科研之友
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摘要
Most animals compete for mates and most competition includes some type of fighting. But if losses are too high, one of the opponents withdraws. Apis mellifera is a rare example of a species where this competition most frequently results in deadly fights. However, "weak" queens sometimes refrain/retreat from fighting. This study is to confirm the occurrence of such behavior and to investigate how bee breed and prior insemination influence the queen contests. A pair of queens (10 or 14 days old), were introduced into an arena together with 3-day old workers. The comparison concerned the behaviour of 2 x 50 pairs of the crossbreed, 100 pairs of native and 100 pairs of Caucasian queens, as well is the behaviour of 17 pairs of inseminated and 19 pairs of virgin queens. Three types of fight behaviour were described. Super-domination (SD), one queen attacked, whereas the other tried to withdraw. SD results not from the extraordinary aggression of the dominating queen but rather from the backing out of the fight by her opponent. The "weak" queen either refrained from lighting, without any physical contact with her opponent (RF) or she tried to retreat after the first clash (RT was observed in the SD and the DD pairs Domination (DD), one queen dominated and attacked, but the other fought back and even counterattacked. Occasionally, the opponent of the dominating queen began to retreat from Fighting after several clashes (RT). No-domination, both queens attacked but neither of them was able to dominate or, in two cases, both of the dueling queens refrained from fighting (RF). Prior insemination and breed (genotype) significantly influenced the duration, pattern and violence of the queens. The percentage of DD was 33% - 42%, ND was 41% - 52% and SD was 9% - 26%. and it was influenced only by breed not by the prior insemination. The percentage of RT+RF was 17% and 22% in crossbreeds and natives, but as much as 47% in Caucasian queens (RF was respectively 7%, 5% and 12%). RT and RF behavior seem to be important, genetically determined, mechanisms of bee queen contest/selection. RF queens were also able to assess their own strength before engaging into a conflict, and just therefore they wthdraw front fighting.
- 出版日期2009
