Honeybee integrative biology: linking behavior and sociobiology of a crop pollinator.

FARINA, WALTER M

Ribeirao Preto, San Pablo

Encuentro; X Encontro sobre abelhas; 2012

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The integration of knowledge from diverse areas is an increasingly common challenge in studying biological systems. Many current studies of animal behavior are exemplary cases of this approach. In this sense, the honeybee Apis mellifera is an excellent animal model through which individual cognitive skills, communication systems and collective responses can be studied simultaneously. Individual and social planes of studies have shown intricate capabilities of this social insect to learn and memorize, and also to exchange complex information, such as that transmitted via the waggle dance. Despite the fact that there are many studies that combine both levels of organization and their implications, few approaches frame these aspects within a surrounding of social mobility through which individuals are exposed to different behavioral contexts throughout their lives. Cognition and communication issues regarding the spread and persistence of the acquired information at the colony level would improve the understanding of socio-biological aspects with a dynamic approach in honeybees. These are the topics to be developed in this presentation.