Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:30:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 221617 bytes, checksum: 8dea1fe4e748dc72a9e46876a76c3606 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-02-12 / Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais / Age polyethism is the change in activities carried out by members of a colony during its life. Older individuals have lower future value to the colony, so it would be better for the colony if they could perform more dangerous tasks outside the nest and not return to its interior. Thus, the risk of bringing pathogens into the colony is reduced, protecting internal individuals and thereby increasing the life expectancy of the colony. The first hypothesis of this study is that external ants are older than internal ones and therefore die earlier. A complementary hypothesis is that external workers are weaker, having been previously selected by the colony to carry out dangerous tasks, since the losses would be less prejudicial to the colony. To test these hypotheses, internal e external workers of the leaf-cutter ant Atta laevigata (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) were collected from nests in the field (Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil) and also from laboratory colonies. Ants of the same size were placed individually in Petri dishes and supplied with water and honey solution 1:1. To test the second hypothesis, ants were inoculated with the fungus Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill to compare their survival to controls. In both the field and laboratory experiments, the external workers died before the gardeners, suggesting that they are older, supporting the first hypothesis, that this species use age-dependent polyethism. In the experiment with ants from the field, there was no difference in the survival curves of external ants, inoculated or not. There was a difference in the laboratory ants. The first experiment indicates that external workers are not previously weaker, but the second suggests they are. This could be the difference betweennatural conditions (where they have more contact with pathogens so more susceptible individuals may be eliminated) and laboratory conditions (less pathogens). This study is the first step to test the conveyor belt model of Schmid-Hempel. Additional studies will be important to understand the intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms mediating progression from internal to external activities, during aging. / O polietismo etário é a mudança nas atividades exercidas pelos membros de uma colônia ao longo da sua vida. Os indivíduos mais velhos teriam menor valor futuro para a colônia, seria então melhor se realizassem tarefas fora do ninho e não retornassem ao interior do mesmo. Isso diminuiria o risco de trazerem patógenos para dentro da colônia, o que consequentemente, aumentaria a expectativa de vida da colônia. A primeira hipótese desse trabalho é que as operárias de fora do ninho de formigas cortadeiras morrem antes das de dentro sugerindo que sejam mais velhas. Uma hipótese alternativa é que as formigas que forrageiam são operárias mais fracas, previamente escolhidas pela colônia, para realizarem tarefas mais perigosas, já que as perdas das mesmas não acarretariam tantos prejuízos. Para testá-las, operárias de dentro e fora do ninho da formiga cortadeira Atta laevigata (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) foram coletadas de ninhos no campo (Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brasil) e também de colônias provenientes de laboratório. Formigas de mesmo tamanho foram individualizadas em placas de Petri e supridas com água e solução de mel 1:1. Para testar a segunda hipótese, formigas foram inoculadas com o fungo Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill., com objetivo de comparar a sobrevivência dessas com formigas controle. As operárias de fora morreram antes das de dentro tanto no experimento de campo quanto no de laboratório. Isto sugere que sejam mais velhas, apoiando a primeira hipótese, que essa espécie utilize o polietismo dependente da idade. No experimento com formigas do campo, não houve diferença nas curvas de sobrevivência das de fora do ninho, inoculadas ou não; mas com as formigas de laboratório houve. O primeiro experimento indica que as formigas externas não são previamente mais fracas,mas o segundo indica que sim. Isso pode ter ocorrido pela diferença entre as condições naturais (onde têm mais contato com patógenos e indivíduos mais suscetíveis seriam eliminados) e as condições de laboratório (menos patógenos). Esse estudo foi o primeiro passo para se testar o modelo esteira de Schmid-Hempel. Estudos adicionais serão importantes para entender os mecanismos, extrínsecos e intrínsecos, mediadores das mudanças nas atividades internas ao ninho para atividades externas, com a passagem da idade.

