The influence of gustatory and olfactory expiriences on responsiveness to reward in the honeybee.

RAMIREZ, GABRIELA; MARTÍNEZ, ANDRÉS; FERNÁNDEZ, VANESA; CORTI BIELSA, GONZALO; FARINA WM

Buenos Aires

Congreso; 42º Congreso Internacional de Apicultura Apimondia 2011; 2011

Apimondia

The Influence of Gustatory and Olfactory Experiences on Responsiveness to Reward in the Honeybee Ramírez, G. P.; Martínez, A. S.; Fernández, V. M.; Corti Bielsa, G.; Farina, W. M.   Grupo de Estudio de  Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, IFIBYNE-CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires. Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina. (+5411) 4 576 3445. walter@bg.fcen.uba.ar   Honeybees (Apis mellifera) exhibit a tuned division of labor that depends on age polyethism. This adjustment is generally associated with individuals of different ages that display different response thresholds to given stimuli, which determine specific behaviors. For instance, the sucrose-response threshold (SRT) which depends on genetic factors may also be affected by the nectar sugar content. However, it remains unknown whether SRTs in workers of different ages and tasks can differ depending on gustatory and olfactory experiences. Groups of worker bees reared either in artificial environment or queen-right colony, were exposed to different reward conditions at different adult ages. Gustatory response scores (GRSs) and odor-memory retrieval were measured in bees that were previously exposed to changes in food characteristics. Results show that the GRSs of pre-foraging-aged bees are affected by changes in the concentration and the presence of an odor in the sucrose solution. Contrarily no differences in worker responses were observed when presented with odor only in the rearing environment. Fast modulation of GRSs was observed in older bees (commonly food processors bees, 12–16 days of age) while slower modulation times were observed in younger bees (commonly nurse bees, 6–9 days of age). This suggests that older bees have a higher plasticity when responding to fluctuations in resource information than younger hive bees. Number of trophallaxis events was also modified when scented food circulated inside the nest, and this was positively correlated with the differences in timing observed in gustatory responsiveness and memory retention for hive bees of different age classes. This work demonstrates the accessibility of chemosensory information in the honeybee colonies with respect to incoming nectar. The modulation of the sensory-response systems within the hive can have important effects on the dynamics of food transfer and information propagation.