BEEDANCEGAP

Bees that follow the dance learn about new locations from within the darkness of the hive. We are assaying gene expression profiles of bees during each stage of the communication process, from location learning by dancers, to dancing, to dance following. We train bees to feeders at different distances to the hive, at differing directions. We allow other bees to follow those dances, and then perform RNA-Seq to ascertain the impact of following those dances on gene expression.

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We have performed two years of careful field experiments to collect bees that have learnt about locations through following dances, but have not yet visited those locations. We have identified more than 40 genes that are differentially expressed in the mushroom bodies (a neural region associated with learning and memory) of dancers that have visited feeders at different distances/directions. Our current analysis aims to ascertain what happens to the mushroom bodies of dance followers after exposure to this information.