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Queen Production (queen + production)
Selected AbstractsImpact of artificial photoperiodism on the colony development of the bumblebee Bombus terrestrisENTOMOLOGICAL SCIENCE, Issue 4 2007Md Ruhul AMIN Abstract This study investigated the effect of the photoperiodic regimes 0 h light : 24 h dark (LD 0:24), LD 8:16, LD 16:8 and LD 24:0 at 28°C and 50% Relative Humidity (RH) on the colony development of hibernated (2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 months) bumblebee queens. The queens which had hibernated for 3.0 months and which were reared in a LD 8:16 photoperiod showed the highest rate of colony initiation (88.2%), colony foundation (67.6%) and progeny queen production (38.2%). The photoperiod LD 8:16 also produced the shortest period of colony initiation and colony foundation. The highest number of sexual males (171.2 ± 12.2) and queens (91.2 ± 9.9) were produced in the colonies when 3.5 and 3.0 month hibernated queens were kept in an LD 8:16 photoperiod. The results show that light regime and hibernation duration affect colony characteristics of Bombus terrestris. [source] Dynamics of common wasps in New Zealand beech forests: a model with density dependence and weatherJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2002N. D. Barlow Summary 1Nest densities of the common wasp ( Vespula vulgaris (L.)) were monitored at six sites for 13 years in the honeydew-rich southern beech ( Nothofagus spp.) forests of New Zealand's South Island. 2Densities of wasp nests were among the highest in the world, up to 30 ha ,1 , and at any one site varied approximately twofold over the study period. 3Strong but not overcompensating density dependence was identified, together with a negative effect of spring rainfall. 4The density dependence appeared to act from the number of autumn queens produced during one year to the number of mature (autumn) nests the next year, rather than through variations in queen production per nest. The same stage was also responsible for most of the variability in autumn nest numbers from year to year, with queen production per nest contributing less. 5Yearly changes in nest density could be summarized by a simple Ricker model including both density dependence and weather, thereby incorporating both previous hypotheses for the determination of wasp abundance. [source] Caste fate conflict in swarm-founding social Hymenoptera: an inclusive fitness analysisJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2003T. Wenseleers Abstract A caste system in which females develop into morphologically distinct queens or workers has evolved independently in ants, wasps and bees. Although such reproductive division of labour may benefit the colony it is also a source of conflict because individual immature females can benefit from developing into a queen in order to gain greater direct reproduction. Here we present a formal inclusive fitness analysis of caste fate conflict appropriate for swarm-founding social Hymenoptera. Three major conclusions are reached: (1) when caste is self-determined, many females should selfishly choose to become queens and the resulting depletion of the workforce can substantially reduce colony productivity; (2) greater relatedness among colony members reduces this excess queen production; (3) if workers can prevent excess queen production at low cost by controlled feeding, a transition to nutritional caste determination should occur. These predictions generalize results derived earlier using an allele-frequency model [Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. (2001) 50: 467] and are supported by observed levels of queen production in various taxa, especially stingless bees, where caste can be either individually or nutritionally controlled. [source] | ||||||||||