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Cell-sealing efficiency and reproductive workers in the species Melipona bicolor (Hymenoptera, Meliponini): double standard and possible rogue conduct

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Abstract

In many hymenopteran insect societies, selfish workers are policed, as selfishness can negatively affect the average inclusive fitness of one or both castes by reducing either the degree of average relatedness to the colony's male offspring or colony efficiency. In stingless bees, the rapid capping of brood cells could aid in controlling selfishness; to this end, we studied cell-sealing efficacy in Melipona bicolor. Execution of cell sealing was found to be both rapid and almost continuous. Comparing the performance of reproductive and non-reproductive workers, the former sealed the cells more efficiently when they contained their own eggs, but less so when the queens' eggs were involved. We argue that the occurrence of disruptions in cell sealing through self-serving reproductive workers is capable of undermining sealing efficacy as a policing instrument, thus making reproductive workers potential rogue individuals.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by FAPESP (DK and VLIF). Hayo H. W. Velthuis is acknowledged for his valuable suggestions during the various stages of the M. bicolor project. We also thank Tom Wenseleers for his comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript, as well as Olga Cepeda for her cooperation in the observations. Special thanks go to Ramon A. Clark and David De Jong for linguistic advice and to anonymous reviewers for their comments that helped improving the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Estudos Avançados, Cidade Universitária, Rua da Reitoria 374, 05508-970, São Paulo, Brazil

    Dirk Koedam

  2. Laboratório de Abelhas, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, Travessa 14, No. 321, 05508-900, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Vera L. Imperatriz-Fonseca

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  1. Dirk Koedam
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  2. Vera L. Imperatriz-Fonseca
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Correspondence to Dirk Koedam.

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Manuscript editor: Marla Spivak

Efficacité dans l’operculation des cellules et ouvrières pondeuses chez Melipona bicolor (Hymenoptera, Meliponini)

Abeilles sans aiguillon / Melipona bicolor / operculation des cellules / efficacité / ouvrières pondeuses

Zellverdeckelungseffizienz bei reproduktiven Arbeiterinnen der Stachellosen Biene Melipona bicolor : Doppelte Masstäbe und schurkenhaftes Verhalten

Stachellose bienen / Melipona bicolor / Zellverdeckelung / Effizienz / reproduktive Arbeiterinnen / Schurkisches verhalten

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Koedam, D., Imperatriz-Fonseca, V.L. Cell-sealing efficiency and reproductive workers in the species Melipona bicolor (Hymenoptera, Meliponini): double standard and possible rogue conduct. Apidologie 43, 371–383 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-011-0111-z

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