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Insights into the molecular basis of social behaviour from studies on the honeybee, Apis mellifera

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Invertebrate Neuroscience

Abstract

The honeybee, Apis mellifera, has been the most important insect species for the study of social behaviour. With the recent release of its genome sequence, the honeybee has emerged as an excellent model for molecular studies of social behaviour. A key feature of eusocial species is a complex division of labour. Adult honeybees perform a series of tasks in the hive when they are young and then shift to foraging for nectar or pollen outside the hive when they are 2–3 weeks of age. This transition from working in the hive to foraging involves changes in the expression of thousands of genes. In this review, we focus first on recent advances in understanding of the widespread changes in gene activity that accompany the transition to foraging. Thereafter, we examine three genes in particular, foraging, malvolio and vitellogenin, all implicated in this striking behavioural change in the life of the honeybee.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Programme in Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3UD, UK

    Rachel Denison

  2. Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, UMR CNRS 5169, Université de Toulouse Paul Sabatier, UFR SVT, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse Cedex 4, France

    Valérie Raymond-Delpech

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  1. Rachel Denison
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  2. Valérie Raymond-Delpech
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Correspondence to Valérie Raymond-Delpech.

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Denison, R., Raymond-Delpech, V. Insights into the molecular basis of social behaviour from studies on the honeybee, Apis mellifera . Invert Neurosci 8, 1–9 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10158-008-0066-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10158-008-0066-6

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