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What makes honey bees work together? How genes and environment affect behavior

Lesson 2: Why do honey bees do different jobs? I. Overview Throughout this lesson students engage in activities that teach them how changes in the environment

influence gene expression and thus behavior. First, students review different jobs that are carried out by

worker bees in the hive. The next activity involves analysis of real scientific data, which allows students

to delve deeper into different behaviors of bee laborers, nurses, and foragers, and how environment

changes gene expression patterns and thus supports these behaviors. Finally, the lesson wraps up with a

whole-class game called “Swarm,” which consolidates the learning goals of the lesson: bee labor is

divided; it changes due to environmental pressures.

Connections to the driving question This lesson directly addresses the driving question of the unit through the analysis of experimental data.

Using this data set, students learn about how the environment and changes in the environment

influence gene expression and thus behavior.

Connections to previous lessons In the previous lesson, students observed a variety of honey bee behaviors and how a division of labor

allows the species to operate successfully. In the current lesson, students expand on this knowledge by

learning more about different honey bee behaviors and differences in gene expression that support

these behavioral differences.

II. Standards

National Science Education Standards 12CLS6.2 Organisms have behavioral responses to internal changes and to external stimuli.

Responses to external stimuli can result from interactions with the organism’s own species

and others, as well as environmental changes; these responses either can be innate or

learned. The broad patterns of behavior exhibited by animals have evolved to ensure

reproductive success. Animals often live in unpredictable environments, and so their behavior

must be flexible enough to deal with uncertainty and change. Plants also respond to stimuli.

Benchmarks for Science Literacy

5F/H4a Heritable characteristics can be observed at molecular and whole-organism levels—in

structure, chemistry, or behavior.

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III. Learning Objectives

Learning Objective Assessment Criteria Location in Lesson

Describe the division

of labor among the

worker bees

Acceptable answers may include:

Worker bees engage in many different jobs

throughout their lifetime to maintain the livelihood

of the hive.

Worker bee jobs include nursing the brood (or

larvae), building the hive, cleaning the hive,

guarding the hive, caring for the queen, collecting

food and water for the hive, etc.

Opening

Describe the concept

of gene expression

Acceptable answers may include:

Gene expression is the process by which proteins

are made from the genome

Gene expression can be measured by quantifying

differences in mRNA transcripts

Gene expression can change due to environmental

and or behavioral changes or vice versa

Activity 1

Explain how

environment

influences behavioral

roles of honey bees

Acceptable answers may include:

Honey bee laborers will change their roles based on

the needs of the hive

o If the hive loses foragers, then more nurse

bees will become foragers

o If the hive has a higher demand for food

then more nurse bees will become foragers

o If the hive has a need for more nurses

foragers will revert back to nursing

Opening, Activity 1

and 2

Explain how gene

expression influences

behavioral roles of

honey bees

Acceptable answers may include:

Change in gene expression of particular genes will

lead to a change in behavior. For example an

increase in Amfor gene expression results in

foraging behavior, even in bees that would

normally be too young to start foraging.

If certain genes are expressed in nurse bees then

they will likely start foraging behavior

Activity 1

IV. Adaptations/Accommodations If some students have difficulty managing game pieces while playing Swarm, other students can pair up

to help manage and move game pieces as needed.

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Safety There are no additional safety concerns associated with this lesson.

V. Timeframe for lesson

Opening of Lesson

Discussion of eusociality of honey bees – 5 minutes

Matching review of bee jobs – 5 minutes

Main Part of Lesson

Activity 1: Analyzing data that show how environment, genes and behavior interact – 30-45

minutes

Activity 2: Playing Swarm – 30-45 minutes

Conclusion of Lesson

Wrap up discussion of Swarm – 10 minutes

VI. Advance prep and materials

Opening of Lesson

Materials:

Honey Bee Jobs Identification Cards, U8_L2_BeeJobsIdentificationCards.docx

Preparation:

Make copies of:

o Bee Jobs Identification Cards, U8_L2_BeeJobsIdentificationCards.docx, 1 per class (can

be reused throughout the day)

Laminate and cut up the cards.

