Drone production, semen viability and spermatozoa longevity of Africanized Apis mellifera (original) (raw)
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apidologie.org
Adult drone honey bees from 4 Australian breeding lines were reared under similar conditions and examined for semen and sperm production when 14, 21 and 35 days old, during spring, summer and autumn. Almost half (40.5%) of all drones examined did not release any semen when manually everted. For those that released semen, the average volume released per drone was 1.09 μL (range 0.72 (±0.04)-1.12 (±0.04) μL) and the average number of sperms in the semen per drone was 3.63 × 10 6 (range 1.88 (±0.14)-4.11 (±0.17) × 10 6). The release of semen was dependent on breeding line and age (P < 0.05), but not on the rearing season. The volume of semen released per drone was dependent on season, age, and breeding line (P < 0.05), while the concentration of sperm in the semen was dependent on season and breeding line (P < 0.05). Hence our data indicate that genetics underpins the maturation of drone honey bees as well as the volume of semen they release and the concentration of sperm in that semen. Apis mellifera / drones / semen production / sperm
Apidologie, 2013
In order to evaluate the semen quality among honey bee populations, emergent honey bee drones were maintained to sexual maturity for 20 days under laboratory, semi-field, and field conditions. The drones were successfully maintained in laboratory conditions. Drones under laboratory and field conditions presented a lower spermatozoa concentration and lower protein content than those under semi-field conditions. The viability of spermatozoa was higher under laboratory conditions, and the ATP content and the superoxide dismutase activity were higher both under laboratory and field conditions compared to drones kept under semifield conditions. Hence, our data indicate that the semen quality was similar in drones maintained under laboratory and field conditions. honey bee drones / sexual maturity / fertility / semen quality / sperm
Effects of age, season and genetics on semen and sperm production in Apis mellifera drones
Apidologie, 2011
Adult drone honey bees from 4 Australian breeding lines were reared under similar conditions and examined for semen and sperm production when 14, 21 and 35 days old, during spring, summer and autumn. Almost half (40.5%) of all drones examined did not release any semen when manually everted. For those that released semen, the average volume released per drone was
Apidologie, 2003
Honeybee queens with either European or African maternity were mated to African and European drones to determine rates of sperm utilization. The first month after the queens were inseminated, they produced equal proportions of workers with African and European paternity. However, for the next 3-4 months, more than 70% of the workers produced by queens of either matriline had African paternity. Overall, the queens produced a majority of workers with African paternity during the six-month study period. The possible impact that a higher rate of sperm utilization from African drones might have on the Africanization process is discussed.
Sperm utilization in honeybees (Apis mellifera scutellata and A. m. capensis) in South Africa
Apidologie, 2011
We artificially inseminated queens of Apis mellifera scutellata and A. m. capensis with equal numbers of drones of both subspecies to determine the effects of sperm genotype on rates of sperm utilization. Contrary to a previous study we did not find a consistent overrepresentation of workers sired by A. m. scutellata males in the first four months after insemination. Interestingly, our study does suggest that there is a significant interaction between drone and queen genotype in both subspecies, with queens of each subspecies producing more workers sired by drones of the same subspecies. Apis mellifera scutellata / Apis mellifera capensis / sperm competition / Africanization / hybrid zone
When every sperm counts: factors affecting male fertility in the honeybee Apis mellifera
Behavioral Ecology, 2013
Eusocial hymenopteran males have exceptionally high levels of ejaculate quality, which are assumed to result from extreme selection pressures for pre-and postcopulatory male-male competition and the necessity to retain viable sperm after years of storage in female (queen) spermathecae. We hypothesized that the production of high-quality sperm carries substantial costs so that fertility of males may be compromised by stress factors when they are operating at their physiological limits. To test this, we performed a series of experiments using honeybees as our model system, to establish possible effects of male age on sperm quality and to evaluate effects of elevated temperatures, food deprivation during sexual maturation, and immune challenges. We found that sperm viability decreases with male age but that males of some colonies were better able to delay ejaculate senescence than others. Exposure to elevated temperatures and wounding both significantly decreased male fecundity, but protein deficiency after hatching did not. This suggests that investment in drones is completed at pupation and that sexual maturation does not require additional protein feeding. The sensitivity of drone fitness to stress factors related to temperature and immune system activation illustrates that hygienic monitoring and active thermoregulation by workers are essential for colony-level reproductive success. These results underline that honeybee drones have been under strong selection for extreme specialization on reproductive performance and that this precludes any exposure to the stressful conditions that foraging workers normally experience.
