The study, published yesterday in the , sheds light on how worker bees – who are sterile – evolved charismatic and cooperative behaviours such as nursing young bees, collecting food for the colony, defending it against intruders and dancing to communicate the location of profitable flowers to nestmates.

California high desert honey bees pollinating a yellow beavertail cactus flower. Photo: Jesse Eastland, Wikimedia Commons

When 91��ɫ researchers examined the honey bee genome, they discovered that the genes associated with worker behaviour were found in areas of the genome that have the highest rate of recombination. Recombination represents a shuffling of the genetic deck: recombination in the ovaries of a queen shuffles the chromosomes she inherited from her parents. As a result, the queen’s female offspring are likely to inherit mosaic chromosomes with different combinations of mutations, says 91��ɫ biology Professor Amro Zayed, whose lab conducted the research.

Recombination allows natural selection to act on specific mutations without regard to neighbouring mutations.

91��ɫ biology Professor Amro Zayed

“If I’m a good rower in a dragon boat with 49 poor rowers, I am going to lose all of my races.  But if teams were shuffled after every race, I’ll likely have a better chance of winning. I may even get to be in a boat with 49 good rowers just like myself,” says Zayed. “The same thing happens with mutations on a chromosome.  Recombination makes the evolutionary fate of mutations independent of their surrounding neighbours, which enhances the process of natural selection.”.

The team believes that they have solved one of the mysteries of the honey bee’s genome, says postdoctoral research associate Clement Kent, lead author on the study.

“The honey bee has the highest rates of recombination in animals – ten times higher than humans.  Our study shows that this high degree of genetic shuffling has turned on the evolutionary faucet in parts of the bee genome responsible for orchestrating worker behaviour,” says Kent.  “This can allow natural selection to increase the fitness of honey bee colonies, which live or die based on how well their workers ‘behave’.”

The study, “Recombination is associated with the evolution of genome structure and worker behavior in honey bees” was coauthored by Kent, Zayed, and graduate students Shermineh Minaei and Brock Harpur. The research was funded by the and the Province of Ontario.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Join President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri and the rest of the senior executive team at the President’s Town Hall – an interactive dialogue bringing 91��ɫ faculty, staff and students together.

The town hall will take place Wednesday, Sept. 21, from 11am into the noon hour, in the Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan Theatre, Accolade East Building, Keele campus. All students, faculty, staff and parents are welcome.

Right: 91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri

Shoukri will talk about the growth and evolution of 91��ɫ, its recent successes, and the opportunities and challenges moving forward. Then it’s your turn to ask questions to the entire executive team.

Joining Shoukri for the Q&A period will be Gary Brewer, vice-president finance & administration; Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation; Patrick Monahan, ; Jennifer Sloan, vice-president university relations; and Robert Tiffin, vice-president students. The Q&A will be moderated by 91��ɫ law Professor , director of the 91��ɫ Centre for Public Policy & Law.

Can’t attend in person? There is more than one way to participate. The town hall will be available to watch via webcast through the president's website.

In addition, questions can be sent in advance by e-mail to the president at mshoukri@yorku.ca and via Twitter using the hashtag #yutownhall.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Feldman is the director of 91��ɫ’s Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies. His series "" was broadcast from November 11 to December 2, 2009. Each of the four episodes explored the life and ideas of the evolutionary – and revolutionary – scientist, both in his own time and now.

The episodes are available on archive of past episodes. Each episode is approximately 55 minutes.

1. The Prepared Mind: From Darwin’s Early Years To His Voyage Of Discovery On H.M.S. Beagle
2. The Transmutationist: Darwin Thinks His Way From The Beagle To The Book
3. Primates vs Primates: What On The Origin Of Species Said, And What Was Said About It
4. The Enduring Legacy Of Charles Darwin: Why Science And Society Today Are Still Wrestling With Darwin’s Big Idea

The series' index page also contains useful bibliographic and online materials. For additional background, see YFile's interview with Feldman on his Darwin series for Ideas.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, with files courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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