Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/C514115/1
Mating success of large and small males in honey bees: the effect of sexual selection on social behaviour and intracolony reproductive conflict.
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Professor FLW Ratnieks, University of Sheffield, Animal and Plant Sciences
- Grant held at:
- University of Sheffield, Animal and Plant Sciences
- Science Area:
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Terrestrial
- ENRIs:
- Natural Resource Management
- Biodiversity
- Science Topics:
- Population Genetics/Evolution
- Behavioural Ecology
- Abstract:
- Honey bee males, known as drones, occur un two sizes: normal large males, which are reared in large-diameter hexagonal cells (drone cells), and small males, which are reared in small diameter hexagonal cells (worker cells). Honey bee mating is extremely competitive, with hundreds of males chasing a queen in mid air. As such, male-male competition for mating has favoured large males, which can fly faster thanks to their larger body with larger flight muscles. Worker bees in colonies with a queen sometimes lay eggs. If reared, these turn into males. However, workers only lay eggs in drone cells even though worker cells are much more abundant This suggests that it is not worthwhile for workers to lay eggs in worker cells, because any son reared would have low mating success making it not worth the cost in food needed to be reared. The project will quantify the relative success of normal versus small males. Approximately 5,000 large males and 1,000 small males will be reared and transferred into a single hive in an isolated valley in the Derbyshire Peak District. Queen bees will then be taken to the valley, each in her own hive, and allowed to mate in mid air with these drones. The queens will then start laying eggs which will develop into daughter worker bees. Paternity tests will be made on the daughter workers, using DNA microsatellites similar to those used in forensics, to determine who their fathers were and if they were normal or small males. This will enable us to determine the relative success of the small males to the normal males, both in terms of their chance of mating and in the number of offspring they have when they do mate. Honey bee queens normally mate with 10-20 males so most queens will be mated to both normal and small males, and each queen will provide data on many matings. In total, the progeny of approximately 40-50 queens will be tested. The sperm from the males is stored in the queen's body and is sufficient for her to lay fertilised eggs for the rest of her life.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/C514115/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Small Grants Pre FEC
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Small Grants
This grant award has a total value of £26,910
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - T&S | Total - Other Costs |
|---|---|
| £2,018 | £24,892 |
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