Activity 1: Analyzing data that show how genes, environment and behavior

interact

Materials:

“How honey bees are studied” Video, U8_L2_Interview.mp4, available from

https://uofi.box.com/honey-bee-videos . Please note that the interview videos are currently in

draft form, and we are in the middle of creating more polished final videos for this unit.

Student sheet for Data Analysis and Interpretation, U8_L2_StudentSheet_Techniques.docx

Preparation:

Set up a way for the class to view the “How honey bees are studied” Interview Video

Make copies of:

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o U8_L2_StudentSheet_Techniques.docx, 1 per student

To learn about the techniques and expected student answers for this activity, refer to

U8_L2_StudentSheet_TechniquesAnswerSheet.docx

Activity 2: Playing Swarm

Materials:

Student Game Rules Sheet, U8_L2_Swarm_Student_GameRules.docx

Swarm Student Sheet, U8_L2_Swarm_StudentSheet.docx

Teacher Game Rules Sheet, U8_L2_Swarm_Teacher_GameRules.docx

Environment Cards, U8_L2_Swarm_EnvironmentCards.pdf

Teacher Spreadsheet, U8_L2_Swarm_Teacher_Spreadsheet.xlsx

Swarm Game Board, U8_L2_Swarm_GameBoard.jpg

Game pieces (30-50 game pieces in dixie cup labeled “new bees”)

Empty Dixie cup labeled “dead bees”

Dice (1 die per student group/ student pair)

Dry erase boards and markers, 1 per student group (optional)

Preparation:

Download U8_L2_Swarm_Teacher_Spreadsheet.xlsx, and have it available on your personal

computer during game play. This spreadsheet is required only for the teacher to help facilitate

game play.

Get familiar with the rule book and have it available to refer back to throughout the game.

Place 2 cups in the center of each student group. Have one cup labeled “dead bees” and the

other cup labeled “new bees”. The “new bees” cup should be filled with 30-50 game pieces (if

each student group is 4 people). The “dead bees” cup should be empty, and it will fill as the

game is played.

Game pieces are tiddlywinks (penny-sized pieces of plastic) that are used to mark the board.

Essentially anything can be used to mark the board (buttons, pennies, small pieces of paper or

plastic, etc.). Tiddlywinks can be purchased at: http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-

LER0131-TRANSPARENT-COUNTERS/dp/B00004WKPM/

Make copies of:

o U8_L2_Swarm_Student_GameRules.docx, 1 per student

o U8_L2_Swarm_StudentSheet.docx, 1 per student

o U8_L2_Swarm_GameBoard.pdf (laminate for reuse), 1 per group

Print one copy of U8_L2_Swarm_EnvironmentCards.pdf (laminate for reuse)

Optional: Hand out dry erase boards and markers to student groups of 4.

Homework and Assessments

Materials:

Collect the following student sheets:

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o U8_L2_HoneyBeeSocietyJobs.docx

o U8_L2_WhoAmITeamSheet.docx (optional)

o U8_L2_StudentSheet_Techniques.docx

o U8_L2_Swarm_StudentSheet.docx

VII. Resources and references

Teacher resources Winston, M. L. (1987). The biology of the honey bee. Harvard University Press. Cambridge

Massachusetts.

References Ben-Shahar, Y., Robichon, A., Sokolowski, M.B., Robinson, G.E. (2002). Influence of gene action

across different time scales on behavior. Science, 296: 741-744.

http://basicbeekeeping.blogspot.com/2007/09/lesson-five-honey bee.html

Keck, M., Cole, T. (n.d.). The buzz about bees teacher’s booklet. Retrieved from

http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/pesticides/school-ipm-

curriculum/Extension%20Pages/documents/Bees_TeacherBooklet.pdf

Medieval Society Pyramid Retrieved from: http://tripio.deviantart.com/art/Medieval-society-

piramid-141532893

Wang, Z., Gerstein, M., Snyder, M. (2009). RNA-seq-a revolutionary tool for transcriptomics.

Nature Reviews Genetics 10: 57-63.