Factors Influencing the Reproductive Ability of Male Bees: Current Knowledge and Further Directions
Insects, 2021
Bumblebees and honeybees are very important pollinators and play a vital role in agricultural and natural ecosystems. The quality of their colonies is determined by the queens and the reproductive drones of mother colonies, and mated drones transmit semen, including half of the genetic materials, to queens and enhance their fertility. Therefore, factors affecting drone fecundity will also directly affect progeny at the colony level. Here, we review environmental and bee-related factors that are closely related to drone reproductive ability. The environmental factors that mainly affect the sperm count and the viability of males include temperature, nutrients and pesticides. In addition, the inherent characteristics of male bees, such as body size, weight, age, seminal fluid proteins and proteins of the spermathecal fluid, contribute to mating success, sperm quality during long-term storage in the spermathecae and the reproductive behaviors of queens. Based on the results of previous ...
Male fitness of honeybee colonies (Apis mellifera L.)
Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 2003
Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) have an extreme polyandrous mating system. Worker offspring of 19 naturally mated queens was genotyped with DNA microsatellites, to estimate male reproductive success of 16 drone producing colonies. This allowed for estimating the male mating success on both the colony level and the level of individual drones. The experiment was conducted in a closed population on an isolated island to exclude interferences of drones from unknown colonies. Although all colonies had produced similar numbers of drones, differences among the colonies in male mating success exceeded one order of magnitude. These differences were enhanced by the siring success of individual drones within the offspring of mated queens. The siring success of individual drones was correlated with the mating frequency at the colony level. Thus more successful colonies not only produced drones with a higher chance of mating, but also with a significantly higher proportion of offspring sired than drones from less successful colonies. Although the life cycle of honeybee colonies is very female centred, the male reproductive success appears to be a major driver of natural selection in honeybees.
The Influence of Body Weight on Semen Parameters in Apis mellifera Drones
Insects
The quantity and quality of the honey bee drone semen have a significant determination on the performance of bee colonies. The existence of a smaller number of mature drones to participate in the mating of queens, as well as a sufficient number of drones but with poor quality semen can have serious implications for the productivity of bee colonies. Our study aimed to investigate the correlation between two body weight ranges of drones and semen parameters in the Buckfast honey bee, data that could be integrated into the optimization of instrumental insemination in been queens. Semen was collected from two groups of drones with different body weights (200–240 mg and 240–280 mg). Semen volume, semen concentration, motility, morphology and membrane integrity of spermatozoa were analyzed. The phenotype indicator related to body weight in correlation with the main semen parameters studied gives a weak influence or causality ratio. In drones with 240–280 mg body weight, a higher percentag...
European Journal of Entomology, 2011
The effects of three factors operating during pre-emergence development period on some characteristics of drones were studied. Weight of newly emerged drones, length of forewing, length of tibia, length of femur, length and width of basitarsus and number of spermatozoa in drones from colonies in which the workers had access to drone brood (A), the size of brood cells differed (B) or the colony had a queen or was queenless (C), were determined. For this purpose, 9 colonies were chosen at random from the test apiary and prepared so that each contained one empty Langstroth frame with six small sub-frames containing drone combs, three of which were used to test the effect of one level and the other three the other level of each factor. The results showed that, colony status had a greater effect on the parameters measured than either the size of the brood cells or whether the workers had access to sealed brood cells. Most of the parameters were significantly different in C, whereas only a few in B and non in A were significantly different. The distance between discriminant scores in each experiment enhanced the previous results, as it was highest in C, followed by B and then A. Optimal drone characteristics may be recorded for colonies in which the queens were induced to lay unfertilized eggs in newly built drone combs, and then removed and the drone brood reared in a queen less colony.