Evolution of worker sterility in honey bees: egg-laying workers express queen-like secretion in Dufour’s gland

摘要: Unlike many social insects in which overt conflict over male production may exist between queens and workers, the queen honey bee seems to have almost absolute dominance (Page Erickson 1988; Visscher 1989, 1996). The evolutionary explanation for this successful domination is that multiple mating by creates a new genetic asymmetry workers males colony. Consequently, it becomes more profitable rear brothers rather than nephews, providing driving force evolution of selective elimination worker-born eggs other colony (Woyciechowski Lomnicki 1987), phenomenon later termed "worker policing" (Ratnieks 1988). In study was further shown egg discrimination pheromonally mediated pheromone source queen's Dufour's gland 1995). Recently, Oldroyd Ratnieks (2000) reported anarchistic evade policing laying are acceptable those normal presumably because they counterfeit queen-produced egg-marking pheromone. support their hypothesis, cite Katzav-Gozansky et al. (1997a) as follows: "This idea consisted with data (1997a, b) who showed chemical composition differs workers. We hypothesize unlike studied b), glands secrete chemicals similar from gland. This probably results mutation allows