Physiological Traits as Predictors of Climate Resistance and Sociality in Female Carpenter Bees
Abstract
Understanding the relationship between physiological factors on social behavior in bees is critical to understanding their ecological dynamics. This study investigates the relationship between body mass, ovary size, Dufour’s gland size, and chill coma recovery time in female Xylocopa tabaniformis bees. Analyses reveal a significant predictive relationship between bee body mass and both ovariole length and Dufour’s gland length. Body mass does not emerge as a significant predictor of CCRT, suggesting other factors as better predictors for thermal tolerance. Conflicting conclusions arise regarding CCRT as a function of physical trauma or age, emphasizing a need for further investigation. Future research should expand the scope of species studied, and the timing of the study to include pre-reproductive female bees. The findings of this study provide insight into the physiological underpinnings of bee sociality and highlight the complexity of bee ecological dynamics.
This poster was presented at the UCSB URCA colloquium in Spring 2024.