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Appetite for self-destruction: suicidal biting as a nest defense strategy in Trigona stingless bees
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 19:06 authored by Kyle Shackleton, Hasan Al Toufailia, Nicholas J Balfour, Fabio S Nascimento, Denise A Alves, Francis RatnieksSelf-sacrificial behavior represents an extreme and relatively uncommon form of altruism in worker insects. It can occur, however, when inclusive fitness benefits are high, such as when defending the nest. We studied nest defense behaviors in stingless bees, which live in eusocial colonies subject to predation. We introduced a target flag to nest entrances to elicit defensive responses and quantified four measures of defensivity in 12 stingless bee species in São Paulo State, Brazil. These included three Trigona species, which are locally known for their aggression. Species varied significantly in their attack probability (cross species range?=?0–1, P?
Funding
2012 Doctoral Training Grant to KS (NERC); G0941; NERC-NATURAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL; NE/K501347/1
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
Behavioral Ecology and SociobiologyISSN
0340-5443Publisher
SpringerExternal DOI
Issue
2Volume
69Page range
273-281Department affiliated with
- Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2014-11-19First Open Access (FOA) Date
2014-11-19First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2014-11-19Usage metrics
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