biologist discovers 'stop' signal in honey bee...
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Biologist discovers 'stop' signal in honey bee communication (w/Video)
February 11, 2010
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Honey bees from different colonies fight for space at acrowded feeder. Credit: James Nieh
A biologist at UC San Diego has discovered that honeybees warn their nest mates about dangers they encounterwhile feeding with a special signal that's akin to a "stop"sign for bees.
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The discovery, detailed in a paper in the February 23 issue of the journal Current Biology, whichappears online today, resulted from a series of experiments on honey bees foraging for food that wereattacked by competitors from nearby colonies fighting for food at an experimental feeder. The beesthat were attacked then produced a specific signal to stop nest mates who were recruiting others for
this dangerous location. Honey bees use a waggle dance to communicate the location of food andother resources. Attacked bees directed "stop" signals at nest mates waggle dancing for the dangerouslocation.
James Nieh, an associate professor of biology at UCSD who conducted the experiments, said thispeculiar signal in bee communication was known previously by scientists to reduce waggle dancingand recruitment to food, but until now no one had firmly established a "clear natural trigger" for thatbehavior.
Honey bees that encounter peril while foraging warn their hive mates with a stop signal. The signal: abuzz and a head butt, stops waggle dancers from recruiting workers to locations that have becomedangerous. Credit: UC San Diego
The stop sign is a brief vibrating signal made by the bee that lasts for about a tenth of a second withthe bee vibrating at about 380 times a second. "It is frequently delivered by a sender butting her headinto a recipient, although the sender may also climb on top of the receiver," Nieh said.
Bee researchers originally called it a "begging call," because they believed the signaling bee made itto obtain a food sample from the receiver.
But Nieh discovered in his experiments that one trigger for this signal—which caused the waggledancers to stop and leave the nest—was attacks from bee competitors and simulated predators. Themore dangerous the predator or competitor, he found, the more the stop signals bees produced to stopother bees from recruiting to that location.
"This signal is directed at bees who are recruiting for the dangerous food location and decreases theirrecruitment," explained Nieh. "Thus, fewer nest mates go to the dangerous food site. This is importantbecause an individual experiences danger and stops recruiting, but the stop signal enables her to 'warn'
nest mates who have not yet experienced danger and are still recruiting. The end result is that thecolony will reduce or cease recruitment to the dangerous food patch in proportion to the dangerexperienced."
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Nieh found in his experiments that during aggressive food competition, attack victims significantlyincreased their production of stop signals to nest mates, some by more than 40 times. Bees foragingfor food that attacked other bees or experienced no aggression did not produce stop signals. But beesexposed to a "bee alarm pheromone" increased their stop signaling by an average of 14 times. Thosewhose legs were mechanically pinched in a simulated bite increased their stop signals by an averageof 88 times.
Enlarge
The waggle dancer (at center with yellow and pink paint marks) is frozen when receiving a stop signalfrom a bee marked "S" to her left. Credit: James Nieh
Nieh said that cooperation within and between cells in an organism relies upon positive and negativefeedback. "Superorganisms," such as honey bees, are like a multi-cellular organism because eachindividual bee, just like a body cell, acts for the good of the whole, the colony. Superorganisms usemany types of positive feedback signals, but there are few known examples of negative feedbacksignals.
What's interesting to biologists about the discovery of the stop sign, Nieh said, is that it's an exampleof a negative feedback, in which the colony's actions are stopped for the good of the colony.
"This is only the second example of a negative feedback signal ever found in a superorganism and isperhaps the most sophisticated example known to date," he said.
Provided by University of California - San Diego (news : web)
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ScienceDaily (Feb. 11, 2010) — A biologist at UCSan Diego has discovered that honey bees warntheir nest mates about dangers they encounterwhile feeding with a special signal that's akin to a"stop" sign for bees.
