- Tytuł:
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Chronic tolerance to ethanol in the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) - Autorzy:
- Privalova, Valeriya
- Opis:
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Honey bees willingly consume ethanol as it is available in their natural environment, e.g. fermented floral nectar or fruits. Several behavioural effects of ethanol intoxication are known in honey bees, including changes in motor function, disorientation and immobility. This study examined whether honey bees develop tolerance during chronic exposures to ethanol. The experiment was performed on four colonies of honeybees. Workers of each colony were exposed to four treatments, and in each treatment, a bee was exposed for five consecutive days to vapours of either water of ethanol. After the exposition, the motor performance of bees was measured. In treatment 1, bees received water vapour on each day; in treatment 2, bees were exposed to water vapour for four days, and then to ethanol vapour on the 5th day; in treatment 3, bees experienced ethanol vapour on each day; and in treatment 4, bees received ethanol vapour for four days, and then water vapour on the 5th day. A comparison of the motor performance of bees on the last day of the experiment showed that individuals which were repeatedly exposed to ethanol (treatment 3) developed through time an ability to cope with intoxication. Bees with past ethanol experience (treatment 4) showed no motor impairment when exposed to water vapours, compared to individuals that have never experienced ethanol (treatment 1). Overall, these findings indicate that honey bees develop chronic ethanol tolerance, which indicates that honeybee can be an important study system in the field of alcohol-effects research, especially in addressing questions about the evolution of ethanol tolerance and the potential effects of ethanol consumptions on social interactions. - Dostawca treści:
- Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
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