蜜蜂利用停止信号进行报警交流机制的研究

It is known that honeybees use waggle dance to transfer information and recruit foragers, so the waggle dance is an active signal. On the other hand, honeybees also has evolved an inhibitory signal, the stop signal, which can inhibit recruitment of waggle dancing. The stop signal is a short vibrational pulse, fundamental frequency which indicate threat level, the pulse duration can signify the type of danger. Compared with waggle dancing, little is known about the stop signal. This research focus on the mechanism of stop signal, and its perception and behaviour response of honeybee. First, we explore whether six species of honeybees all cope with stop signal transfer information, and analysis the specificity of coding dangerous information; In addition, we explore the receptor of bees to vibrational signal through some experiment such as the playback of the stop signal and the recording of the nerve potential response value, and analyse spectral characteristics of the receptor to stop signal; At the end, we will test that whether stop signal can couple with learning, memory, visual and olfactory information transmission. With the several aspects of research, we will decode the mechanism of honeybee that how they use vibrational signals to serve as alarm communication.

蜜蜂通过舞蹈的方式发出信息招募同伴，这是一种激活信号，同时蜜蜂也进化了出了停止舞蹈招募的抑制信号。该信号由简单的脉冲振动组成，其中的频率代表危险程度；持续时间代表危险的类型。与蜜蜂舞蹈语言相比，蜜蜂停止信号研究还处于摸索阶段。本研究拟探讨蜜蜂停止信号的产生、感知及行为反应机制。首先了解我国境内蜜蜂属6种蜜蜂是否都存在停止信号，分析其对危险编码的种间特异性；其次通过停止信号的回放、神经电位反应值记录等找出蜜蜂的感受器，分析停止信号感受器官对应的频谱特征；最后研究停止信号产生过程中是否伴随有学习记忆、视觉、嗅觉相关的信息传递。本研究将解码蜜蜂利用振动作为报警信号的交流机制。

前期的研究表明，东方蜜蜂（Apis cerana）在巢外遭遇捕食者胡蜂攻击后回到巢内会产生一种类似鸟类和哺乳动物报警叫声的语音信号-停止信号，该信号的频率和脉冲时间两个特征具有指示危险的水平和背景的作用。. 通过对蜜蜂属代表性物种（东方蜜蜂Apis cerana、西方蜜蜂Apis mellifera、大蜜蜂Apis dorsata、小蜜蜂Apis florea）停止信号的采集、分析及信号回放等系列研究，发现：1、不同种蜜蜂的停止信号释放及其交流风险信息机制有共性，也有差异，具多样性特征；2、视频回放实验表明：较高频率的停止信号也具有较大的振动强度，从而更好的指示了食物源上所遭遇的捕食者的危险水平，进一步阐明了蜜蜂停止信号的作用机制；3、利用蜜蜂-胡蜂这个猎物-捕食者系统对蜜蜂的I see You（ISY）反捕食策略进行了详尽的研究。结果发现胡蜂和蜜蜂的移动是诱导东方蜜蜂ISY行为的原因，而且ISY信号具有自我复制和自动传播的特点，即使在没有原始触发因素（胡蜂）的情况下，ISY信号也能迅速向群体成员传播，从而产生放大的威慑作用，这是首次在社会昆虫上发现传播性的追逐威慑信号。该结果为进一步研究停止信号产生过程中是否伴随有学习记忆及视觉、嗅觉相关的信息传递提供了新思路。