with the droplet, it was drawninto the capillary and diffused through the semen. Thecapillary was positioned horizontally, and it wasphotographed every hour with a Nikon D70 digitalcameratodeterminethespeedofsemenmovement.Theexperiment was repeated 10 times using the semen ofdifferent drones.The behaviour of diluted semen on a microscopicslide was observed with a Nikon Eclipse E600microscope. Semen movement was recorded with aJVC colour video camera (resolution 720×576) at-tached to the microscope. In some experiments, thedroplet of diluted semen was surrounded by six smalldroplets of spermathecal fluid. There was a distance ofabout 0.2 mm between the droplet of semen and thedroplets of spermathecal fluid. If a pseudopodiumformed near a droplet of diluent, it was video recorded.In all experiments, the capillaries or microscopeslides with semen were kept in a transparent plasticcontainer with a tissue wetted with distilled water. Thewet tissue provided high humidity and prevented thesemen from drying. In some experiments, the semenwasdilutedinKievbufferinsteadofspermathecalfluid.The Kiev buffer consisted of 0.3 g D+ glucose, 0.41 g

Results of international standardised beekeeper surveys of colony losses for winter 2012–2013: analysis of winter loss rates and mixed effects modelling of risk factors for winter loss

SummaryThis article presents results of an analysis of winter losses of honey bee colonies from 19 mainly European countries, most of which implemented the standardised 2013 COLOSS questionnaire. Generalised linear mixed effects models (GLMMs) were used to investigate the effects of several factors on the risk of colony loss, including different treatments for Varroa destructor, allowing for random effects of beekeeper and region. Both winter and summer treatments were considered, and the most common combinations of treatment and timing were used to define treatment factor levels. Overall and within country colony loss rates are presented. Significant factors in the model were found to be: percentage of young queens in the colonies before winter, extent of queen problems in summer, treatment of the varroa mite, and access by foraging honey bees to oilseed rape and maize. Spatial variation at the beekeeper level is shown across geographical regions using random effects from the fitted models, both before and after allowing for the effect of the significant terms in the model. This spatial variation is considerable.

Effects of host age on susceptibility to infection and immune gene expression in honey bee queens (Apis mellifera) inoculated with Nosema ceranae

Nosema ceranae is a microsporidium parasite infecting honey bees worldwide. All colony members including workers, drones, and queens can become infected. In this study, we inoculated queens of age 1, 6, and 12 days post-adult emergence, with N. ceranae spores of different doses and allowed them to age an additional 12 days. The results indicated that younger queens were indeed more susceptible to N. ceranae inoculation than older queens. Moreover, this is the first report of the effects of N. ceranae inoculation on immune gene expression in queens of different ages. Our results demonstrated that the expression of genes related to the bee immunity apidaecin, eater, and vitellogenin in the gut and the remaining abdomen was different among queens of different ages when inoculated with N. ceranae. All three ages of queens inoculated by N. ceranae showed upregulation of apidaecin in gut tissue 6 days after inoculation, but only in queens aged 1 day post-emergence were the differences significant. However, transcript levels of eater were increased in all three ages of queens when sampled on day 12, and significant differences were obtained in queens inoculated at 6 and 12 days post-emergence. We clearly show that immune responses to N. ceranae changes as queen age and this knowledge may provide clues for understanding the ability of queens to resist infection by this gut parasite.

Virgin ant queens mate with their own sons to avoid failure at colony foundation

Mother-son mating (oedipal mating) is practically non-existent in social Hymenoptera, as queens typically avoid inbreeding, mate only early in life and do not mate again after having begun to lay eggs. In the ant genus Cardiocondyla mating occurs among sib in the natal nests. Sex ratios are extremely female-biased and young queens face the risk of remaining without mating partners. Here, we show that virgin queens of Cardiocondyla argyrotricha produce sons from their own unfertilized eggs and later mate with them to produce female offspring from fertilized eggs. Oedipal mating may allow C. argyrotricha queens to found new colonies when no mating partners are available and thus maintains their unusual life history combining monogyny, mating in the nest, and low male production. Our result indicates that a trait that sporadically occurs in solitary haplodiploid animals may evolve also in social Hymenoptera under appropriate ecological and social conditions.

Philately: a tale of two postage stamps — following the things

I found it on eBay: ‘Jamaica GB used in 1858 6d x 2 sg Z5 used on piece A01 [Kingston] 1858’. Offered for sale by a stamp dealer on the Isle of Man was a scrap of blue paper, apparently part of an old envelope or torn off a sealed, folded letter, on which was stuck an attached pair of British postage stamps, each bearing the image of a young Queen Victoria