O processo reprodutivo é de extrema importância para os organismos vivos, é através dele que os indivíduos transmitem as informações contidas em seus genes para as próximas gerações. Para que qualquer indivíduo seja bem-sucedido nesse processo, o primeiro desafio a ser superado é encontrar um parceiro sexual. Para cumprir essa tarefa, machos e fêmeas comunicam sua presença utilizando uma variedade de canais sensoriais. Nas abelhas sociais,o encontro entre machos e fêmeas é um processo complexo e resultado de um refinado sistema de comunicação, mediado principalmente por sinais químicos. Embora Meliponini seja o maior e mais diverso grupo de abelhas sociais, existem poucas informações sobre a comunicação sexual desses insetos. Um fenômeno comum nesse grupo de abelhas é a formação de grandes agregados de machos nas proximidades de colônias que possuem uma rainha virgem. No entanto, os sinais envolvidos na atração dos machos e na formação desses agregados são pouco conhecidos. Desse modo, este trabalho objetivou investigar os fatores envolvidos na comunicação sexual de Meliponini. Para explorar esse problema, nós realizamos uma revisão sobre a biologia reprodutiva dessas abelhas (cap. 1), testamos o papel das forrageiras na atração de machos (cap.2), identificamos os compostos presentes nas marcas depositadas por machos nas agregações (cap.3) e investigamos os fatores relacionados à escolha dos machos por uma determinada colônia (cap. 4). Os resultados obtidos apontam que as forrageiras têm um papel central na atração dos machos e que os machos depositam ativamente seus hidrocarbonetos cuticulares nos locais de agregação. Além disso, foi possível identificar que a atratividade de uma colônia está relacionada com a sua biomassa. Assim, esses resultados contribuem para ampliar nosso conhecimento sobre o processo reprodutivo em abelhas sem ferrão e mostram que a comunicação sexual desse grupo de insetos é um processo tão complexo quanto fascinante que envolve machos, rainhas e operárias / Reproduction is the utmost important process for living organisms since it is through this process that individuals can transmit their genetic information to the next generation. To be successful in this process, the first challenge individuals need to overcome is finding a sexual partner. To accomplish this task, males and females communicate their presence using several sensorial modalities. In highly eusocial bees, this complex process is the outcome of a precise chemical communication system. Stingless bees (Meliponini) represents the most species-rich group of eusocial bees and although a lot of information related to the group can be found in the literature, very little is known about their mating communication. A common phenomenon in this group of social bees is the formation of large male aggregations in front of nests during reproductive events. However, the factors involved in the formation of such male aggregation are poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the mating communication of stingless bees. To explore this problem, we reviewed the mating biology of the bees (chapter 1), tested the role of foragers in the attraction of males (chapter 2), identified the compounds that drones deposit at the aggregation site (chapter 3) and investigated the factors related to the differential attraction of males to colonies (chapter 4). Our results suggest that foragers have a central role in the long-range attraction of males and that males actively deposit their cuticular hydrocarbons at the aggregation site. Furthermore, we observed that the number of attracted males increased with the weight of colonies, showing that the attractiveness of colonies is related to their biomass. Thus, these results contribute to improve our knowledge about the reproductive process of stingless bees and show that the sexual communication of these bees is as complex as fascinating and involves males, queens and workers

