TY - JOUR
T1 - Environmental physiology of the invasion of the Americas by Africanized honeybees
AU - Harrison, Jon
AU - Fewell, Jennifer
AU - Anderson, Kirk E.
AU - Loper, Gerald M.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was partially funded by NSF IBN-0093410 to JHF and JFH. We thank the U.S.D.A.-ARS Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson, AZ, for assistance with many phases of this project. Glennis Julian collected some of the mtDNA data for us, and Alexander Keyel, Dina Grayson and Annette Altamirano helped with the collection and analysis of morphological and metabolic data. Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman, 2 anonymous reviewers, and Members of the Social Insect Research Group at ASU provided many valuable suggestions and comments.
PY - 2006/12
Y1 - 2006/12
N2 - The expansion of Africanized honeybees (AHB) through the Americas has been one of the most spectacular and best-studied invasions by a biotype. African and European honeybees (EHB) hybridize, but with time, tropical and subtropical American environments have become dominated by AHB that exhibit only 20-35% genetic contribution from western European bees, and a predominance of African behavioral and physiological traits. EHB persist in temperate environments. Clines between AHB and EHB exist in ecotones of South and Central America, and are forming in North America. What individual-level genetic, behavioral and physiological traits determine the relative success of the AHB as an invader in the neotropics, and of the EHB in temperate areas? Preference for pollen versus nectar may be an important trait mediating these ecological trade-offs, as preference for pollen enhances nutrient intake and brood production for the AHB in the tropics, while a relative preference for nectar enhances honey stores and winter survival for EHB. AHB exhibit morphological (higher thorax-to-body mass ratios) and physiological (higher thorax-specific metabolic rates) traits that may improve flight capacity, dispersal, mating success and foraging intake. Enhanced winter longevity, linked with higher hemolymph vitellogenin levels, may be a key factor improving winter survival of EHB. Data from South America and distributions of AHB in the southwestern United States suggest that AHB-EHB hybrids will extend 200 km north of regions with a January maximal temperatures of 15-16°C. The formation of biotypic clines between AHB and EHB represents a unique opportunity to examine mechanisms responsible for the range limit of invaders.
AB - The expansion of Africanized honeybees (AHB) through the Americas has been one of the most spectacular and best-studied invasions by a biotype. African and European honeybees (EHB) hybridize, but with time, tropical and subtropical American environments have become dominated by AHB that exhibit only 20-35% genetic contribution from western European bees, and a predominance of African behavioral and physiological traits. EHB persist in temperate environments. Clines between AHB and EHB exist in ecotones of South and Central America, and are forming in North America. What individual-level genetic, behavioral and physiological traits determine the relative success of the AHB as an invader in the neotropics, and of the EHB in temperate areas? Preference for pollen versus nectar may be an important trait mediating these ecological trade-offs, as preference for pollen enhances nutrient intake and brood production for the AHB in the tropics, while a relative preference for nectar enhances honey stores and winter survival for EHB. AHB exhibit morphological (higher thorax-to-body mass ratios) and physiological (higher thorax-specific metabolic rates) traits that may improve flight capacity, dispersal, mating success and foraging intake. Enhanced winter longevity, linked with higher hemolymph vitellogenin levels, may be a key factor improving winter survival of EHB. Data from South America and distributions of AHB in the southwestern United States suggest that AHB-EHB hybrids will extend 200 km north of regions with a January maximal temperatures of 15-16°C. The formation of biotypic clines between AHB and EHB represents a unique opportunity to examine mechanisms responsible for the range limit of invaders.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33750956538&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33750956538&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/icb/icl046
DO - 10.1093/icb/icl046
M3 - Article
C2 - 21672812
AN - SCOPUS:33750956538
SN - 1540-7063
VL - 46
SP - 1110
EP - 1122
JO - Integrative and comparative biology
JF - Integrative and comparative biology
IS - 6
ER -