Browsing by Author "Schmitt, Thomas"
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- Deciphering the variation in cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of six European honey bee subspeciesPublication . Rodríguez-León, Daniel Sebastián; Uzunov, Aleksandar; Costa, Cecilia; Elen, Dylan; Charistos, Leonidas; Galea, Thomas; Gabel, Martin; Scheiner, Ricarda; Pinto, M. Alice; Schmitt, ThomasThe Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) subspecies exhibit local adaptive traits that evolved in response to the different environments that characterize their native distribution ranges. An important trait is the cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile, which helps to prevent desiccation and mediate communication. We compared the CHC profiles of six European subspecies (A. m. mellifera, A. m. carnica, A. m. ligustica, A. m. macedonica, A. m. iberiensis, and A. m. ruttneri) and investigated potential factors shaping their composition. We did not find evidence of adaptation of the CHC profiles of the subspecies to the climatic conditions in their distribution range. Subspecies-specific differences in CHC composition might be explained by phylogenetic constraints or genetic drift. The CHC profiles of foragers were more subspecies-specific than those of nurse bees, while the latter showed more variation in their CHC profiles, likely due to the lower desiccation stress exerted by the controlled environment inside the hive. The strongest profile differences appeared between nurse bees and foragers among all subspecies, suggesting an adaptation to social task and a role in communication. Foragers also showed an increase in the relative amount of alkanes in their profiles compared to nurses, indicating adaptation to climatic conditions.
- Expression of Elongase‐ and Desaturase‐Encoding Genes Shapes the Cuticular Hydrocarbon Profiles of Honey BeesPublication . Rodríguez‐León, Daniel Sebastián; Schmitt, Thomas; Pinto, M. Alice; Thamm, Markus; Scheiner, RicardaMost terrestrial insects have a layer of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) protecting them from desiccation and mediating chemical communication. The composition of these hydrocarbons is highly plastic and changes during their lifetime and with environmental conditions. How these changes in CHC composition are achieved is largely unknown. CHC profiles of Apis mellifera honey bees vary among castes, task groups and subspecies adapted to different climates. This makes A. melliferaan excellent model for studying the molecular mechanism underlying CHC biosynthesis. We correlated the expression of specific elongase‐ and desaturase‐encoding genes with the CHC composition in bees performing different social tasks in two highly divergent A. mellifera subspecies. Elongases are enzymes that lengthen the hydrocarbon chain, while desaturases introduce double bonds in it. We evaluated the hypothesis that the expression of the genes encoding these enzymes determines CHC profiles of the worker bees. Our results revealed that the specificity of desaturases and elongases shapes the CHC profiles of worker bees performing different social tasks. Expression of the desaturase‐encoding gene LOC100576797 and the elongase‐encoding gene LOC550828 seemed to be strongly associated with the abundance of compounds that were characteristic of the CHC profile of nurse bees. In contrast, the compounds that characterised the CHC profiles of the forager bees seemed to be associated with the desaturase‐encoding gene LOC551527 and the elongase‐encoding gene LOC409638. Our data shed light on the genetic basis for task‐specific CHC composition differences in social hymenopterans and paved the ground for unravelling the genetic underpinning of CHC biosynthesis.