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VIII. Lesson Implementation

Opening of Lesson: Remind students about social behavior of honey bees. Ask students:

What does it mean to be eusocial?

o Instead of procreating, the majority of the organisms in the species dedicate their lives

tending to the needs of their younger siblings.

How does eusocial behavior go against the idea of the evolutionary drive to procreate?

o Most species dedicate their lives to finding a mate and raising their offspring and

continue this cycle throughout adulthood, into old age to ensure the passing on of their

genes. Eusocial insects cooperatively care for the young, and the sterile workers create a

division of labor that is generally associated with helping behavior. Thus, sterile workers

don’t procreate; instead they raise the offspring of their sibling (the queen) and work

towards the survival of their family’s genes.

Why do you think the honey bee is a good model to study social behavior in insects?

o This is an open-ended question, meant to stimulate discussion. Honey bees display a lot

of highly eusocial behaviors while some closely related species do not, and that makes

the honey bee a good model for the study of social behavior.

Next review different honey bee jobs by passing out the Honey Bee Jobs Identification Cards

(U8_L2_BeeJobsIdentificationCards.docx). You can copy one sheet for each student to be used as a

matching sheet, or you can cut the sheet into cards to be reused with multiple classes as a matching

activity. Give students a few minutes to match the cards, and take time to address any difficulties that

you observer. An answer key can be found with the lesson materials as

U8_L2_BeeJobsIdentificationCardsAnswerKey.docx.

Teacher Content Knowledge Below are a list of the different types of worker bees and their roles in the hive, listed

from youngest to oldest:

-house keeping-cleans the cells of the honeycomb for the queen to lay new eggs.

The queen will not lay a new egg in a cell unless the debris left behind by previous

developing bees has been removed.

nurses-feeds and cares for the brood (the larvae)

-drone feeders- feed the drones

-queen’s attendants-groom and feed the queen

-pollen packing-storage of pollen, mixed with a little bit of honey to keep it from

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going rancid

-construction-builds the cells of the honey comb out of wax, and protects honey,

pollen and nectar by covering the cells with wax

-guard-guards the hive from enemy invaders

-undertaker-removes dead or sick bees from the hive to protect the hive from

disease and keep the hive clean

-forager- navigates the world to collect pollen, water, and nectar to bring back to the

hive

Although specific jobs of honey bees are carried out by specific bees, there is some

overlap in the jobs such that one bee may perform multiple jobs that are all related

to each other.

However other bees carry out only one specific job and that is all they focus on,

unless environmental factors in or around the hive cause a change in job demands.

For example: bees working in the hive will become foragers when they are old

enough or if there is a massive loss of foragers in the hive young nurse bees will

prematurely become foragers. The opposite is true, if there is an increase in brood

care and there are not enough nurses to care for the larvae then some foragers will

revert back to being nurses to help care for the brood.

Tell students that today they will learn about different jobs of honey bees and how they work together

for the overall health and survival of the hive.

Main Part of Lesson

Activity 1: Analyzing data that show how genes, environment, and behavior interact

Show the class the video U8_L2_interview.mp4.

Following the video, discuss the concept of honey bee genetics with the students.

Ask students:

If the queen bee is the only bee laying eggs then how similar genetically are the worker bees?

o The worker bees are all sisters or half-sisters; they share some of the same genes.

So if all the worker bees share a similar genome what makes the worker bees engage in

different jobs?

o Age, environmental pressures, and changes in the expression of their genes.

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Why do the scientists in the video try to extract and measure the RNA from the honey bee

brains?

o The scientists are interested in changes in gene expression due to their behaviors. Since

mRNA is created in the process of transcribing genes into proteins, this is one of the best

ways to measure changes in gene expression.

What changes might occur in a cell due to a change in gene expression?

o A change in gene expression would lead to a change in protein expression. A change in

protein expression could change the activity of a cell.

