Across Caste Variation of Proboscis Length and Within Caste Phenotype Matching of Subalpine Bumble Bees (<i>Bombus spp.</i>)
Abstract
Bumble bees (Bombus spp.) are eusocial insects that typically consist of three castes, with each caste emerging and foraging at different times. Bumble bee queens and workers differ morphologically in several measurable traits, but morphological variation within species and within caste has not been well characterized. For the purposes of this study traits that are functionally significant are of particular interest, such as the length of the bumble bee’s proboscis, which bees use to extract nectar from flowers. Variation in the length of the bumble bee’s proboscis may affect their foraging behavior, and may inform what flowers they prefer to, or are capable of, feeding on. Variation of the length of the proboscis of five species of subalpine bumble bees was observed using 150 specimens of each species, comparing between species and between caste within those species. This study found that the queens of five of the five species have significantly longer proboscis than workers. Corolla length of several flowers that the bumble bees visited were measured and compared to the proboscis length. Phenotype matching, meaning flower preference according to proboscis length, was observed between species, but was not significant between castes of the same species.
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