Data from: Biogenic amine modulation of honey bee sociability and nestmate affiliation

Biogenic amines modulate a range of social behaviours, including sociability and mechanisms of group cohesion, in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Here, we tested if the biogenic amines modulate honey bee (Apis mellifera) sociability and nestmate affiliation. We examined the consequences of treatments with biogenic amines, agonists and antagonists on a bee's approach to, and subsequent social interactions with, conspecifics in both naturally hive-reared bees and isolated bees. We used two different treatment methods. Bees were first treated topically with compounds dissolved in the solvent dimethylformamide (dMF) applied to the dorsal thorax, but dMF had a significant effect on the locomotion and behaviour of the bees during the behavioural test that interfered with their social responses. Our second method used microinjection to deliver biogenic amines to the head capsule via the ocellar tract. Microinjection of dopamine and a dopamine antagonist had a strong effect on bee sociability, likelihood of interaction with bees, and nestmate affiliation. Octopamine treatment blocked social interaction with other bees, and serotonin increased the likelihood of social interactions. HPLC measurements showed that isolation reduced brain levels of biogenic amines compared to hive-reared bees. Our findings suggest that dopamine is an important neurochemical component of social motivation in bees. This finding advances a comparative understanding of the processes of social evolution.

Usage Notes
TopicalDatacsv file of the entire raw data set used in the topical treatment analysisInjectionDatacsv file of the microinjection via ocellus data

生物胺类物质调节了包括社会性和群体凝聚力机制在内的多种社会行为，在脊椎动物和无脊椎动物中均有体现。在本研究中，我们旨在探究生物胺是否会影响蜜蜂（Apis mellifera）的社会性及其巢居亲和力。我们考察了生物胺、激动剂和拮抗剂处理对蜜蜂接近同种个体及其后续社会互动的影响，这包括自然巢养的蜜蜂和孤养蜜蜂。我们采用了两种不同的处理方法。首先，蜜蜂的背部胸节被涂抹了溶解于溶剂二甲基甲酰胺（dMF）的化合物，但dMF在行为测试中对蜜蜂的运动和行为产生了显著影响，干扰了它们的社会反应。我们的第二种方法是使用微注射通过眼点通路将生物胺输送到头部囊。多巴胺及其拮抗剂的微注射对蜜蜂的社会性、与蜜蜂互动的可能性以及巢居亲和力产生了显著影响。八氢生物胺的处理阻碍了蜜蜂与其他蜜蜂的社会互动，而血清素则增加了社会互动的可能性。高效液相色谱（HPLC）测量显示，与巢养蜜蜂相比，孤养蜜蜂的大脑生物胺水平降低。我们的研究结果提示多巴胺是蜜蜂社会动机的重要神经化学成分。这一发现推进了对社会进化过程的比较理解。