The same was true for olfactory preferences for psychological dominance [17].
Here, we ask whether this dominance of vector over olfactory information is obligatory.
Separate analyses for each sensillum type revealed a significant right antenna dominance in the number of olfactory sensilla trichodea type A (F1,13 = 21.26, p<0.001); no significant antenna effects were found in the number of sensilla basiconica (F1,13 = 1.47, p = 0.247), sensilla coeloconica (F1,13 = 3.61, p = 0.08) and sensilla placodea (F1,13 = 0.97, p = 0.342).
In the latter case, males can secure the favours of a female by advertising their quality (e.g. the dominance status) through visual or olfactory displays [10], [11] and/or by being more generous than others in providing a commodity in exchange for female access (competitive altruism) [8], [12].
The results extended previous findings on olfactory asymmetries in hymenopteran insects [11], [14], by showing a right side dominance in short-term recall of olfactory memory in another Apoidea species, B. terrestris.
Here, we tested olfactory eavesdropping between two trail-laying stingless bee species that have a clear dominance relationship.
It would be interesting to test if other patterns of alternative target choices by similar neurons, such as retinal projections into the midbrain (Brown et al., 2000), mammalian ocular dominance columns (Crowley and Katz, 2002), or the wiring variability of Drosophila olfactory interneurons (Chou et al., 2010) utilize similar mechanisms.
Furthermore, in a study of olfactory preferences, Havlicek, Roberts and Flegr [17] found a positive correlation between questionnaire-assessed male dominance, and women's perceptions of male odour 'sexiness' at their fertile point of the menstrual cycle, but not in other cycle phases.
We propose that peripheral olfactory response in O. nubilalis may be affected both by autosomal and sex-linked genes exhibiting a cross-locus dominance effect, and suggest that the genetic basis for pheromone reception and response in the species is more closely linked than previously thought.
Military dominance on top of economic dominance?
