Effects of nutritional deprivation on development and behavior in the subsocial bee Ceratina calcarata (Hymenoptera: Xylocopinae)

Abstract

By manipulating resources or dispersal opportunities, mothers can force offspring to remain at the nest to help raise siblings creating a division of labor. In the subsocial bee, Ceratina calcarata mothers manipulate the quantity and quality of pollen provided to the first female offspring producing a dwarf eldest daughter, who is physically smaller and behaviorally subordinate. This daughter forages for her siblings and forgoes her own reproduction. To understand how the mother's manipulation of pollen affects the physiology and behavior of offspring, we manipulated the amount of pollen provide to offspring and measured the effects of pollen quantity on offspring development, adult body size and behavior. We found that by experimentally manipulating pollen provision quantities we could recreate the dwarf eldest daughter phenotype demonstrating how nutrient deficiency alone can lead to the development of a worker-like daughter. Specifically, by reducing the pollen and nutrition to offspring, we significantly reduced adult body size and lipid stores creating significantly less aggressive, subordinate individuals. Worker behavior in an otherwise solitary bee begins to explain how maternal manipulation of resources could lead to the development of social organization and reproductive hierarchies, a major step in the transition to highly social behaviors.