The Queen That Outlives Her Workers
In short: In the western honey bee and the termite Macrotermes bellicosus, queens and workers share one colony but follow very different lifespans, and evolutionary theory offers a reason why.
A 1:20 short film in the series “Nature: How Long Can It Live?”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio, Springer Nature), “Vitellogenin plays a role in regulating honey bee swarming - Scientific Reports”; ScienceDaily (news release from the University of Freiburg), “The secret of a long life”; PubMed Central (US National Library of Medicine), article in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B theme issue 'Ageing and sociality', “The plasticity of lifespan in social insects”; Nature (Springer Nature), “Extraordinary lifespans in ants: a test of evolutionary theories of ageing - Nature”; Nature (Springer Nature), “Extraordinary lifespans in ants: a test of evolutionary theories of ageing - Nature”; University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, “About Honey Bees | Types, races, and anatomy of honey bees”; Insectes Sociaux (Springer Nature), “Higher vitellogenin concentrations in honey bee workers may be an adaptation to life in temperate climates - Insectes Sociaux”; Phys.org (relaying a University of Freiburg press release), “Why exceptionally fertile termite queens have long lives”.
Sources used in this film
- Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio, Springer Nature) — Vitellogenin plays a role in regulating honey bee swarming - Scientific Reports · View →
- ScienceDaily (news release from the University of Freiburg) — The secret of a long life · View →
- PubMed Central (US National Library of Medicine), article in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B theme issue 'Ageing and sociality' — The plasticity of lifespan in social insects · View →
- Nature (Springer Nature) — Extraordinary lifespans in ants: a test of evolutionary theories of ageing - Nature · View →
- Nature (Springer Nature) — Extraordinary lifespans in ants: a test of evolutionary theories of ageing - Nature · View →
- University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service — About Honey Bees | Types, races, and anatomy of honey bees · View →
- Insectes Sociaux (Springer Nature) — Higher vitellogenin concentrations in honey bee workers may be an adaptation to life in temperate climates - Insectes Sociaux · View →
- Phys.org (relaying a University of Freiburg press release) — Why exceptionally fertile termite queens have long lives · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio, Springer Nature): Vitellogenin plays a role in regulating honey bee swarming - Scientific Reports
- Also: ScienceDaily (news release from the University of Freiburg): The secret of a long life
- Also: PubMed Central (US National Library of Medicine), article in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B theme iss: The plasticity of lifespan in social insects
- Also: Nature (Springer Nature): Extraordinary lifespans in ants: a test of evolutionary theories of ageing - Nature
- Also: Nature (Springer Nature): Extraordinary lifespans in ants: a test of evolutionary theories of ageing - Nature
- Also: University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service: About Honey Bees | Types, races, and anatomy of honey bees
- Also: Insectes Sociaux (Springer Nature): Higher vitellogenin concentrations in honey bee workers may be an adaptation to life in temperate climates - Insectes Sociaux
- Also: Phys.org (relaying a University of Freiburg press release): Why exceptionally fertile termite queens have long lives
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