A capacidade de discriminação entre indivíduos geneticamente relacionados é de fundamental importância na teoria de Hamilton da Seleção Parental. Insetos sociais utilizam-se do olfato no reconhecimento, sendo os compostos presentes na cutícula dos indivíduos os responsáveis por esta mediação. Nesses insetos as pistas utilizadas no sistema de reconhecimento podem provir de diversas fontes distintas, tanto endógenas quanto exógenas. As pistas exógenas podem ser absorvidas a partir de materiais de construção do ninho, alimentos ou da rainha. Apesar de existir uma grande literatura a respeito dessa aquisição em formigas, cupins, abelhas melíferas e abelhas solitárias, pouco se sabe a respeito de abelhas sem ferrão. Dessa forma, o presente estudo teve como principais objetivos a análise da composição química cuticular da abelha sem ferrão Frieseomelitta varia (Lepeletier, 1836) e a verificação da influência da alimentação e dos materiais de construção do ninho na formação dos sinais utilizados nos sistemas de reconhecimento e defesa. Foram identificados um total de 48 compostos presentes na cutícula de F. varia. Dentre esses compostos os mais comuns foram hidrocarbonetos, divididos em alcanos, alcenos e alcadienos. Os hidrocarbonetos variaram de 21 a 31 átomos de carbono e os encontrados em maiores concentrações foram o heptacosano e o nonacosano. Os compostos variaram de acordo com a casta, o gênero e a idade dos indivíduos. Os testes comportamentais, juntamente com as análises químicas indicaram que os indivíduos absorvem compostos químicos a partir dos materiais do ninho. No entanto, foi mostrado que a convergência alimentar não resulta em uma maior aceitação dos indivíduos nem em uma convergência de compostos cuticulares. / The ability to discriminate among genetic related individuals has a main importance in the Kin selection Hamiltons theory. Social insects use odor cues in recognition systems, and the main used cues are compounds present in their cuticle. These cues may originate from endogenous and exogenous sources. The exogenous cues may be absorbed from nest materials, food or even from the queen. There are numerous reports concerning the origin of these cues in ants, termites, honeybees and solitary bees, although, little is known about stingless bees. Therefore, the present work had as main objectives the study of the chemical composition of Frieseomelitta varias cuticle and the verification of food and nest materials influence in the constitution of the cues used in recognition systems. A total of 48 compounds were identified in the cuticle of F. varia. The main compounds were hydrocarbons, divided into alkanes, alkenes and alkadienes. The hydrocarbons varied from 21 to 31 carbon atoms and those found in highest concentrations were heptacosane and nonacosane. The compounds varied between castes, gender and age. The behavioral tests, in agreement with the chemical analyses, showed that the individuals absorb chemical compounds from nest material. However, the results showed that food convergence imply neither in a higher acceptance of the individuals nor in a chemical convergence.

Thanks to the progress in genetic methods in population ecology, many critical discoveries were recently made in the field of reproductive strategies of social insect. Among them is the description of mixed reproductive strategies, combining advantages of sexual reproduction with thelytokous parthenogenesis. The queens of such species produce sterile castes through classical sexual process from fertilized eggs, while future queens develop asexually from unfertilized eggs. This original breeding system was first described in several genera of ants, but it was found very recently, that it is not restricted to social Hymenoptera, since it has been identified also in the phylogenetically remote eusocial clade of termites. Switching between the sexual process and thelytokous parthenogenesis, now known as Asexual Queen Succession (AQS), which enables a continuity of genetically almost identical queen generations after the death of the founding primary queen, was first reported only in one genus of lower termites, i.e. Reticulitermes. Recently, our research group participated at the identification of AQS in four other species from two subfamilies in higher termites. One of these species is Silvestritermes minutus. This species is locally abundant in French Guiana and lives in small, well shaped nests on...

