Abstract
In Experiment 1, allozyme analyses of Apis mellifera, workers and worker-derived drone larvae revealed that in half the colonies, there were genotypic differences in worker egg-laying behavior (presumed to involve actual oviposition), but biases in drone production were not always consistent with biases in egg-laying behavior. In Experiment 2, allozyme analyses again revealed intracolonial differences in egg-laying behavior and in behavior patterns though to involve oophagy and larval care. Data support the hypothesis of a genetic influence on this intracolonial behavioral variation. Differences in the genotypic distributions of worker-derived drones relative to workers engaged in oviposition behavior in queenless colonies may be a consequence of genetic variability for egg production or for treatment of eggs and larvae (possibly coupled with kin recognition), or both. -from Authors
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Title of host publication | Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology |
Pages | 315-323 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Volume | 26 |
Edition | 5 |
State | Published - 1990 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Earth and Planetary Sciences
- General Environmental Science