Presentation Details
| Metabolic Resilience to Starvation Is Shaped by Early-Life Maternal Care in Bumble Bees Claudineia Pereira Costa1, 2, S Hollis Woodard2. 1Biology Department, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA.2Entomology Department, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA |
Abstract
Eusocial insects such as bumble bees depend on both maternal and alloparental care, yet the lasting effects of these early social environments on adult physiology remain poorly understood. Using Bombus impatiens, we tested how developmental care by queens versus sibling workers shapes starvation resistance in adult workers. Bees were reared under three caregiving conditions: a queen, one worker, or five workers. As adults, they were exposed to starvation, and we measured blood sugar concentrations and metabolic reserves. Although the number of caregivers influenced body size, starvation resistance was associated with maternal care. Queen-reared bees showed greater metabolic flexibility, maintaining stable blood sugar levels and shifting more efficiently to alternative energy sources during starvation. By contrast, worker-reared bees displayed reduced metabolic adaptability. Metabolic rate and blood sugar levels did not differ under non-starved conditions, indicating that maternal care enhances resilience to nutritional stress rather than baseline metabolism. Together, these results demonstrate that maternal care during development promotes adult metabolic resilience in bumble bees.
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