Meeting Abstract

97.4  Monday, Jan. 6 14:15  Effects of Manzate odor on processing of floral scent in bumblebees SPRAYBERRY, JDH; Muhlenberg College jsprayberry@muhlenberg.edu

Bumblebees, along with honeybees, have experienced alarming declines in recent decades. There are numerous factors known to contribute to declines in bumblebee colony fitness. One potential factor is a reduction in foraging efficiency. Recent work in our lab has shown that olfactory pollution of a learned floral scent modifies foraging behavior. The most pronounced effects were observed with Manzate, a commercial fungicide. While behavior experiments exposed Bombus impatiens to the headspace of Manzate alone (a sulfurous scent), the effects of this agrochemical on the olfactory pathway is unclear. To investigate potential modulation of olfactory processing by Manzate odor, we performed electroantenograms (EAG) on B. impatiens antennae and multi-unit recordings on antennal lobes in response to lavender odor, Manzate odor, and lavender + Manzate. The EAG data unsurprisingly show a robust response to lavender odor. Likewise, they clearly demonstrate that the antennae do indeed tranduce Manzate odor. However the response to lavendar + Manzate does not appear summative – rather the addition of Manzate can result in a lower peak response than to lavender alone. Ongoing analysis of multi-unit recordings will elucidate the effects of Manzate on the neural representation of lavender odor in the antennal lobe.