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Hormone response to bidirectional selection on social behavior.

Gro V Amdam¹, Robert E Page, M Kim Fondrk

¹School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA. gro.amdam@asu.edu

Evolution & Development

|October 2, 2010

Summary

Honey bee social behavior is genetically controlled and influenced by hormones during development. Selective breeding revealed how early hormonal changes impact adult traits like ovary size and reproductive physiology.

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Published on: November 21, 2019

Area of Science:

* Insect endocrinology
* Behavioral genetics
* Developmental biology

Background:

* Complex social behaviors in honey bees are influenced by multiple genes and hormonal systems.
* The link between early development and adult behavioral variation in honey bees is not fully understood.
* Honey bees are a model organism for studying genetic and hormonal control of behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

* To investigate how selective breeding for social food-storage behavior affects hormonal profiles during honey bee development.
* To explore the relationship between early hormonal changes, reproductive anatomy, and adult behavior in selected honey bee strains.
* To understand the role of pleiotropic gene networks in mediating the effects of social behavior selection on other traits.

Main Methods:

* Utilized two honey bee strains selectively bred for social food-storage behavior.
* Measured levels of juvenile hormone (JH) and ecdysteroids during larval, pupal, and early adult stages.
* Assessed variations in female reproductive anatomy (ovary size) and ovarian ecdysteroid secretion rates.

Main Results:

* Documented strain-specific changes in juvenile hormone (JH) and ecdysteroid levels across developmental stages.
* Observed correlations between strain differences, ovary size, and adult ovarian ecdysteroid secretion rates.
* Confirmed that ovary size is associated with the selected food-storage behavior trait suite.

Conclusions:

* Bidirectional selection on honey bee social behavior has influenced pleiotropic gene networks with endocrine effects.
* Early developmental hormonal changes, regulated by these networks, can bias adult phenotypes, including reproductive traits.
* Findings suggest a mechanism where selection on social behavior impacts reproductive traits through developmental endocrine pathways.