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BODY SIZE VARIATION AND OPTIMAL BODY SIZE OF BUMBLE BEE QUEENS (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

Robin E. Owen
Robin E. Owen
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4
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Abstract

Body size and mass variation of queen bumble bees (Bombus Latr. spp.) were analyzed in relationship to hibernation survival and optimal body size. Body mass and size (measured by radial cell length) were significantly correlated in six of eight species. Also, spring queens of B. occidentalis Greene were, on average, significantly larger yet lighter than young fall queens. These observations were consistent with weight loss known to occur during hibernation coupled with greater mortality of small queens over the winter. Thus large queens may be at an advantage for this and other reasons (e.g. foraging efficiency, usurpation). However, an optimality model showed that an intermediate body size was optimal if the reproductive success of a colony (foundress queen and workers) was considered. The assumptions were that fitness did not increase linearly with body size but was a convex function, and that colonies only had a fixed amount of energy to invest in reproductive offspring leading to a trade-off between size and number.

Résumé

On a analysé la variation de la taille corporelle et de la masse de reines de bourdons (Bombus Latr. spp.) en rapport avec la survie en hibernation et la taille corporelle optimale. La masse et la taille corporelles (mesurées par la longueur radiale des cellules) étaient significativement corrélées chez six des espèces. De plus, chez B. occidentalis Greene, les reines printannières étaient en moyenne plus grandes quoique plus légères que les jeunes reines automonales. Ces observations sont en accord avec la perte de poids déjà confirmée durant l’hibernation, couplée avec la mortalité plus élevée des petites reines au cours de l’hiver. Ainsi les grosses reines seraient avantagées pour cette raison parmi d’autres (par ex. efficacité comme butineuses, succès d’usurpation). Cependant un modèle d’optimalité a montré qu’une taille corporelle intermédiaire est celle qui est optimale si le succès reproducteur d’une colonie (reine fondatrice et ouvrières) sont considérées. Les prémisses étaient que la fitness n’augmente pas linéairement avec la taille corporelle, la relation ayant une forme convexe, et que les colonies n’ont qu’une quantité limitée d’énergie à investir dans la production de reproducteurs, créant un équilibre entre la taille et le nombre.

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 120 , Issue 1 , January 1988 , pp. 19 - 27
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1988

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