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The neuroethology of olfactory sex communication in the honeybee Apis mellifera L.

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Abstract

The honeybee Apis mellifera L. is a crucial pollinator as well as a prominent scientific model organism, in particular for the neurobiological study of olfactory perception, learning, and memory. A wealth of information is indeed available about how the worker bee brain detects, processes, and learns about odorants. Comparatively, olfaction in males (the drones) and queens has received less attention, although they engage in a fascinating mating behavior that strongly relies on olfaction. Here, we present our current understanding of the molecules, cells, and circuits underlying bees’ sexual communication. Mating in honeybees takes place at so-called drone congregation areas and places high in the air where thousands of drones gather and mate in dozens with virgin queens. One major queen-produced olfactory signal—9-ODA, the major component of the queen pheromone—has been known for decades to attract the drones. Since then, some of the neural pathways responsible for the processing of this pheromone have been unraveled. However, olfactory receptor expression as well as brain neuroanatomical data point to the existence of three additional major pathways in the drone brain, hinting at the existence of 4 major odorant cues involved in honeybee mating. We discuss current evidence about additional not only queen- but also drone-produced pheromonal signals possibly involved in bees’ sexual behavior. We also examine data revealing recent evolutionary changes in drone’s olfactory system in the Apis genus. Lastly, we present promising research avenues for progressing in our understanding of the neural basis of bees mating behavior.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the members of the EVOLBEE team and the Evolution and Behavior department of EGCE for insightful discussions.

Funding

This work received support from the French Research Ministery to J. Mariette and the ANR (ANR-17-CE20-003 to J.C.S.).

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  1. Evolution, Genomes, Behaviour and Ecology, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

    Julia Mariette, Julie Carcaud & Jean-Christophe Sandoz

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  1. Julia Mariette
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Mariette, J., Carcaud, J. & Sandoz, JC. The neuroethology of olfactory sex communication in the honeybee Apis mellifera L.. Cell Tissue Res 383, 177–194 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-020-03401-8

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