Gro Vang Amdam

Ane Skjelfjord

Abstract fra avhandlingen

Regulatory anatomy of honeybee lifespan /
Regulering av aldring hos honningbien

The main objective of this study was to provide a set of custom-built practical procedures to maximise the healthy winter bee population in honeybee colonies. The idea was that such procedures would reduce the loss of colonies infested by the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor. However, to design novel treatment schedules, deeper knowledge on the most important extra- and intra-individual mechanisms that initiate and maintain prolonged life in wintering honeybees was required. A thorough investigation of putative mechanisms underlying the regulation of honeybee longevity was conducted to establish a theoretical foundation that guided the subsequent experimental work. By this approach, it was shown that the glycolipoprotein vitellogenin is a key molecule in the facultative ageing machinery of the honeybee worker. Furthermore, as vitellogenin synthesis is under the control of juvenile hormone, the hormone is part of a “master switch” that governs the different rates of senescence in the two major worker castes. The appearance of long-lived winter bees may be explained based on these results. Moreover, as infestation by V. destructor during the pupa stage affects the vitellogenin level, Norwegian beekeepers are advised to use management procedures that reduce the number of mites during the period when winter bees are reared. The study exemplifies how positive heuristics may emerge from dynamic modelling. Furthermore, it indicates that future comparative work addressing the evolution of honeybee longevity will provide a greater understanding of the proximate settings and life history conditions that determine lifespan.

Pr. desember 2004:
Gro Vang Amdam, Department of Entomology, 1 Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8584

Oppdatert: 21.12.04
Utskriftsvennlig versjon : Arkiv : Tips en venn