Tell students that they are going to look at different methods of studying gene expression in two types

of worker bees: the nurses and the foragers. As you are handing out the data analysis sheets

(U8_L2_StudentSheet_Techniques.docx), ask students:

What is the difference between foragers and nurses?

o Nurses stay in the hive and feed the larva and clean the combs whereas forager bees

collect food outside of the hive to feed the colony.

What are some major differences in the behavior of foraging bees compared to nurses?

o Foraging bees fly long distances to search for food, nurse bees never leave the hive, but

turn the pollen collected from the foragers into honey.

Have students work in groups through the data analysis sheet and answer the questions on the student

sheet.

Scientific Practices: Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Students are asked to look at a real data set to analyze and interpret the data

presented. Scientists use this practice after running experiments and generating data

sets to draw conclusions. In this lesson, the data provided in the data sets offers

multiple possible interpretations. Through the guided questions students may or may

not reach the same conclusions even though they are using the same data set.

Scientists also struggle with data interpretation because there are different legitimate

ways to interpret data. However, in the data set presented in the current lesson several

different experiments were executed to draw appropriate conclusions. When executing

several experiments, scientists can convince their peers that they are properly

interpreting their data because they have replicated their findings using multiple

methods.

When the students have finished working through the data ask the students:

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Based on your analysis of the data, how would you describe the genetic differences between the

nurses and foragers?

o There were differences in gene expression in these workers. Since all of the bees are

from the same hive they should share similar genetics. But their differences in gene

expression were a result of an environmental change leading to a change in gene

expression, which changed their behaviors.

Was it age or environment that changed gene expression in the foragers? How do you know?

o In the data set on the top of the first page it seemed like it was age, but in the single

cohort colonies (the bottom of the first page) it was environment that changed their

behavior and their gene expression.

How did gene expression change behavior?

o When the gene product of the foraging gene was given to the nurses they started their

foraging activities.

Activity 2: Playing Swarm

To consolidate the information learned throughout the lesson the whole class will work together to play

a game called Swarm. Tell the class that in this game they will model how the worker bees (nurses and

foragers) work together for a summer season to reach their goal of storing as much honey as possible

for the winter months, while maintaining the survival of new bees (larvae) in the colony.

Scientific Practices: Developing and using models

Students are asked to model the behavior of worker bees (nurses and foragers) in the

hive. In this lesson, the students learn about the roles of nurses and foragers in the hive

and how they behave in response to changes in gene expression. The game SWARM is

used to model how the environment dictates the transition of nurses to foragers and

the transition of foragers to reverted nurses.

Have students split into groups of 4 or more.

Set out a supply cup on each student group table. Fill the supply cup with 30-50 game pieces.

Hand out the student game rules sheets (U8_L2_Swarm_Student_GameRules.docx). Tell students to

read through the game rules as you pass out the game boards (U8_L2_Swarm_GameBoard.png). Tell

students that for the first few rounds they should frequently refer to the game rules to help them learn

the game.

Ask students if they understand the objective of the game. Be sure to verify that they understand the

game by asking a student to explain their understanding of the game.

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If there is confusion about the game, refer to rulebook and reassure students that they will better

understand the game after a couple rounds. However, some common points of confusion are explained

in further detail throughout the lesson plan.

The beginning of the game starts out with 4 bees per student, which is the default number in the Excel

sheet U8_L2_Swarm_Teacher_Spreadsheet.xlsx. If the teacher would like to try different numbers of

bees per student to begin the game, be sure to change this in the spreadsheet in order to keep the math

accurate when calculating the “hive statistics.”

Have students keep in mind that they will each be in charge of the fate of their bees depending on the

needs of the hive. The needs of the hive are determined by the “hive statistics” which the teacher will

calculate at the end of each round in the Excel file U8_L2_Swarm_Teacher_Spreadsheet.xlsx. At the end

of each round the teacher will share the “hive statistics” with the class.

Students will need to remember that dead bees can only be replaced during the game if they have

enough nurses in the hive caring for the larvae. The goal of the game, then, is to have enough foragers in

the hive so the honey goal is met, but also maintain enough nurses in the hive to care for the brood, so

that the dead bees can be replaced.

