Exploring the chemical ecology of an orchid bee signaling system

Monday, November 11, 2024

8:24 AM – 8:36 AM MST

Location: Phoenix Convention Center, 222 B, PCC

Presenting Author(s)

Marissa Celine Sandoval (she/her/hers)

Graduate Student
University of California, Davis
Carmichael, California

Co-Author(s)

JD

Janosch Dohrs

Ruhr University Bochum
Bochum, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
SR

Santiago Ramirez

University of California
Davis, California
TE

Thomas Eltz

Ruhr University Bochum
Bochum, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Unlike many insects, male euglossine bees, commonly known as orchid bees, do not synthesize their own pheromones; instead they collect odorants from the environment that form a species-specific perfume blend. Such blends are subsequently used for courtship display. Though naturalists have long thought that the perfumes were used for attracting mates, only recently has it been demonstrated in an experimental setting that females prefer to mate with males displaying a perfume compared to those that lack one. Here, we investigate this phenomenon further in the context of mate recognition and choice. We collected perfume from a pair of sister species, Euglossa viridissima and Euglossa dilemma. We then performed no-choice mating assays with Euglossa dilemma males and females. In the no-choice experiments, naive female bees were paired with a male loaded with one of the following perfumes: Euglossa dilemma or Euglossa viridissima. We hypothesized that the species-specific perfume facilitates Euglossa dilemma female mate recognition and choice. Our results may provide valuable insights into how important sexual signals are maintained and how the tribe of orchid bees became so speciose with over 250 species throughout the new world tropics.