@article{ScheinerTotevaReimetal.2014, author = {Scheiner, Ricarda and Toteva, Anna and Reim, Tina and Sovik, Eirik and Barron, Andrew B.}, title = {Differences in the phototaxis of pollen and nectar foraging honey bees are related to their octopamine brain titers}, series = {Frontiers in physiology}, volume = {5}, journal = {Frontiers in physiology}, publisher = {Frontiers Research Foundation}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1664-042X}, doi = {10.3389/fphys.2014.00116}, pages = {8}, year = {2014}, abstract = {The biogenic amine octopamine is an important neuromodulator, neurohormone and neurotransmitter in insects. We here investigate the role of octopamine signaling in honey bee phototaxis. Our results show that groups of bees differ naturally in their phototaxis. Pollen forgers display a lower light responsiveness than nectar foragers. The lower phototaxis of pollen foragers coincides with higher octopamine titers in the optic lobes but is independent of octopamine receptor gene expression. Increasing octopamine brain titers reduces responsiveness to light, while tyramine application enhances phototaxis. These findings suggest an involvement of octopamine signaling in honey bee phototaxis and possibly division of labor, which is hypothesized to be based on individual differences in sensory responsiveness.}, language = {en} } @article{BehrendsScheiner2012, author = {Behrends, Andreas and Scheiner, Ricarda}, title = {Octopamine improves learning in newly emerged bees but not in old foragers}, series = {JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY}, volume = {215}, journal = {JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY}, number = {7}, publisher = {COMPANY OF BIOLOGISTS LTD}, address = {CAMBRIDGE}, issn = {0022-0949}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.063297}, pages = {1076 -- 1083}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are well known for their excellent learning abilities. Although most age groups learn quickly to associate an odor with a sucrose reward, newly emerged bees and old foragers often perform poorly. For a long time, the reason for the poor learning performance of these age groups was unclear. We show that reduced sensitivity for sucrose is the cause for poor associative learning in newly emerged bees but not in old foragers. By increasing the sensitivity for sucrose through octopamine, we selectively improved the learning performance of insensitive newly emerged bees. Interestingly, the learning performance of foragers experiencing the same treatment remained low, despite the observed increase in sensitivity for the reward. We thus demonstrate that increasing sensitivity for the reward can improve the associative learning performance of bees when they are young but not when they had foraged for a long time. Importantly, octopamine can have very different effects on bees, depending on their initial sensory sensitivity. These differential effects of octopamine have important consequences for interpreting the action of biogenic amines on insect behavior.}, language = {en} } @misc{ScheinerAbramsonBrodschneideretal.2013, author = {Scheiner, Ricarda and Abramson, Charles I. and Brodschneider, Robert and Crailsheim, Karl and Farina, Walter M. and Fuchs, Stefan and Gr{\"u}newald, Bernd and Hahshold, Sybille and Karrer, Marlene and Koeniger, Gudrun and K{\"o}niger, Niko and Menzel, Randolf and Mujagic, Samir and Radspieler, Gerald and Schmickl, Thomas and Schneider, Christof and Siegel, Adam J. and Szopek, Martina and Thenius, Ronald}, title = {Standard methods for behavioural studies of Apis mellifera}, series = {Journal of apicultural research}, volume = {52}, journal = {Journal of apicultural research}, number = {4}, publisher = {International Bee Research Association}, address = {Cardiff}, issn = {0021-8839}, doi = {10.3896/IBRA.1.52.4.04}, pages = {58}, year = {2013}, abstract = {In this BEEBOOK paper we present a set of established methods for quantifying honey bee behaviour. We start with general methods for preparing bees for behavioural assays. Then we introduce assays for quantifying sensory responsiveness to gustatory, visual and olfactory stimuli. Presentation of more complex behaviours like appetitive and aversive learning under controlled laboratory conditions and learning paradigms under free-flying conditions will allow the reader to investigate a large range of cognitive skills in honey bees. Honey bees are very sensitive to changing temperatures. We therefore present experiments which aim at analysing honey bee locomotion in temperature gradients. The complex flight behaviour of honey bees can be investigated under controlled conditions in the laboratory or with sophisticated technologies like harmonic radar or RFID in the field. These methods will be explained in detail in different sections. Honey bees are model organisms in behavioural biology for their complex yet plastic division of labour. To observe the daily behaviour of individual bees in a colony, classical observation hives are very useful. The setting up and use of typical observation hives will be the focus of another section. The honey bee dance language has important characteristics of a real language and has been the focus of numerous studies. We here discuss the background of the honey bee dance language and describe how it can be studied. Finally, the mating of a honey bee queen with drones is essential to survival of the entire colony. We here give detailed and structured information how the mating behaviour of drones and queens can be observed and experimentally manipulated. The ultimate goal of this chapter is to provide the reader with a comprehensive set of experimental protocols for detailed studies on all aspects of honey bee behaviour including investigation of pesticide and insecticide effects.}, language = {en} }