巴西研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，蜂王的權力也可能會失控,，一些工蜂通過繁殖來延長自己的生命欺騙蜂王,。
一項對巴西蜜蜂的研究顯示，有些雄蜂是不是蜂王的兒子,，而是工蜂的兒子,。蜂群通常有約1500只工蜂，由一只蜂王統(tǒng)治,。該研究發(fā)表在《分子生態(tài)學》（Molecular Ecology）雜志上,，研究探究了45個蜂群的近600只雄蜂，研究它們的基因以查明它們的身世,。結果顯示,，23%的雄蜂不是蜂王的后代，而是工蜂的后代,。工蜂通常不能交配，但能產下非受精卵,，這些卵子可以發(fā)育成雄蜂,。為了確保自己的統(tǒng)治地位，蜂王經常會吃掉工蜂產下的卵子,。
工蜂繁殖唯一的好處是這樣做它們的壽命可以延長3倍,，和蜂后的壽命差不多一樣長。這是因為繁殖的工蜂勞作少,，不再執(zhí)行危險的任務,，如覓食。該研究的聯(lián)合作者丹尼斯·埃維斯表示，該研究證明工蜂為自己的利益生產下一代勞力的方式,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Molecular Ecology (2009) doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2009.04323.x
The queen is dead-Long live the workers: intraspecific parasitism by workers in the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris
D. A. ALVES,* V. L. IMPERATRIZ-FONSECA,* T. M. FRANCOY,?P. S. SANTOS-FILHO,*
P. NOGUEIRA-NETO,* J . BILLEN and T. WENSELEERS
*Bee Laboratory, Bioscience Institute, University of Sao Paulo, Rua do Matao Trav. 14, 321, 05508-900 Sao Paulo, Brazil,
School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities, University of Sao Paulo, Rua Arlindo Beotio 1000, 03828-000 Sao Paulo, Brazil,
Laboratory of Entomology, Zoological Institute, Catholic University of Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
Insect societies are well known for their high degree of cooperation, but their colonies can potentially be exploited by reproductive workers who lay unfertilized, male eggs,rather than work for the good of the colony. Recently, it has also been discovered that workers in bumblebees and Asian honeybees can succeed in entering and parasitizing unrelated colonies to produce their own male offspring. The aim of this study was to investigate whether such intraspecific worker parasitism might also occur in stingless bees, another group of highly social bees. Based on a large-scale genetic study of the species Melipona scutellaris, and the genotyping of nearly 600 males from 45 colonies, we show that 20% of all males are workers’ sons, but that around 80% of these had genotypes that were incompatible with them being the sons of workers of the resident queen. By tracking colonies over multiple generations, we show that these males were not produced by drifted workers, but rather by workers that were the offspring of a previous, superseded queen. This means that uniquely, workers reproductively parasitize the next-generation workforce. Our results are surprising given that most colonies were sampled many months after the previous queen had died and that workers normally only have a life expectancy of 30 days. It also implies that reproductive workers greatly outlive all other workers. We explain our results in the context of kin selection theory, and the fact that it pays workers more from exploiting the colony if costs are carried by less related individuals.
