TY  - JOUR
A1  - Scheiner, Ricarda
A1  - Lim, Kayun
A1  - Meixner, Marina D.
A1  - Gabel, Martin S.
T1  - Comparing the appetitive learning performance of six European honeybee subspecies in a common apiary
JF  - Insects
N2  - The Western honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) is one of the most widespread insects with numerous subspecies in its native range. How far adaptation to local habitats has affected the cognitive skills of the different subspecies is an intriguing question that we investigate in this study. Naturally mated queens of the following five subspecies from different parts of Europe were transferred to Southern Germany: A. m. iberiensis from Portugal, A. m. mellifera from Belgium, A. m. macedonica from Greece, A. m. ligustica from Italy, and A. m. ruttneri from Malta. We also included the local subspecies A. m. carnica in our study. New colonies were built up in a common apiary where the respective queens were introduced. Worker offspring from the different subspecies were compared in classical olfactory learning performance using the proboscis extension response. Prior to conditioning, we measured individual sucrose responsiveness to investigate whether possible differences in learning performances were due to differential responsiveness to the sugar water reward. Most subspecies did not differ in their appetitive learning performance. However, foragers of the Iberian honeybee, A. m. iberiensis, performed significantly more poorly, despite having a similar sucrose responsiveness. We discuss possible causes for the poor performance of the Iberian honeybees, which may have been shaped by adaptation to the local habitat.
KW  - adaptation
KW  - Apis mellifera
KW  - olfactory learning
KW  - proboscis extension response
KW  - sucrose responsiveness
KW  - genetic diversity
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-245180
SN  - 2075-4450
VL  - 12
IS  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - van de Peppel, L. J. J.
A1  - Aanen, D. K.
A1  - Biedermann, P. H. W.
T1  - Low intraspecific genetic diversity indicates asexuality and vertical transmission in the fungal cultivars of ambrosia beetles
JF  - Fungal Ecology
N2  - Ambrosia beetles farm ascomycetous fungi in tunnels within wood. These ambrosia fungi are regarded asexual, although population genetic proof is missing. Here we explored the intraspecific genetic diversity of Ambrosiella grosmanniae and Ambrosiella hartigii (Ascomycota: Microascales), the mutualists of the beetles Xylosandrus germanus and Anisandrus dispar. By sequencing five markers (ITS, LSU, TEF1α, RPB2, β-tubulin) from several fungal strains, we show that X. germanus cultivates the same two clones of A. grosmanniae in the USA and in Europe, whereas A. dispar is associated with a single A. hartigii clone across Europe. This low genetic diversity is consistent with predominantly asexual vertical transmission of Ambrosiella cultivars between beetle generations. This clonal agriculture is a remarkable case of convergence with fungus-farming ants, given that both groups have a completely different ecology and evolutionary history.
KW  - clonal fungiculture
KW  - ambrosia fungus
KW  - Ambrosiella
KW  - vertical transmission
KW  - symbiosis
KW  - Xylosandrus
KW  - Anisandrus
KW  - asexuality
KW  - genetic diversity
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-232161
VL  - 32
ER  -