Number of sNPFR immunoreactive cells found in the brain of worker subcastes from colonies with and without brood and comparison to those reported previously for queens.

Abstract

<p>Footnotes: Names of clusters in capital letters correspond to those in the queen, but cell numbers under minor, mediums and majors correspond to worker clusters in similar position to those clusters found in queens and that we identified with small letter c throughout the manuscript. Note that clusters only present in the midline of the brain, and therefore not symmetrically distributed are: C1, C6, C12 and c16; clusters c13 through c16 are exclusively found in workers, but c14 is absent in majors.</p>(1)<p>The number of cells per cluster in one brain/SEG hemisphere is indicated only for clusters that show a symmetrical distribution; in workers, numbers separated by a hyphen indicate the range in the number of cells observed in different individuals. N/A refers to clusters in the midline of the brain which cell number is only indicated in the total number per brain column.</p>(2)<p>From Lu <i>et al</i><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0083966#pone.0083966-Lu1" target="_blank">[28]</a>.</p>(3)<p>The percentage decrease in the cell number range per subcastes in colonies without brood was calculated with respect to the respective range in cell numbers in colonies with brood.</p><p>(a) are queen exclusive clusters;</p><p>(b) minors and queen exclusive;</p><p>(c) is a cluster common to all females (all worker subcastes and queen);</p><p>(d) common to mediums, minors and queens;</p><p>(e) queen and majors exclusive. In workers, clusters labeled c or f are immunostained regardless of the presence or absence of brood (C5 and c13, c14, c16). In workers, clusters with asterisks change in cell number depending on the presence or absence of brood; c15 is the only worker exclusive cluster that responds to the absence of brood (g).</p