Students will have opportunities throughout the game to change roles of their bees, and it’s important

that they consider what the new role will contribute and what their brood needs in terms of the goals of

the game (7 or more Honey Bonuses and 7 or more Brood Bonuses). Also, each position has benefits and

drawbacks that the students should consider. For example, turning their nurses into precocious foragers

will contribute toward the honey goal, but they will contribute less than the mature foragers because

precocious foragers are younger and less developed. Similarly, reverting their foragers back into nurses

will increase their contribution to larvae care, but will be less efficient at caring for the larvae than

nurses because of the physiological changes that a honey bee undergoes to become a forager (losing

many of its physical attributes that support nursing behaviors).

After each round once the hive statistics are announced the “environment card” is drawn, which will be

recorded by the class on their student sheets (U8_L2_Swarm_StudentSheet.docx). If the teacher says

that there is sufficient brood care (high enough ratio of nurses to foragers) after the hive statistics are

announced and the environment cards drawn, have the students whose bees died that current round

replace their bees with a game piece from the supply cup.

When students have an overview of the game, hand out the Swarm Student Sheets

(U8_L2_Swarm_StudentSheet.docx). Tell students that they will record their own data from their game

board as well as the hive statistics and consequences of the environment card for each round.

Encourage students to include evidence and reasoning in the last column to support their decisions for

each bee’s role.

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Once the class understands the goal of the game and what is to be recorded on the student sheet, have

students start the “game set-up.” Have students carefully follow the instructions for the game set-up

found in the upper right on U8_L2_Swarm_Student_GameRules.docx.

Remember to refer to U8_L2_Swarm_Teacher_GameRules.docx for a quick-guide of the game, the game

rules, and your role during game play.

Once the students have established the age and occupation (nurse or forager) of their 4 bees, start the

first round by having students report their nurse and forager numbers so that you can generate the hive

statistics. In order to enter statistics into the spreadsheet, the first thing you need to specify is how

many students are playing the game. Enter this number in cell F4. The game mechanics are based off of

this starting value. Then enter the bee points in each round, and the spreadsheet will calculate a honey

score and a brood score.

After announcing the hive statistics, draw an environment card and announce to the classroom the

outcome on the card. Have the class record the outcome in the last column of their student sheets.

Continue by having students age their bees and then make decisions for their bee roles. Remind

students that these decisions should be based on the hive statistics reported earlier and, if necessary,

the outcome of the environment card. Space is provided on the student sheets for students to record

their reasoning for any changes they made. The next round begins when students report their updated

bee points. Remind students that precocious foragers count as ½ of a forager and reverted nurses count

as ½ of a nurse.

Every subsequent round will be carried out similarly to round one, following the instructions listed in the

two paragraphs above (these instructions are also found in U8_L2_Swarm_Teacher_GameRules.docx.

Teacher Pedagogical Content Knowledge For students to get the most out of the game and for the general flow of the game, it

will work best if your class plays the first 2-3 rounds of the game as warm up on one

day, and then continues the game the following day for the rest of the class period.

In our game testing sessions, we have noticed that new comers to the game get

much more out of the rules and understanding of the game and can make more

logical and rational decisions about the fates of their bees if there is a break between

learning the game (using the first couple of rounds) and playing the game after it has

been learned.

Conclusion of Lesson

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After the students have played several rounds of the game or have failed to reach the honey goal 3

times during game play, engage the class in a whole class discussion about the game they have just

played.

Ask students:

Did you confer with other members of your group or other members of the class?

a. Do you think this models bee behavior? Explain.

How did knowledge provided by the environment cards influence your decisions?

a. How does this model environmental conditions for bees?

How do the goals of this game reflect the lifestyle of honey bees?

What aspects of the game aided in gaining Honey Bonuses? What behaviors and roles of the

bees helped?

What aspects of the game aided in gaining Brood Bonuses? What behaviors and roles of the

bees helped?

What aspects of the game reflected the influence of the environment on bee behavior?

What aspects of the game reflected the influence of genetics on bee behavior?

What other simplifications have been made to make this a game? (What are other weaknesses

of the model?)