title: How regulation based on a common stomach leads to economic optimization of honeybee foraging.
abstract: Simple regulatory mechanisms based on the idea of the saturable 'common stomach' can control the regulation of protein foraging and protein allocation in honeybee colonies and colony-level responses to environmental changes. To study the economic benefits of pollen and nectar foraging strategies of honeybees to both plants and honeybees under different environmental conditions, a model was developed and analyzed. Reallocation of the foraging workforce according to the quality and availability of resources (an 'adaptive' strategy used by honeybees) is not only a successful strategy for the bees but also for plants, because intensified pollen foraging after rain periods (when nectar quality is low) compensates a major fraction of the pollination flights lost during the rain. The 'adaptive' strategy performed better than the'fixed' (steady, minimalistic, and non-adaptive foraging without feedback) or the 'proactive' (stockpiling in anticipation of rain) strategies in brood survival and or in nectar/sugar economics. The time pattern of rain periods has profound effect on the supply-and-demand of proteins. A tropical rain pattern leads to a shortage of the influx of pollen and nectar, but it has a less profound impact on brood mortality than a typical continental rainfall pattern. Allocating more bees for pollen foraging has a detrimental effect on the nectar stores, therefore while saving larvae from starvation the 'proactive' strategy could fail to collect enough nectar for surviving winter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria. Electronic address: thomas.schmickl@uni-graz.at.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schmickl
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Box 70703, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA. Electronic address: karsai@etsu.edu.
authors.forename: Istvan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Karsai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004777:Environment; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006706:Homeostasis; D007814:Larva; D008297:Male; D057048:Plant Nectar; D011058:Pollen / Q000502:physiology; D054817:Pollination / Q000502:physiology; D011891:Rain; D012621:Seasons; D014329:Tropical Climate
chemical_list: D057048:Plant Nectar
keywords: Colony homeostasis; Honeybees; Nectar economics; Pollination; Self-regulation