Journal Title
Title of Journal: Insect Soc
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Abbravation: Insectes Sociaux
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Authors: J Henske K Krausa F A Hager K Nkoba W H Kirchner
Publish Date: 2015/08/07
Volume: 62, Issue: 4, Pages: 507-516
Abstract
Worldwide only a few of the more than 500 stingless bee species has been studied in any detail Most studies on stingless bees have been conducted in the Neotropics whereas a very few have been undertaken in Africa Foraging success is dependent to a greater or lesser extent on olfactory cues or signals A prerequisite to effective foraging via odors is that the bees are able to associate odors with a nectar reward and memorize this information In the context of olfactory learning only five species of stingless bees have been studied using classical conditioning of the proboscis extension reflex PER Foragers are capable of using previously experienced olfactory information when choosing food sources but they rarely respond in differential PER assays This study examines for the first time the olfactory learning abilities of African stingless bees A differential conditioning assay was used to study learning and memory of Meliponula ferruginea and Meliponula bocandei Our results clearly show that both stingless bee species associate odors with a reward Learning performance of both stingless bee species was poor compared to Apis m scutellata This might reflect that the experimental procedure has been optimized for Apis mellifera However the PER paradigm seems to be suitable to study learning memory and olfactory perception in Meliponula As in honeybees this paradigm will open the way to answer ecological psychological and neurobiological questions in these speciesWe would like to thank icipe—African Science for Food and Health especially SK Raina for the strong support and the Kenyan Forest Service KFS for issuing research permits Special thanks to the beekeepers from Ivihiga and Isiekuti We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments JH was supported by the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD with travel grants the Deutsche Studienstiftung supported KK with travel grants
Keywords:
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Other Papers In This Journal:
- Mating frequency and maternity of males in Melipona mondury (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
- Elevational and geographic variation in army ant swarm raid rates
- Task allocation and reproductive skew in social mass provisioning carpenter bees in relation to age and size
- Size and composition of swarming colonies in Provespa anomala (Hymenoptera, Vespidae), a nocturnal social wasp
- Der Einfluss von Umweltbedingungen auf die Bildung von Gynandromorphen bei der Honigbiene Apis mellifica L.
- Bumble bee olfactory information flow and contact-based foraging activation
- Sexual interactions and nestmate recognition in invasive populations of Polistes dominulus wasps
- Regional trends and preliminary results on the local expansion rate in the invasive garden ant, Lasius neglectus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)
- Behavioral defense strategies of the stingless bee, Austroplebeia australis , against the small hive beetle, Aethina tumida
- Alkylpyrazines: alarm pheromone components of the little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)
- Caste developmental pathways in colonies of Coptotermes lacteus (Froggatt) headed by primary reproductives (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae)
- The distribution of weaver ant pheromones on host trees
- Vision-based ability of an ant-mimicking jumping spider to discriminate between models, conspecific individuals and prey
- The influence of soil temperature on the nesting cycle of the halictid bee Lasioglossum malachurum
- Cooperative transport in ants: a review of proximate mechanisms
- The production of soldiers and the maintenance of caste proportions delay the growth of termite incipient colonies
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