Summary
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1.
In the primitively social halictine bee, Lasioglossum zephyrum, colony unity is maintained through an interplay of both nest recognition and nest mate recognition, using odor cues.
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2.
Nests have odors which are attractive to members of their colonies and also to bees from other colonies. Bees are, however, usually able to distinguish between their own nest and a foreign nest if given a choice.
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3.
Bees from colonies which are relatively homogeneous genetically and in which the bees share a common larval environment recognize their own nest with less difficulty than bees from genetically heterogenous colonies in which a common early environment is lacking among member bees.
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4.
A significant component of nest recognition behavior is based on genetic homogeneity, and/or larval conditioning, perhaps a form of imprinting to chemical cues.
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5.
Recognition of nestmates by guards, essential for intraspecific nest defense, seems not to be based on the aphrodisiac secreted by females.
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6.
Guards apparently learn individual odors of residents or a combination of the odors of several residents, providing a mechanism for distinguishing between nest mates and intruders attempting to enter the nest.
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7.
Though adult learning is important in nest mate recognition, an overriding contribution from genetic similarity or early conditioning also occurs.
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Kukuk, P.F., Breed, M.D., Sobti, A. et al. The contributions of kinship and conditioning to nest recognition and colony member recognition in a primitively eusocial bee, Lasioglossum zephyrum (Hymenoptera: Halictidae). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2, 319–327 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00299743
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00299743