Nestmate Recognition in Two Melipona Stingless Bee Species: The Effect of Cuticular Chemical Profiles and Colony Distance

• Published in: Journal of insect behavior Vol. 37; no. 1; pp. 106 - 120
• Main Authors: Batista, Jaqueline Eterna, da Silva, Rafael Carvalho, do Nascimento, Daniela Lima, Oliveira, Ricardo Caliari, Oi, Cintia Akemi, do Nascimento, Fábio Santos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-03-2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Animal Ecology; Bees; Behavior; Behavioral Sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Chemical compounds; Chemical fingerprinting; Chemical stimuli; Colonies; Cuticular hydrocarbons; Entomology; Evolutionary Biology; Food; Hydrocarbons; Insects; Investigations; Life Sciences; Melipona; Neurobiology; Parasites; Predation; Recognition; Rejection rate; Social interactions; Topical application; Workers (insect caste); Chemical Communication; Stingless bees; Nestmate recognition cues; Cuticular hydrocarbons
• ISSN: 0892-7553; 1572-8889
• DOI: 10.1007/s10905-024-09852-z

The ability to discriminate nestmates from non-nestmates is critical to the success of social insect colonies. Nestmate recognition prevents individuals from being exploited by parasites and food robbers. This recognition is mediated mainly by chemical cues, such as cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), chemical compounds found over the insect body. Here, we investigated the ability of two stingless bee species to distinguish nestmate from non-nestmates using behavioral experiments and chemical characterization. In the first experiment, we introduced workers from
Melipona scutellaris
and
Melipona quadrifasciata
into their own colonies (nestmates) or into unrelated ones (non-nestmates). In the second experiment, we administered synthetic compounds to
M
.
scutellaris
workers while once more conducting behavioral assays. We collected
M. quadrifasciata
workers to characterize their cuticular profiles. Overall, for both species, nestmate were accepted more readily than non-nestmates. The acceptance and rejection rates of individuals in
M. scutellaris
are significantly influenced by colony distance, but not in
M. quadrifasciata
. A similar proportion of nestmates and non-nestmates of
M
.
quadrifasciata
were accepted, which could be explained by their higher cuticular chemical similarity. Topical application of synthetic compounds made
M. scutellaris
colonies less permissive to either nestmates and non-nestmates. These findings provide evidence that in these two species of
Melipona
, workers rely on the CHCs to decide whether to accept or reject individuals.