Les Hyménoptères sociaux (abeilles, fourmis et guêpes) doivent leur succès écologique à une division dutravail marquée par l’existence de castes. Les reines sont spécialisées dans la reproduction, tandis que les ouvrières sont stériles et prennent en charge la construction du nid et sa défense, la récolte de nourriture et l’élevage des jeunes. Le développement d’un œuf femelle en une reine ou une ouvrière est généralement régi par des facteurs environnementaux, tels que la qualité ou la quantité de la nourriture.En réalisant une étude de génétique des populations chez la fourmi Cataglyphis hispanica, nous avons mis en évidence un mode de reproduction inhabituel appelé hybridogenèse sociale. Cette espèce est caractérisée par la co-existence de deux lignées génétiques au sein des populations. Les reines de chaque lignée s’accouplent systématiquement avec un mâle de l’autre lignée génétique. Ainsi, les reines de la lignée 1 s’accouplent toujours avec un mâle de la lignée 2, et les reines de la lignée 2 s’accouplent avec un mâle de la lignée 1. Les ouvrières sont issues du croisement entre les deux lignées :il s’agit donc d’individus hybrides. A l’inverse, les individus reproducteurs (nouvelles reines et mâles) sont produits exclusivement par reproduction asexuée. La caste femelle (reine ou ouvrière) est donc déterminée génétiquement; les ouvrières portent un génome hybride, alors que les reproducteurs possèdent un génome non-hybride hérité exclusivement de la mère.Les travaux réalisés dans le cadre de cette thèse de doctorat visent à comprendre l’origine et l’évolution de l’hybridogenèse sociale chez les fourmis Cataglyphis par le biais d’approches variées (génétique des populations, phylogéographie et manipulation de colonies en laboratoire). Ils sont articulés selon plusieurs axes complémentaires :la description du phénomène, l’étude de sa distribution géographique et phylogénétique au sein du genre Cataglyphis, et l'étude de ces mécanismes génétiques sous-jacents. / In eusocial Hymenoptera, such as bees, wasp and ants, it is commonly accepted that the diploid female eggs are bipotent and develop either into a queen or a worker depending on environmental factors. While conducting a population genetic study of the ant Cataglyphis hispanica, we discovered an unusual reproductive system called social hybridogenesis. Under this system, queens and workers develop from eggs with different genetic make-up. Two divergent genetic lineages coexist within a population. Queens of each lineage mate with males originating from the other lineage. Workers are produced by sexual reproduction; hence, they are first generation hybrids of the two lineages. By contrast, new queens and males are produced by thelytokous and arrhenotokous parthenogenesis, respectively. By using alternative modes of reproduction, queens appear to maximize their reproductive success by increasing the transmission rate of their genes to the reproductive offspring while benefiting from genetic diversity and heterosis effects in their worker force. Males, however, do not contribute genes to the next generation as they only sire sterile workers. This system is expected to be evolutionary short-lived as lineages may be selected to stop the production of males with null direct fitness. This PhD project aims at understanding the origin and evolution of social hybridogenesis in Cataglyphis. Using several different approaches including population genetics methods based on microsatellite makers, phylogeography and experimental manipulations on lab colonies, I explored tthe characteristics of social hybridogenesis, the genetic mechanisms underlying the system and its distribution within the genus Cataglyphis. My results, together with other recent findings, question the paradigm of environmental caste determination in eusocial Hymenoptera and suggest that genetic influences on caste determination may be more common than previously thought. / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

January is a group of interacting stateless model checkers. Each agent functions on a processor located on a super computer or a network of workstations (NOW). The agent's search pattern is a semi-random walk based on the behavior of the grey field slug (Agriolimax reticulatus), the house fly (Musca domestica), and the black ant (Lassius niger). The agents communicate to lessen the amount of duplicate work being done. Every algorithm has a memory threshold above which they search efficiently. This threshold varies not only by model but also by algorithm. Janaury's threshold is lower than the thresholds of other algorithms we compared it to.

