Within- and across-colony effects of hyperpolyandry on immune function and body condition in honey bees (Apis mellifera)

详细信息	查看全文 | 推荐本文 |

• 作者：Noah Wilson-Rich^a ; ¹ ; ^{noah@bestbees.com} ; David R. Tarpy^b ; ^c ; ^{david_tarpy@ncsu.edu} ; Philip T. Starks^a ; ^{philip.starks@tufts.edu}
• 关键词：Social insects ; Genetic diversity ; Polyandry ; Immune response
• 刊名：Journal of Insect Physiology
• 出版年：2012
• 期刊代码：92_00221910
• 类别：bio
• 出版时间：March, 2012
• 卷：58
• 期：3
• 页码：402-407
• 文件大小：334 K

摘要

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) have become a model system for studies on the influence of genetic diversity on disease. Honey bee queens mate with a remarkably high number of males鈥攗p to 29 in the current study鈥攆rom which they produce a colony of genetically diverse daughter workers. Recent evidence suggests a significant benefit of intracolony genetic diversity on disease resistance. Here, we explored the relationship between the level of genetic diversity and multiple physiological mechanisms of cellular and humoral immune defense (encapsulation response and phenoloxidase activity). We also investigated an effect of genetic diversity on a measure of body condition (fat body mass). While we predicted that mean colony phenoloxidase activity, encapsulation response, and fat body mass would show a positive relationship with increased intracolonial genetic diversity, we found no significant relationship between genetic diversity and these immune measures, and found no consistent effect on body condition. These results suggest that high genetic diversity as a result of extreme polyandry may have little bearing on the physiological mechanisms of immune function at naturally occurring mating levels in honey bees.