@article{MaihoffBohlkeBrockmannetal.2022,
  author    = {Maihoff, Fabienne and Bohlke, Kyte and Brockmann, Axel and Schmitt, Thomas},
  title     = {Increased complexity of worker CHC profiles in Apis dorsata correlates with nesting ecology},
  series = {PLoS ONE},
  volume    = {17},
  journal   = {PLoS ONE},
  number    = {7},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0271745},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-301353},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHC) are known to serve as discrimination cues and will trigger defence behaviour in a plethora of eusocial insects. However, little is known how about nestmate recognition ability selects for CHC diversification. In this study we investigate differences in CHC composition of four major honey bee species with respect to the differences in their nesting behavior. In contrast to A. mellifera, A. cerana and A. florea, the giant honey bee A. dorsata prefers to build their nests in aggregations with very small spatial distances between nests, which increases the probability of intrusions. Thus, A. dorsata exhibits a particularly challenging nesting behavior which we hypothesize should be accompanied with an improved nestmate recognition system. Comparative analyses of the worker CHC profiles indicate that A. dorsata workers exhibit a unique and more complex CHC profile than the other three honey bee species. This increased complexity is likely based on a developmental process that retains the capability to synthesize methyl-branched hydrocarbons as adults. Furthermore, two sets of behavioral experiments provide evidence that A. dorsata shows an improved nestmate discrimination ability compared to the phylogenetically ancestral A. florea, which is also open-nesting but does not form nest aggregations. The results of our study suggest that ecological traits like nesting in aggregation might be able to drive CHC profile diversification even in closely related insect species.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{StreinzerChakravortyNeumayeretal.2019,
  author    = {Streinzer, Martin and Chakravorty, Jharna and Neumayer, Johann and Megu, Karsing and Narah, Jaya and Schmitt, Thomas and Bharti, Himender and Spaethe, Johannes and Brockmann, Axel},
  title     = {Species composition and elevational distribution of bumble bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombus Latreille) in the East Himalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, India},
  series = {ZooKeys},
  volume    = {851},
  journal   = {ZooKeys},
  doi       = {10.3897/zookeys.851.32956},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-201937},
  pages     = {71-89},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {The East Himalaya is one of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems. However, very little is known about the abundance and distribution of many plant and animal taxa in this region. Bumble bees are a group of cold-adapted and high elevation insects that fulfil an important ecological and economical function as pollinators of wild and agricultural flowering plants and crops. The Himalayan mountain range provides ample suitable habitats for bumble bees. Systematic study of Himalayan bumble bees began a few decades ago and the main focus has centred on the western region, while the eastern part of the mountain range has received little attention and only a few species have been verified. During a three-year survey, more than 700 bumble bee specimens of 21 species were collected in Arunachal Pradesh, the largest of the north-eastern states of India. The material included a range of species that were previously known from a limited number of collected specimens, which highlights the unique character of the East Himalayan ecosystem. Our results are an important first step towards a future assessment of species distribution, threat, and conservation. Clear elevation patterns of species diversity were observed, which raise important questions about the functional adaptations that allow bumble bees to thrive in this particularly moist region in the East Himalaya.},
  language  = {en}
}