Honey Bee Biology Flashcards
What is the role of the Alimentary system?
It is the system that digests food
What is the role of the excretory system?
This helps to filter out the substance that would poison cells as well as maintain the balance of water and salts in the haemolymph?
What are the parts and the order of the alimentary system?
Mouth > Oesophagus > Crop (Honey stomach) > Proventriculus > Ventriculus > Ilium > Rectum
What are the parts of the excretory system?
Malpighian tubules> Small intestine (Ileum) > Rectum
What is the role of the crop?
This is an expandable bag which holds honey ingested in the hive and can be used for energy during flight.
In foragers it can be used to hold water and nectar.
What is the role of the proventriculus?
This is a valve to prevent nextsr entering the ventriculus - unless the bee needs it for its own use.
It has circular and longitudinal muscles as well as hairs to catch particles (0.5 - 100 nanometres)
What is the role of the ventriculus?
This is the stomach of the bee (often called the midgut).
It produces enzymes in its walls to digest sugar and proteins.
What is the role of the Ilium?
This is the small intestine and used to absorb water back into the bee or vice versa.
What is the role of Malpighian tubules?
These are at the end of the ventriculus and remove nitrogenous waste from the breakdown of proteins during their metabolism in the haemolymph. These pass uric acid into the gut to join the faeces
What is the role of the respiratory system?
This is the system to provide oxygen to the bees cells and remove Co2 as a waste product
What are the parts of the respiratory system?
Trachea and tracheols are tubes that allow for air movement. Spiricales are the opening to the outside world.
How do bees breathe.
When the bee is inactive diffusion is enough due to the higher partial pressure of CO2 at the end of the trachea.
When the bee is active the bee lengths and contracts its abdomen in a telescopic movement to operate air sacs at the end of the trachea to pump gases in and out.
