title: Chemical reproductive traits of diploid Bombus terrestris males: Consequences on bumblebee conservation.
abstract: The current bumblebee decline leads to inbreeding in populations that fosters a loss of allelic diversity and diploid male production. As diploid males are viable and their offspring are sterile, bumblebee populations can quickly fall in a vortex of extinction. In this article, we investigate for the first time a potential premating mechanism through a major chemical reproductive trait (male cephalic labial gland secretions) that could prevent monandrous virgin queens from mating with diploid males. We focus our study on the cephalic labial gland secretions of diploid and haploid males of Bombus terrestris (L.). Contrary to initial expectations, our results do not show any significant differentiation of cephalic labial gland secretions between diploid and haploid specimens. Queens seem therefore to be unable to avoid mating with diploid males based on their compositions of cephalic labial gland secretions. This suggests that the vortex of extinction of diploid males could not be stopped through premating avoidance based on the cephalic labial gland secretions but other mechanisms could avoid mating between diploid males and queens.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Zoology, Research Institute of Biosciences, University of Mons, Mons, France.|Research Unit Animal and Functionalities of Animal Products (URAFPA), University of Lorraine - INRA, 2 Avenue de la Forêt de Haye, BP 172, F-54505, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lecocq
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Zoology, Research Institute of Biosciences, University of Mons, Mons, France.
authors.forename: Maxence
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gérard
authors.affiliation: Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maebe
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Zoology, Research Institute of Biosciences, University of Mons, Mons, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brasero
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Zoology, Research Institute of Biosciences, University of Mons, Mons, France.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dehon
authors.affiliation: Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Smagghe
authors.affiliation: Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Flamingovo nam 2, CZ 166 10, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Irena
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Valterová
authors.affiliation: Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, Postbus 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Thibaut
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: De Meulemeester
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Zoology, Research Institute of Biosciences, University of Mons, Mons, France.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rasmont
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Zoology, Research Institute of Biosciences, University of Mons, Mons, France.
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Michez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D005260:Female; D007178:Inbreeding; D008297:Male; D011003:Ploidies; D012543:Scent Glands / Q000378:metabolism*; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000737:chemistry*; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D012724:Sex Attractants
keywords: bee decline; bumblebees; conservation; diploid males; premating recognition; reproductive traits