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Ovariole number—a predictor of differential reproductive success among worker subfamilies in queenless honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies

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Abstract

A honeybee queen normally mates with 10–20 drones, and reproductive conflicts may arise among a colony’s different worker patrilines, especially after a colony has lost its single queen and the workers commence egg laying. In this study, we employed microsatellite markers to study aspects of worker reproductive competition in two queenless Africanized honeybee colonies. First, we determined whether there was a bias among worker patrilines in their maternity of drones and, second, we asked whether this bias could be attributed to differences in the degree of ovary activation of workers. Third, we relate these behavioral and physiological factors to ontogenetic differences between workers with respect to ovariole number. Workers from each of three (colony A) and one (colony B) patrilineal genotypes represented less than 6% of the worker population, yet each produced at least 13% of the drones in a colony, and collectively they produced 73% of the drones. Workers representing these genotypes also had more developed follicles and a greater number of ovarioles per ovary. Across all workers, ovariole development and number were closely correlated. This suggests a strong effect of worker genotype on the development of the ovary already in the postembryonic stages and sets a precedent to adult fertility, so that “workers are not born equal”. We hypothesize a frequency-dependent or “rare patriline” advantage to queenless workers over the parentage of males and discuss the maintenance of genetic variance in the reproductive capacity of workers.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Zilá L. P. Simões for the comments and helpful suggestions, Vera L. C. Figueiredo for the technical assistance with DNA extractions and PCRs, and the referees for the valuable comments on the manuscript. Financial support was provided by FAPESP (1999/00719-6 and 00/01473), DAAD/CAPES (PKZ: A/02/37112), and the DFG (Pa 632). The work described in this paper conforms to the current laws of Brazil and Germany.

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  1. Depto. Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, 14049-900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil

    Gustavo R. Makert

  2. School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK

    Robert J. Paxton

  3. Depto. de Biologia Celular e Molecular e Bioagentes Patogênicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil

    Klaus Hartfelder

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  1. Gustavo R. Makert
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  2. Robert J. Paxton
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Correspondence to Gustavo R. Makert.

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Communicated by R. Page

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Makert, G.R., Paxton, R.J. & Hartfelder, K. Ovariole number—a predictor of differential reproductive success among worker subfamilies in queenless honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 60, 815–825 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-006-0225-x

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