Morphology of Nasonov and Tergal Glands in <em>Apis mellifera</em> Rebels
Aneta Strachecka,
Jacek Chobotow,
Karolina Kuszewska,
Krzysztof Olszewski,
Patrycja Skowronek,
Maciej Bryś,
Jerzy Paleolog,
Michał Woyciechowski
Affiliations
Aneta Strachecka
Department of Invertebrate Ecophysiology and Experimental Biology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Doświadczalna 50a, 20-280 Lublin, Poland
Jacek Chobotow
Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-400 Lublin, Poland
Karolina Kuszewska
Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
Krzysztof Olszewski
Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, Institute of Biological Basis of Animal Production, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland
Patrycja Skowronek
Department of Invertebrate Ecophysiology and Experimental Biology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Doświadczalna 50a, 20-280 Lublin, Poland
Maciej Bryś
Department of Invertebrate Ecophysiology and Experimental Biology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Doświadczalna 50a, 20-280 Lublin, Poland
Jerzy Paleolog
Department of Invertebrate Ecophysiology and Experimental Biology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Doświadczalna 50a, 20-280 Lublin, Poland
Michał Woyciechowski
Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
Social insect societies are characterized by a high level of organization. This is made possible through a remarkably complex array of pheromonal signals produced by all members of the colony. The queen’s pheromones signal the presence of a fertile female and induce daughter workers to remain sterile. However, the lack of the queen mandibular pheromone leads to the emergence of rebels, i.e., workers with increased reproductive potential. We suggested that the rebels would have developed tergal glands and reduced Nasonov glands, much like the queen but contrary to normal workers. Our guess turned out to be correct and may suggest that the rebels are more queen-like than previously thought. The tergal gland cells found in the rebels were numerous but they did not adhere as closely to one another as they did in queens. In the rebels, the number of Nasonov gland cells was very limited (from 38 to 53) and there were fat body trophocytes between the glandular cells. The diameters of the Nasonov gland cell nuclei were smaller in the rebels than in the normal workers. These results are important for understanding the formation of the different castes of Apis mellifera females, as well as the division of labor in social insect societies.
