Abstract
Behavioural genetic analysis of honey bee dance language shows simple Mendelian genic control over certain dance dialect differences. Worker honey bees of one parent colony (yellow) changed from round to transition dances for foraging distances of 20 m and from transition to waggle dances at 40 m. Worker bees of the other parent colony (black) made these shifts at 30 m and 90 m, respectively. F1 colonies behaved identically to their yellow parent, suggesting dominance. Progeny of backcrossing between the F1 generation and the putative recessive black parent assorted to four classes, indicating that the dialect differences studied are regulated by genes at two unlinked loci, each having two alleles. Honey bee dance communication is complex and highly integrated behaviour. Nonetheless, analysis of a small element of this behaviour, variation in response to distance, suggests that dance communication is regulated by subsets consisting of simple genic systems.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Boch R (1956) Die Tänze der Bienen bei nahen und fernen Tracht-quellen. Z Vergl Physiol 38:136–167
Dyer FC, Seeley TD (1989) Can stepping stones form stairways? Am Nat 133:580–590
Epstein R (1977) The theory of gambling and statistical logic. Academic Press, New York
Esch H (1967) The evolution of bee language. Sci Am 217:96–102, 104
Frisch K von (1965) Tanzsprache und Orientierung der Bienen. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York. (Translated by Chadwick LE (1967) Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.)
Harbo JR (1986) Propagation and instrumental insemination. In: Rinderer TE (ed) Bee genetics and breeding. Academic Press, Orlando, Fla., pp 361–387
Kirchner WH, Lindauer M, Michelsen A (1988) Honeybee dance communication: acoustical indication of direction in round dances. Naturwissenschaften 75:629–630
Lindauer M (1961) Communication among social insects. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Lindauer M (1985) The dance language of honeybees: the history of a discovery In: Hölldobler B, Lindauer M (eds) Experimental behavioral ecology and sociobiology. Sinauer Assoc, Sunderland, Mass., pp 129–140
Michener CD (1974) The social behavior of the bees. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Moritz RA (1988) A re-evaluation of the two-locus model for hygienic behaviour in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) J Hered 79: 257–262
Page RE, Metcalf RA (1982) Multiple mating, sperm utilization, and social evolution. Am Nat 138:412–433
Parsons PA (1973) Behavioural and ecological genetics. Oxford University Press, London
Rinderer TE, Oldroyd BP, Wongsiri S, de Guzman, LI, Sylvester HA (1992) Evolution of bee dances. Nature 306:305
Rothenbuhler WC (1960) A technique for studying genetics of colony behavior in honey bees. Am Bee J 100:176,198
Rothenbuhler WC (1964) Behavior genetics of nest cleaning in honey bees. IV. Responses of F1 and backcross generations to disease-killed brood. Am Zool 4:111–123
Schricker B (1974) Der Einfluss subletaler Dosen von Parathion (E 605) auf die Entfernungsweisung bei der Honigbiene. Apidologie 5:149–175
Sheppard WS (1989) A history of the introduction of honey bee races into the United States. Am Bee J 129:617–619, 664–667
Thompson VC (1964) Behavior genetics of nest cleaning in honey bees. III. Effect of age of bees of a resistant line on their response to disease-killed brood. J Apic Res 3:25–35
Whitney G (1990) A contextual history of behaviour genetics. In: Hahn ME, Hewitt JK, Henderson ND, Benno R (eds) Developmental behaviour genetics. Oxford University Press, London, pp7–24
Wilson EO (1971) The insect societies. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by J. S. F. Barker
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rinderer, T.E., Beaman, L.D. Genic control of honey bee dance language dialect. Theoret. Appl. Genetics 91, 727–732 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00220950
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00220950