A Genetic Analysis of Stinging and Guarding Behaviors of the Honey Bee
Abstract
Previous research has found regions of the honey bee genome that are associated with defensive behaviors by using colony-level assays of stinging behavior and individual assays based on whether a bee was guarding the nest entrance. However, the genes responsible for defensive behaviors have not yet been confirmed. In order to identify the genes that are influencing defensive behaviors, we have taken a new approach using individual behavioral measurements in two families containing backcross workers from matings involving European and Africanized bees. We removed the social context from stinging behavior by using a laboratory assay to measure the stinging response of individual bees. A mild shock was given to bees using a constant-current stimulator. The time it took bees to sting in response to this stimulus was recorded. In addition, bees that were seen performing guard behaviors at the hive entrance were collected. We performed QTL mapping in two backcross families and identified two new QTL regions for stinging behavior and another QTL region for guarding behavior. We also identified several candidate genes involved in neural signaling, neural development and muscle development that may be influencing stinging and guarding behaviors. The lack of overlap between these regions and previous defensive-behavior QTL underscores the complexity of this behavior and increases our understanding of its genetic architecture.
Degree
M.S.
Advisors
Hunt, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Neurosciences|Entomology|Genetics|Behavioral Sciences
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