Social Insects: Queens and Colony Hierarchy

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary role of the queen in social insects?

To reproduce and lay eggs (correct)

To gather food for the colony

To defend the colony from predators

To regulate the temperature of the hive

How does the food received by a larva determine its role as a queen or worker in honeybees?

Presence of flowers in the diet leads to a queen

Higher protein content leads to a queen

Lower fat content leads to a queen

Higher hexose content leads to a queen (correct)

What is one reason why worker bees have a much shorter lifespan compared to queens?

They perform more strenuous tasks

They are subjected to more predation

They do not receive royal jelly (correct)

They are genetically different from queens

Which of the following statements regarding sociality in insects is accurate?

Many individuals in the colony are sterile Signup and view all the answers

What do worker honeybees feed to potential queens?

Royal jelly Signup and view all the answers

Which characteristic is NOT typically associated with a queen honeybee?

Flight capability for foraging Signup and view all the answers

What is the typical lifespan of a queen termite?

15 years Signup and view all the answers

What factor primarily influences whether a female honeybee larva becomes a queen or a worker?

Nutritional composition of the diet Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of male bees in Hymenoptera societies?

Mating with females Signup and view all the answers

How does a queen honeybee determine the sex of her offspring?

By whether the egg is fertilized or unfertilized Signup and view all the answers

What is a unique characteristic of ant colonies compared to other Hymenoptera societies?

They have multiple queens and workers numbering in the millions Signup and view all the answers

Which factor contributes to a queen's control over worker reproduction in many bee species?

Communication through pheromones Signup and view all the answers

In terms of fertilization, what type of egg does a queen lay to produce female bees?

Only diploid eggs Signup and view all the answers

How many sperm does the queen of fire ants typically use to fertilize an egg?

3 sperm per egg Signup and view all the answers

What is the first duty of a worker bee after emergence?

Cleaning brood cells Signup and view all the answers

What is the general range of worker numbers in bumblebee colonies?

20 to 500 workers Signup and view all the answers

Which stage follows the cleaning of brood cells in the life of a worker bee?

Tending to larvae Signup and view all the answers

What is the total potential number of ants in a colony of Japanese red wood ants?

307 million including workers and queens Signup and view all the answers

What is NOT a duty performed by worker bees?

Mating with the queen Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following accurately defines a potential duty of a worker bee?

Regulating temperature within the hive Signup and view all the answers

How do worker bees contribute to the hive's security?

By guarding the hive Signup and view all the answers

What happens to drone bees at certain points in their lives?

They are expelled by worker bees Signup and view all the answers

What is the genetic makeup of male bees in the Hymenoptera order?

Haploid with one set of chromosomes Signup and view all the answers

How do female bees develop?

From fertilized eggs Signup and view all the answers

What characteristic defines haplodiploidy?

One sex is haploid and the other is diploid Signup and view all the answers

What chromosome set does the mother bee (queen) possess?

Two sets of 8 chromosomes Signup and view all the answers

How do males develop in the Hymenoptera order?

From unfertilized eggs Signup and view all the answers

Which option represents the genetic composition of the father bee?

Haploid, containing one X chromosome Signup and view all the answers

In the context of haplodiploidy, what role does sperm play in female development?

It provides the second set of chromosomes Signup and view all the answers

What type of chromosomes do females possess in a haplodiploid species?

Diploid chromosomes with two copies Signup and view all the answers

What determines the gender of a bee?

The presence or absence of a specific gene Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between a queen and a worker bee?

There is no difference in their chromosome number. Signup and view all the answers

What is the chromosomal makeup of a drone bee?

YY Signup and view all the answers

How can a worker bee produce sons even without mating?

The worker bee can lay unfertilized eggs. Signup and view all the answers

What is the process of sex determination in bees called?

Haploid-diploid system Signup and view all the answers

What is the 'complementary allele model'?

A model explaining how a single gene determines gender in bees. Signup and view all the answers

How does the size of a bee's cell affect its development?

It determines the caste of the bee. Signup and view all the answers

Why is a drone bee considered the 'mother's boy'?

Drones are haploid and receive their chromosomes only from their mother. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Social insects, such as ants, wasps, bees, and termites, have a queen that helps maximize the fitness of the colony, while workers forego producing their own offspring.
In Social Hymenoptera (ants, wasps, bees), there is a queen, while in Social Isoptera (termites), there is a king and queen.
Queens (and kings) are typically long-lived, with termites living up to 15 years and honeybees living up to 4 years.
Their sole task is often reproduction, while other individuals are often sterile and don't reproduce.

Life Cycle of Honeybees

The life cycle of honeybees involves eggs, larvae, pupae, and adult bees.
Queens are not genetically different from workers; the difference lies in the food they receive as larvae.
In honeybees, larvae turn into queens when food nectar contains more than 35% hexose, and workers when there is less than 10% hexose.
Workers feed "queens to be" with royal jelly, which ensures bee queens live for 2-4 years.

Size of Insect Societies

In honeybees, there is one queen and up to 40,000 workers.
In bumblebees, there is one queen and 20-500 workers.
In wasps, there are 1 to 1000s of queens and 1000s to millions of workers.
In ants, there are 1 to over a million queens; up to many million workers.
One Japanese red wood ant colony contains 307 million ants, including 306 million workers and about 1.1 million queens.

Haplodiploid Sex Determination

In Hymenoptera, the workers are invariably female, while males are good only for mating.
Termites also have male workers.
Haplodiploid sex determination means males are haploid (have one set of chromosomes), while females are diploid (have two sets of chromosomes).
The queen can decide on the sex of her offspring by controlling the fertilization of eggs.

Coercion and Reproduction

In many species, workers can lay unfertilized eggs, which are haploid and will turn into males.
Queens "control" the reproduction of their workers by pheromones, physical "bullying," and actively eating eggs laid by workers.

Haplodiploidy in Bees

Bees have haplodiploidy, where males are haploid and females are diploid.
Female bees are created when a sperm from a male fertilizes a female's egg, resulting in a diploid daughter.
Males develop from unfertilized eggs, making them haploid.

Duties of Worker Bees

Worker bees start their duties immediately after emergence, including cleaning brood cells, tending larvae, constructing, guarding the hive, and foraging.

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Description

Explore the social hierarchy of insects like ants, wasps, bees, and termites, focusing on the role of queens and kings in maximizing colony fitness.