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Tagged as: biology. zoology. taxonomy. science. bees. insects. animals. nature. photography.

Social or Solitary: It’s in Bees’ Genes U. ILLINOIS (US) — A new study of different types of bees—bumble bees, honey bees, stingless bees, and solitary bees—offers a first look at the genetic underpinnings of their different lifestyles. Most people have trouble telling them apart, but these different bee species have home lives that are as different from one another as a monarch’s palace is from a hippie commune or a hermit’s cabin in the woods. The study focuses on the evolution of “eusociality,” a system of collective living in which most members of a female-centric colony forego their reproductive rights and instead devote themselves to specialized tasks—such as hunting for food, defending the nest, or caring for the young—that enhance the survival of the group. Read More

Social or Solitary: It’s in Bees’ Genes

U. ILLINOIS (US) — A new study of different types of bees—bumble bees, honey bees, stingless bees, and solitary bees—offers a first look at the genetic underpinnings of their different lifestyles.

Most people have trouble telling them apart, but these different bee species have home lives that are as different from one another as a monarch’s palace is from a hippie commune or a hermit’s cabin in the woods.

The study focuses on the evolution of “eusociality,” a system of collective living in which most members of a female-centric colony forego their reproductive rights and instead devote themselves to specialized tasks—such as hunting for food, defending the nest, or caring for the young—that enhance the survival of the group.

Read More

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