The honey bee originated in tropical Africa and later dispersed to northern Europe. It has been suggested that a higher hemolymph storage capacity for the glycolipoprotein vitellogenin evolved in temperate regions, and that the trait constitutes an adaptation to a strongly seasonal environment. We have investigated whether the relative vitellogenin levels of European and African honey bees are in accordance with this hypothesis. Our data indicate that European workers have a higher set-point concentration for vitellogenin compared to their African origin. Considered together with available life history information and physiological data, the results lend support to the view that "winter bees", a long-lived honey bee worker caste that survives winter in temperate regions, evolved through an increase in the worker bees' capacity for vitellogenin accumulation. © Birkhäuser Verlag, 2005.
CITATION STYLE
Amdam, G. V., Norberg, K., Omholt, S. W., Kryger, P., Lourenço, A. P., Bitondi, M. M. G., & Simões, Z. L. P. (2005). Higher vitellogenin concentrations in honey bee workers may be an adaptation to life in temperate climates. Insectes Sociaux, 52(4), 316–319. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-005-0812-2
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