Etya Amsalem

Dec 8, 2024 | biorxiv.org | Nathan Derstine |Cameron Murray |Freddy S Purnell |Etya Amsalem

AbstractPesticides provide vital protection against insect pests and the diseases they vector but are simultaneously implicated in the drastic worldwide decline of beneficial insect populations. Convincing evidence suggests that even sublethal pesticide exposure has detrimental effects on both individual- and colony-level traits, but the mechanisms mediating these effects remained poorly understood.

Oct 31, 2024 | biorxiv.org | Priscila Santos |Cameron Murray |Etya Amsalem

AbstractSexual production in social insects marks the peak of colony development, yet the mechanisms regulating it remain unclear. We investigated the role of brood in colony development and sexual production in Bombus impatiens. While larvae are known to reduce worker egg-laying and enhance the queen's reproductive inhibition, these effects were previously tested only in small groups. We manipulated brood size in full-size, young colonies by doubling or removing brood and monitored development.