The discovery, detailed in a paper inthe February 23 issue of the journalCurrent Biology, which appearsonline February 11, resulted from aseries of experiments on honey beesforaging for food that were attackedby competitors from nearby coloniesfighting for food at an experimentalfeeder. The bees that were attackedthen produced a specific signal tostop nest mates who were recruitingothers for this dangerous location.Honey bees use a waggle dance tocommunicate the location of foodand other resources. Attacked beesdirected "stop" signals at nest mateswaggle dancing for the dangerouslocation.
James Nieh, an associate professorof biology at UCSD who conducted
the experiments, said this peculiar signal in bee communicationwas known previously by scientists to reduce waggle dancingand recruitment to food, but until now no one had firmlyestablished a "clear natural trigger" for that behavior.
The stop sign is a brief vibrating signal made by the bee thatlasts for about a tenth of a second with the bee vibrating atabout 380 times a second. "It is frequently delivered by asender butting her head into a recipient, although the sendermay also climb on top of the receiver," Nieh said.
Bee researchers originally called it a "begging call," becausethey believed the signaling bee made it to obtain a food samplefrom the receiver.
But Nieh discovered in his experiments that one trigger for thissignal -- which caused the waggle dancers to stop and leavethe nest -- was attacks from bee competitors and simulatedpredators. The more dangerous the predator or competitor, hefound, the more the stop signals bees produced to stop otherbees from recruiting to that location.
"This signal is directed at bees who are recruiting for thedangerous food location and decreases their recruitment,"explained Nieh. "Thus, fewer nest mates go to the dangerousfood site. This is important because an individual experiencesdanger and stops recruiting, but the stop signal enables her to'warn' nest mates who have not yet experienced danger andare still recruiting. The end result is that the colony will reduceor cease recruitment to the dangerous food patch in proportionto the danger experienced."
Nieh found in his experiments that during aggressive foodcompetition, attack victims significantly increased theirproduction of stop signals to nest mates, some by more than40 times. Bees foraging for food that attacked other bees orexperienced no aggression did not produce stop signals. Butbees exposed to a "bee alarm pheromone" increased their stopsignaling by an average of 14 times. Those whose legs weremechanically pinched in a simulated bite increased their stopsignals by an average of 88 times.
Nieh said that cooperation within and between cells in anorganism relies upon positive and negative feedback.
Honey bees from different colonies fight for spaceat a crowded feeder. (Credit: James Nieh)
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"Superorganisms," such as honey bees, are like a multi-cellularorganism because each individual bee, just like a body cell,acts for the good of the whole, the colony. Superorganisms usemany types of positive feedback signals, but there are fewknown examples of negative feedback signals.
What's interesting to biologists about the discovery of the stopsign, Nieh said, is that it's an example of a negative feedback,in which the colony's actions are stopped for the good of thecolony.
"This is only the second example of a negative feedback signalever found in a superorganism and is perhaps the mostsophisticated example known to date," he said.
Nieh was assisted in his experiments by UC San Diegoundergraduate volunteers working in his laboratory. His studywas supported by the UC San Diego Opportunities forResearch in Behavioral Sciences Program, which is supportedby the National Science Foundation.
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Adapted from materials provided by University of California- San Diego, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Useone of the following formats:
University of California - San Diego (2010,February 11). Biologist discovers 'stop' signal inhoney bee communication. ScienceDaily.Retrieved February 16, 2010, fromhttp://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2010/02/100211121800.htm
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The waggle dancer (at center with yellow and pink paint marks) is frozen whenreceiving a stop signal from a bee marked 'S' to her left. - James Nieh
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Biologist discovers 'stop' signal in honey bee communication(2/17/2010)
Tags:
insect, bees, animal communication
A biologist at UC San Diego has discoveredthat honey bees warn their nest mates aboutdangers they encounter while feeding with aspecial signal that's akin to a "stop" sign forbees.
