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Phenotype interactions in group behavior of honey bee workers (Apis mellifera L.)

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Summary

The alarm reaction of groups of honey bee workers was quantified using a metabolic bioassay. The genetic structure of these groups was varied in order to estimate the effects of worker interactions. Though the group phenotype was mainly determined by additive interactions, nonlinear effects were also found. Mixed worker groups, combined from colonies with similar reactivity in the bioassay, showed a stronger response than pure groups. This phenomenon, analogous to the overdominance model for individuals in classical genetics, has implications for mechanisms of natural and artificial selection in social populations and for the evolution of polyandry in social Hymenoptera.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Baverische Landesanstalt für Bienenzucht, Burgbergstrasse 70, D-8520, Erlangen, Federal Republic of Germany

    Robin F. A. Moritz

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York, 14420, Brockport, NY, USA

    Edward E. Southwick

Authors
  1. Robin F. A. Moritz
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  2. Edward E. Southwick
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Moritz, R.F.A., Southwick, E.E. Phenotype interactions in group behavior of honey bee workers (Apis mellifera L.). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 21, 53–57 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00324435

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00324435

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