O polifenismo facultativo, observado entre rainhas e operárias em insetos altamente eussociais tem como estímulo inicial uma alimentação diferencial na fase larval que afeta tanto o desenvolvimento geral das larvas quanto a diferenciação de órgãos e sistemas, principalmente o sistema reprodutor das fêmeas. A via de sinalização por insulina (IIS) é uma das principais vias que integra o desenvolvimento geral de animais com as suas condições nutricionais. O objetivo desse trabalho foi verificar possíveis relações entre a via de sinalização por insulina e a diferenciação das castas em abelhas Apis mellifera. A partir de análises do genoma de Apis mellifera anotamos genes integrantes desta via e verificamos que há dois genes codificadores para receptores de insulina, InR1 e InR2. Os perfis de transcrição desses dois genes obtidos por RT-PCR quantitativa, em larvas de rainhas e operárias durante o período de troca de alimentação, demonstraram que há diferenças consideráveis nos padrões temporais e nos níveis dos transcritos para os receptores de insulina, InR1 (GB15492) e InR2 (GB18331), dentro de cada casta, como também entre as duas castas. Em rainhas verificamos uma interessante variação na transcrição de InR1, que no terceiro instar larval foi cerca de cinco vezes maior que a transcrição de InR2 e no quarto instar seguiu em níveis semelhantes ao de InR2. Essa variação de InR1 pode estar relacionada ao teor de proteínas da geléia real oferecida às larvas de rainhas no terceiro instar, que é maior do que teor de proteínas da geléia real oferecida a partir do quarto instar larval. Para as amostras de larvas de operárias observamos que os níveis dos transcritos dos dois receptores, InR1 e InR2, foram baixos no terceiro estágio larval e aumentaram, de maneira semelhante, até o início do quinto estágio larval, o que pode ter sido devido a algum composto existente na geléia de operária que estimule a transcrição dos genes para os receptores de insulina. Foram feitas análises complementares dos níveis de transcrição dos genes InR1 e InR2, em amostras de ovários, tanto de operárias quanto de rainhas, e em amostras de operárias adultas cultivadas em diferentes tipos de alimentações. Essas análises complementares evidenciaram que a transcrição dos genes para os receptores de insulina em Apis mellifera foi diferente nos ovários de ambas as castas, quando comparada às amostras de corpo inteiro, e que em operárias o transcrito do InR1 foi dominante ao longo de quase toda a vida adulta, sendo superado pelo transcrito InR2 apenas por volta de 13 e 15 dias.. Além disso, uma relação positiva entre o conteúdo de proteína e a transcrição de InR1 foi observada quando analisamos a sua transcrição em amostras de operárias adultas alimentadas com bee bread, uma dieta rica em proteína. Os resultados obtidos nesse trabalho, juntamente com os de Wheeler e colaboradores (2006), Seehus e colaboradores (2006), e Patel e colaboradores (2007), constituem as primeiras informações da via IIS em Apis mellifera, e servirão de base na busca da relação entre a dieta e os sinais downstream envolvidos na determinação de casta e diferenciação. / The initial stimulus that generates the facultative queen/worker polyphenism in highly social insects is a differential alimentation in the larval stages. It affects the general development of the larvae, as well as the differentiation of organs and systems, especially of the female reproductive system. The insulin signaling pathway (IIS) is one of the main pathways that integrates the general development of animals with their respective nutritional conditions. The aim of this work was to investigate the relationship between IIS and caste differentiation in the honey bee Apis mellifera. Using the available Apis mellifera genome information we annotated genes belonging to this pathway. We noted that there are two genes encoding putative insulin receptors, InR1 and InR2. The transcriptional profiles of these genes were obtained by quantitative RT-PCR of queen and workers larvae, giving special attention the period during which the larval diet changes. These results revealed considerable differences in the temporal patterns and levels of the transcripts of two the insulin receptor genes, InR1 (GB15492) and InR2 (GB18331) between the two castes and during their respective larval development. For queens we noted an interesting modulation in InR1 transcription: in the third larval instar it was about five fold higher than the transcription of InR2, but in the fourth instar both receptors were transcribed at similar levels. This variation in InR1 expression may be related to the protein content of royal jelly offered to the queen larvae in third instar, that is higher than the protein content of the royal jelly offered to fourth larvae instar. For the worker larvae samples we observed that transcripts levels of the two receptors, InR1 and InR2, were low in the third larval stage and increased in parallel until the onset of the fifth larval stage. This may have been due to some compound in the worker jelly which stimulates the transcription of both genes coding for insulin receptors. Complementary analysis of transcription levels of InR1 and InR2 were performed on ovaries of queen and worker larvae, and on adult workers maintained on different diets. These complementary analyses highlighted that transcription of the InR genes in the larval ovaries of Apis mellifera was differed from the whole body samples. In adult workers the expression of InR1 was dominant over InR2 during most of the adult life cycle, an inversion was only seen in 13 to 15 days old bees. Furthermore, a positive relationship between protein content and InR1 transcription was observed when analyzing its transcription in adult workers fed with bee bread, a protein-rich diet. The results of this work, in conjunction with those of Wheeler et al. (2007), Seehus et al. (2006) and Patel et al. (2007), are the first information on the IIS pathway in honey bees and they represent the basis for an in-depth pursuit on the relationship between diet and downstream signallng envolved in caste determination and differentiation.

