Location, location, location: larvae position inside the nest is correlated with adult body size in worker bumble-bees (Bombus impatiens)

Social insects display task-related division of labour. In some species, division of labour is related to differences in body size, and worker caste members display morphological adaptations suited for particular tasks. Bumble-bee workers (Bombus spp.) can vary in mass by eight- to tenfold within a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2009-07, Vol.276 (1666), p.2411-2418
Main Authors: Couvillon, Margaret J., Dornhaus, Anna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alloethism
Animals
Ants
Bees - anatomy & histology
Bees - growth & development
Bees - physiology
Body Size
Bombus impatiens
Bumble-Bees
Bumblebees
Division of labor
Division Of Labour
Feeding Behavior
Hierarchy, Social
Impatiens
Insect behavior
Insect colonies
Insect larvae
Larva - growth & development
Larva - physiology
Larval development
Nesting Behavior
Population Density
Pupa - growth & development
Pupa - physiology
Pupae
Size Polymorphism
Social insects
Worker insects
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Summary:Social insects display task-related division of labour. In some species, division of labour is related to differences in body size, and worker caste members display morphological adaptations suited for particular tasks. Bumble-bee workers (Bombus spp.) can vary in mass by eight- to tenfold within a single colony, which previous work has linked to division of labour. However, little is known about the proximate mechanism behind the production of this wide range of size variation within the worker caste. Here, we quantify the larval feeding in Bombus impatiens in different nest zones of increasing distance from the centre. There was a significant difference in the number of feedings per larva across zones, with a significant decrease in feeding rates as one moved outwards from the centre of the nest. Likewise, the diameter of the pupae in the peripheral zones was significantly smaller than that of pupae in the centre. Therefore, we conclude that the differential feeding of larvae within a nest, which leads to the size variation within the worker caste, is based on the location of brood clumps. Our work is consistent with the hypothesis that some larvae are 'forgotten', providing a possible first mechanism for the creation of size polymorphism in B. impatiens.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2009.0172