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Ontogeny of worker body size distribution in bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) colonies

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 22:28 authored by Margaret Couvillon, Jennifer M Jandt, Nhi Duong, Anna Dornhaus
1. Bumble bees exhibit worker size polymorphisms; highly related workers within a colony may vary up to 10-fold in body mass. As size variation is an important life history feature in bumble bees, the distribution of body sizes within the colony and how it fluctuates over the colony cycle were analysed. 2. Ten commercially purchased colonies of Bombus impatiens (Cresson) were reared in ad libitum conditions. The size of all workers present and newly emerging workers (callows) was recorded each week. 3. The average size of bumble bee workers did not change with colony age, but variation in body size tended to decrease over time. The average size of callows did not change with population size, but did tend to decrease with colony age. In all measures, there was considerable variation among colonies. 4. Colonies of B. impatiens usually produced workers with normally distributed body sizes throughout the colony life cycle. Unlike most polymorphic ants, there was no increase in worker body size with colony age or colony size. This provides the first, quantitative data on the ontogeny of bumble bee worker size distribution. The potential adaptive significance of this size variation is discussed.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Ecological Entomology

ISSN

0307-6946

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Issue

4

Volume

35

Page range

424-435

Department affiliated with

  • Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-02-06

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    University of Sussex (Publications)

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