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Soldiers in a Stingless Bee.

Benedikt Hammel, Ayrton Vollet-Neto, Cristiano Menezes

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    |June 10, 2016
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    In stingless bees, soldier castes are not rare specialists but a "rare elite" that performs more work and a wider variety of tasks than other workers, challenging evolutionary assumptions.

    Keywords:
    MeliponiniTetragonisca angustulaage polyethismdivision of labor

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    Area of Science:

    • Evolutionary biology
    • Social insect behavior
    • Caste differentiation

    Background:

    • Worker subcaste differentiation, such as soldiers, is a key evolutionary transition in social insects.
    • Soldiers are often assumed to be behavioral specialists, a concept known as the "rare specialist" hypothesis.
    • This hypothesis is commonly applied to ants and termites, but less understood in eusocial bees.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To test the "rare specialist" hypothesis in the eusocial bee Tetragonisca angustula.
    • To investigate the role and behavior of morphologically differentiated soldiers in bee colonies.
    • To understand the division of labor and caste evolution in social insects.

    Main Methods:

    • Observational study of Tetragonisca angustula colonies.
    • Quantification of work rate and task diversity among different worker groups, including soldiers.
    • Comparison of soldier behavior with non-soldier workers, particularly concerning age and task transition.

    Main Results:

    • Soldiers of Tetragonisca angustula did not conform to the "rare specialist" model.
    • Soldiers exhibited higher work rates (+34%-41%) and performed a greater variety of tasks (+23%-34%) compared to other workers.
    • Soldiers showed faster transitions between tasks, suggesting a "rare elite" function rather than specialization.

    Conclusions:

    • The "rare specialist" hypothesis may not universally apply to worker caste evolution in social insects.
    • Soldier bees in T. angustula function as a "rare elite," contributing disproportionately to colony tasks.
    • Division of labor in this species involves temporal and physical castes, with soldiers exhibiting unique behavioral plasticity.