O polifenismo facultativo, observado entre rainhas e operárias em insetos altamente eussociais tem como estímulo inicial uma alimentação diferencial na fase larval que afeta tanto o desenvolvimento geral das larvas quanto a diferenciação de órgãos e sistemas, principalmente o sistema reprodutor das fêmeas. A via de sinalização por insulina (IIS) é uma das principais vias que integra o desenvolvimento geral de animais com as suas condições nutricionais. O objetivo desse trabalho foi verificar possíveis relações entre a via de sinalização por insulina e a diferenciação das castas em abelhas Apis mellifera. A partir de análises do genoma de Apis mellifera anotamos genes integrantes desta via e verificamos que há dois genes codificadores para receptores de insulina, InR1 e InR2. Os perfis de transcrição desses dois genes obtidos por RT-PCR quantitativa, em larvas de rainhas e operárias durante o período de troca de alimentação, demonstraram que há diferenças consideráveis nos padrões temporais e nos níveis dos transcritos para os receptores de insulina, InR1 (GB15492) e InR2 (GB18331), dentro de cada casta, como também entre as duas castas. Em rainhas verificamos uma interessante variação na transcrição de InR1, que no terceiro instar larval foi cerca de cinco vezes maior que a transcrição de InR2 e no quarto instar seguiu em níveis semelhantes ao de InR2. Essa variação de InR1 pode estar relacionada ao teor de proteínas da geléia real oferecida às larvas de rainhas no terceiro instar, que é maior do que teor de proteínas da geléia real oferecida a partir do quarto instar larval. Para as amostras de larvas de operárias observamos que os níveis dos transcritos dos dois receptores, InR1 e InR2, foram baixos no terceiro estágio larval e aumentaram, de maneira semelhante, até o início do quinto estágio larval, o que pode ter sido devido a algum composto existente na geléia de operária que estimule a transcrição dos genes para os receptores de insulina. Foram feitas análises complementares dos níveis de transcrição dos genes InR1 e InR2, em amostras de ovários, tanto de operárias quanto de rainhas, e em amostras de operárias adultas cultivadas em diferentes tipos de alimentações. Essas análises complementares evidenciaram que a transcrição dos genes para os receptores de insulina em Apis mellifera foi diferente nos ovários de ambas as castas, quando comparada às amostras de corpo inteiro, e que em operárias o transcrito do InR1 foi dominante ao longo de quase toda a vida adulta, sendo superado pelo transcrito InR2 apenas por volta de 13 e 15 dias.. Além disso, uma relação positiva entre o conteúdo de proteína e a transcrição de InR1 foi observada quando analisamos a sua transcrição em amostras de operárias adultas alimentadas com bee bread, uma dieta rica em proteína. Os resultados obtidos nesse trabalho, juntamente com os de Wheeler e colaboradores (2006), Seehus e colaboradores (2006), e Patel e colaboradores (2007), constituem as primeiras informações da via IIS em Apis mellifera, e servirão de base na busca da relação entre a dieta e os sinais downstream envolvidos na determinação de casta e diferenciação. / The initial stimulus that generates the facultative queen/worker polyphenism in highly social insects is a differential alimentation in the larval stages. It affects the general development of the larvae, as well as the differentiation of organs and systems, especially of the female reproductive system. The insulin signaling pathway (IIS) is one of the main pathways that integrates the general development of animals with their respective nutritional conditions. The aim of this work was to investigate the relationship between IIS and caste differentiation in the honey bee Apis mellifera. Using the available Apis mellifera genome information we annotated genes belonging to this pathway. We noted that there are two genes encoding putative insulin receptors, InR1 and InR2. The transcriptional profiles of these genes were obtained by quantitative RT-PCR of queen and workers larvae, giving special attention the period during which the larval diet changes. These results revealed considerable differences in the temporal patterns and levels of the transcripts of two the insulin receptor genes, InR1 (GB15492) and InR2 (GB18331) between the two castes and during their respective larval development. For queens we noted an interesting modulation in InR1 transcription: in the third larval instar it was about five fold higher than the transcription of InR2, but in the fourth instar both receptors were transcribed at similar levels. This variation in InR1 expression may be related to the protein content of royal jelly offered to the queen larvae in third instar, that is higher than the protein content of the royal jelly offered to fourth larvae instar. For the worker larvae samples we observed that transcripts levels of the two receptors, InR1 and InR2, were low in the third larval stage and increased in parallel until the onset of the fifth larval stage. This may have been due to some compound in the worker jelly which stimulates the transcription of both genes coding for insulin receptors. Complementary analysis of transcription levels of InR1 and InR2 were performed on ovaries of queen and worker larvae, and on adult workers maintained on different diets. These complementary analyses highlighted that transcription of the InR genes in the larval ovaries of Apis mellifera was differed from the whole body samples. In adult workers the expression of InR1 was dominant over InR2 during most of the adult life cycle, an inversion was only seen in 13 to 15 days old bees. Furthermore, a positive relationship between protein content and InR1 transcription was observed when analyzing its transcription in adult workers fed with bee bread, a protein-rich diet. The results of this work, in conjunction with those of Wheeler et al. (2007), Seehus et al. (2006) and Patel et al. (2007), are the first information on the IIS pathway in honey bees and they represent the basis for an in-depth pursuit on the relationship between diet and downstream signallng envolved in caste determination and differentiation.

Eusocial insects evolved a sophisticated intraspecific communication, dominated by chemical signals, the pheromones. Termites (Isoptera) represent an excellent example in this respect, having a wide range of pheromones, such as trail-following, sex-pairing, alarm, and other pheromones. It is especially the former category of pheromones which is ubiquitous in termites and which was chemically characterized in many taxa across termite phylogeny. This allowed phylogenetic reconstruction of the chemical diversity of trail- following pheromones and calls for searching of evolutionary patterns of the sensitivity to these pheromones in various lineages across the tree of life, including the search for evolutionary scenario of the emergence of specific olfactory receptor proteins. In most species, the trail-following pheromones are represented by mono-, di- and tri-unsaturated fatty alcohols (3Z)-dodec-3-en-1-ol (DE), (3Z,6Z)-dodeca-3,6-dien-1-ol (DDE), and (3Z,6Z,8E)-dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol (DTE). My overall aim in this thesis was to contribute to the understanding of the evolution of olfactory detection of C12 fatty alcohol trail-following pheromones in termites. More specifically, my question was whether evolutionarily more basal clades (Kalotermes flavicollis and Neotermes cubanus from the family...

Classical experiments on honey bee time-memory showed that foragers trained to collect food at a fixed time of day return the following day with a remarkable degree of time-accuracy. A series of field experiments revealed that not all foragers return to a food source on unrewarded test days. Rather, there exist two subgroups: "persistent" foragers reconnoiter the source; "reticent" foragers wait in the hive for confirmation of source availability. A forager's probability of being persistent is dependent both on the amount of experience it has had at the source and the environmental conditions present, but the probability is surprisingly high (0.4-0.9). Agent-based simulation of foraging behavior indicated these high levels of persistence represent an energetically optimal strategy, which is likely a compromise solution to an ever-changing environment. Time-memory, with its accompanying anticipation, enables foragers to improve time-accuracy, quickly reactivating the foraging group to more efficiently exploit a food source.