The discovery, detailed in a paper in the February23 issue of the journal Current Biology, whichappears online today, resulted from a series ofexperiments on honey bees foraging for food thatwere attacked by competitors from nearbycolonies fighting for food at an experimentalfeeder. The bees that were attacked thenproduced a specific signal to stop nest mates whowere recruiting others for this dangerous location.Honey bees use a waggle dance to communicatethe location of food and other resources. Attackedbees directed "stop" signals at nest mates waggle dancing for the dangerous location.
James Nieh, an associate professor of biology at UCSD who conducted the experiments, said thispeculiar signal in bee communication was known previously by scientists to reduce waggle dancing andrecruitment to food, but until now no one had firmly established a "clear natural trigger" for thatbehavior.
The stop sign is a brief vibrating signal made by the bee that lasts for about a tenth of a second with thebee vibrating at about 380 times a second. "It is frequently delivered by a sender butting her head intoa recipient, although the sender may also climb on top of the receiver," Nieh said.
Bee researchers originally called it a "begging call," because they believed the signaling bee made it toobtain a food sample from the receiver.
But Nieh discovered in his experiments that one trigger for this signal-which caused the waggle dancersto stop and leave the nest-was attacks from bee competitors and simulated predators. The moredangerous the predator or competitor, he found, the more the stop signals bees produced to stop otherbees from recruiting to that location.
"This signal is directed at bees who are recruiting for the dangerous food location and decreases theirrecruitment," explained Nieh. "Thus, fewer nest mates go to the dangerous food site. This is importantbecause an individual experiences danger and stops recruiting, but the stop signal enables her to 'warn'nest mates who have not yet experienced danger and are still recruiting. The end result is that thecolony will reduce or cease recruitment to the dangerous food patch in proportion to the dangerexperienced."
Nieh found in his experiments that during aggressive food competition, attack victims significantlyincreased their production of stop signals to nest mates, some by more than 40 times. Bees foraging forfood that attacked other bees or experienced no aggression did not produce stop signals. But beesexposed to a "bee alarm pheromone" increased their stop signaling by an average of 14 times. Thosewhose legs were mechanically pinched in a simulated bite increased their stop signals by an average of88 times.
Nieh said that cooperation within and between cells in an organism relies upon positive and negativefeedback. "Superorganisms," such as honey bees, are like a multi-cellular organism because eachindividual bee, just like a body cell, acts for the good of the whole, the colony. Superorganisms usemany types of positive feedback signals, but there are few known examples of negative feedbacksignals.
What's interesting to biologists about the discovery of the stop sign, Nieh said, is that it's an example ofa negative feedback, in which the colony's actions are stopped for the good of the colony.
"This is only the second example of a negative feedback signal ever found in a superorganism and isperhaps the most sophisticated example known to date," he said.
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Honey bees that encounter peril while foraging warn their hive mates with a stop signal. The signal: a buzz and a head butt, stops waggle dancers from recruitingworkers to locations that have become dangerous. - UC San Diego - Creative Commons license Attribution - No Derivative 3.0 (please [email protected] for other permissions).
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by the University of California - SanDiego
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Honey Bees Warn Of Danger With 'Stop Sign' SignalBy News Staff | February 11th 2010 12:00 AM | Print | E-mail | Track Comments
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A series of experiments on honey beesforaging for food has revealed that the beeswarn their nest mates about dangers theyencounter while feeding with a special signalthat is akin to a 'stop sign' for bees.
The bees were attacked by nearby colonieswhile fighting for food at an experimental
feeder and produced a specific signal to stop nest mates who wererecruiting others for this dangerous location. Honey bees use awaggle dance to communicate the location of food and otherresources. Attacked bees directed "stop" signals at nest mateswaggle dancing for the dangerous location.
Writing in Current Biology, James Nieh, an associate professor ofbiology at UCSD who conducted the experiments, said this peculiarsignal in bee communication was known previously by scientists toreduce waggle dancing and recruitment to food, but until now noone had firmly established a "clear natural trigger" for thatbehavior.
