Evaluate the following statement: "The western honey bee, Apis mellifera, is the only bee species that can recruit nestmates to food resources by giving physical signals that indicate the location of food."

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The task presents a statement about the western honey bee, Apis mellifera, and its ability to recruit nestmates to food using physical signals that indicate location. We will examine each answer option in turn to understand why it is correct or incorrect.
Option 1: "False. Other honey bee species use a dance language, and distantly related social stingless bee species also use more rudimentary communcations to point out high quality food."
This option contends that Apis mellifera is not unique in its recruitment via signals, noting that other honey bee species use a dance language as well, and that some stingless bees (which are only distantly related) have simpler signaling to indicate high-quality food. The core idea—that recruitment signaling to food is not exclusive to A. mellifera and that other bees have comparable or rudimentary systems—aligns with current understanding of eusocial bee communication. It’s reasonable and nuanced, and it correctly rejects the claim of uniqueness.
Option 2: "True. Other species of honey bee use a similar dance language, but it is used for other colony activities, not to recruit nestmates to flower patches."
This statement asserts that other honey bees have a dance language similar to A. mellifera but claims the dances are for activities other than recruiting to food. In reality, many honey bee species perform waggle dances to recruit nestmates to food sources, though the specifics can vary among species. Saying it is used for other activities would misstate the primary purpose of the dance in recruitment contexts for most honey bees, making this option inaccurate.
Option 3: "True. Because they are the oldest honey bee species and because they live in the largest colonies, only western honey bees have the sophistication to recruit nestmates to floral resources."
This option asserts uniqueness and a causal link to age and colony size, implying that only A. mellifera can recruit nestmates due to supposed sophistication. This contradicts established findings showing that other honey bees and even stingless bees can engage in recruitment signaling, and it wrongly attributes capabilities to age and colony size rather than shared evolutionary traits. It is therefore incorrect.
Option 4: "False. No bees except honey bees can recruit nestmates to food, but all species of honey bee can do this, not just Apis mellifera"
Here, the claim is that only honey bees recruit to food, which is contradicted by evidence that some stingless bees and other eusocial insects can also recruit nestmates, though perhaps via different signals. It also overgeneralizes that all honey bees can recruit, which is not universally stated across all Apis species. This makes the option inaccurate because it mischaracterizes the distribution of recruitment behavior across bees and overreaches about variability within honey bee species.
Overall, option 1 presents a nuanced, evidence-consistent stance by acknowledging that other bee groups possess recruitment-like signaling, while options 2, 3, and 4 overstate or misstate the scope and distribution of recruitment signaling among bees, making them incorrect.

ENTOM2030/ENTOM2031 Post-Lecture 11 quiz

Evaluate the following statement: "The western honey bee, Apis mellifera, is the only bee species that can recruit nestmates to food resources by giving physical signals that indicate the location of food."

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