Social flexibility in a primitively social allodapine bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae): results of a translocation experiment

Many species of social animals are known to exhibit intraspecific variation in social traits between different populations. In the social insects, geographically separate populations may show wide‐ranging forms of social behaviour, presumably because of variation in environmental parameters such as climate. For example, several bee species are known to exhibit eusocial or solitary behaviour depending on the latitude or altitude of the population. However, there is little or no empirical evidence to determine if this variation is a result of behavioural plasticity or long‐term adaptation to local conditions, both of which have implications for the evolution of sociality. In this study, colonies of the allodapine bees Exoneura robusta and E. nigrescens were translocated between a montane and heathland habitat in southern Australia to assess the effect of habitat change on social behaviour. Results indicate that brood development in translocated colonies of both species differed from control colonies, leading to opportunities for different forms of social behaviour. However, there was also a high degree of variation within each habitat, suggesting an influence of both within and between habitat factors.