The waggle dancer (at center with yellow and pink paint marks) isfrozen when receiving a stop signal from a bee marked "S" to her left.
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A biologist at UC San Diego has discovered that honey bees warn their nestmates about dangers they encounter while feeding with a special signalthat's akin to a 'stop' sign for bees.
The discovery, detailed in a paper in the February 23 issue of the journalCurrent Biology, which appears online today, resulted from a series ofexperiments on honey bees foraging for food that were attacked bycompetitors from nearby colonies fighting for food at an experimental feeder.The bees that were attacked then produced a specific signal to stop nestmates who were recruiting others for this dangerous location. Honey beesuse a waggle dance to communicate the location of food and otherresources. Attacked bees directed 'stop' signals at nest mates waggledancing for the dangerous location.
James Nieh, an associate professor of biology at UCSD who conducted theexperiments, said this peculiar signal in bee communication was knownpreviously by scientists to reduce waggle dancing and recruitment to food,but until now no one had firmly established a 'clear natural trigger' for thatbehaviour.
The stop sign is a brief vibrating signal made by the bee that lasts for abouta tenth of a second with the bee vibrating at about 380 times a second. 'It isfrequently delivered by a sender butting her head into a recipient, althoughthe sender may also climb on top of the receiver,' Nieh said.
Bee researchers originally called it a 'begging call,' because they believedthe signalling bee made it to obtain a food sample from the receiver.
But Nieh discovered in his experiments that one trigger for this signal -which caused the waggle dancers to stop and leave the nest - was attacksfrom bee competitors and simulated predators. The more dangerous thepredator or competitor, he found, the more the stop signals bees producedto stop other bees from recruiting to that location.
'This signal is directed at bees who are recruiting for the dangerous foodlocation and decreases their recruitment,' explained Nieh. 'Thus, fewer nestmates go to the dangerous food site. This is important because an individualexperiences danger and stops recruiting, but the stop signal enables her to'warn' nest mates who have not yet experienced danger and are still
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Biologist discovers 'stop' signal in honeybee communication
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recruiting. The end result is that the colony will reduce or cease recruitmentto the dangerous food patch in proportion to the danger experienced.'
Nieh found in his experiments that during aggressive food competition,attack victims significantly increased their production of stop signals to nestmates, some by more than 40 times. Bees foraging for food that attackedother bees or experienced no aggression did not produce stop signals. Butbees exposed to a 'bee alarm pheromone' increased their stop signalling byan average of 14 times. Those whose legs were mechanically pinched in asimulated bite increased their stop signals by an average of 88 times.
Nieh said that cooperation within and between cells in an organism reliesupon positive and negative feedback. 'Superorganisms,' such as honeybees, are like a multi-cellular organism because each individual bee, just likea body cell, acts for the good of the whole, the colony. Superorganisms usemany types of positive feedback signals, but there are few known examplesof negative feedback signals.
What's interesting to biologists about the discovery of the stop sign, Niehsaid, is that it's an example of a negative feedback, in which the colony'sactions are stopped for the good of the colony.
'This is only the second example of a negative feedback signal ever found ina superorganism and is perhaps the most sophisticated example known todate,' he said.
Source: UCSD News Centre
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Home > News > Breaking news 25 Feb 2010
IMAGE: Honey bees from different colonies fight forspace at a crowded feeder.Click here for more information.
Biologist discovers 'stop' signal in honey beecommunication- 11 Feb 2010By University of California - San Diego
Nieh said thatcooperation within andbetween cells in anorganism relies uponpositive and negativefeedback."Superorganisms,"such as honey bees,are like a multi-cellularorganism becauseeach individual bee,just like a body cell,acts for the good of thewhole, the colony.Superorganisms usemany types of positivefeedback signals, butthere are few knownexamples of negativefeedback signals.
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