Allometric Scaling of Brain, Brain Components and Neurons with Body Size of Social Bees Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Gowda, Vishwas Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 03/10/2021 23:10:20 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/621438 ALLOMETRIC SCALING OF BRAIN, BRAIN COMPONENTS AND NEURONS WITH BODY SIZE OF SOCIAL BEES by Vishwas Gowda ____________________________ A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the GRADUATE INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAM IN ENTOMOLOGY AND INSECT SCIENCE In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2016 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Vishwas Gowda, titled Allometric scaling of brain, brain components and neurons with body size in social bees and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________________________________ Date: Wulfila Gronenberg, PhD ________________________________________________ Date: Nicholas J. Strausfeld, PhD, FRS ________________________________________________ Date: John G. Hildebrand, PhD ________________________________________________ Date: Martha S. Hunter, PhD Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. ________________________________________________ Date: Dissertation Director: Wulfila Gronenberg, PhD 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that an accurate acknowledgement of the source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: Vishwas Gowda 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I would like to thank my mentor and advisor, Dr. Wulfila Gronenberg. Seven years ago I came to the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States, without any knowledge of neurobiology and neuroanatomy. Wulfi welcomed me into his lab, patiently showed me how to dissect a honey bee brain and the proboscis extension reflex in honey bees, inciting my interest to pursue this dissertation in his lab. I thank Dr. Nicholas Strausfeld for his mentorship and constant encouragement during these years. He taught me how to be a rigorous scientific researcher and insect neurobiologist. This work would have never been possible without Dr. Gronenberg and Dr. Strausfeld’s insights on brain composition, their patience with me, and their encouragement along the way. I am grateful to the other members of my graduate committee, Dr. John Hildebrand and Dr. Molly Hunter for their advice and support. I specially thank Dr. Molly Hunter, graduate chair of EIS program, who has helped me tremendously all these years by assisting me in securing teaching assistantships and serving on my committee. Members of Gronenberg and Strausfeld labs including Dr. Andre Riveros, Dr. Tuan Cao, Rebecca Keating, Nicole Fischer, Michael Rauscher, Drs. Gabriella Wolff, Chan Lin, Sheena Brown, David Andrew, Carsten Müller, Laiyong Mu and Dr. Mays Imad, have provided me the most direct help in the laboratory, teaching new methods, helping with my writing and shared my laughs and tears throughout these years. On a regular basis my socialization, smiles and empathy have come from my fellow graduate students and friends Pedro Rodrigues, Bodil Cass, Lewis Hun, Joe Deas, Clayton Mosher, Lilian Patron, Judith Tello, Rahul and Bhavna Rajpurohit, Gaurav Arora, Anubhab Gupta, Satish Singh and Sangitha Kumari. I am also grateful to Margo Burwell for being there as a mother to give me all the support she can. I would also like to thank my academic programs, the Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs in Entomology and Insect Science and in Neuroscience. I also thank the administrative staff in the Center for Insect Science. I especially thank Sharon Richards and Teresa Kudrna, who kindly helped me prepare and pass the English-Speaking test in my first year. I would not have been qualified for a graduate teaching assistantship and become a successful TA for the following six years without their help. I am also grateful to the Department of Neuroscience administrative staff, Tracey Purcell, Becca Van Sickler and Jennifer Lawrence. I also thank the following agencies and institutions that funded my research all these years: the Center for Insect Science, the Graduate Professional and Student Council and the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. I would like to specially thank my friends Yeshwanth and Lakshya Kataria from India for helping me collect the bee samples, data collection and shipping them to US. Finally, I would like to thank my family for their love, sacrifice, patience and support. My parents Boregowda and Lakshmi Boregowda and my brother Chandan Gowda have provided me a constant support despite their impoverished life and have instilled in me the ideas of patience, integrity hard working, and never giving up on ones dreams. My beautiful wife Roopa has been my lifeline and has cheered me on through the best and worst times. 5 DEDICATION I dedicate this work to my parents Boregowda. S and Lakshmi Boregowda, my brother Chandan Gowda who always believe in me and provide unlimited love and support to me in pursuing my dream on the other hemisphere of the world; and to my wife Roopa Gowda, who has been through thick and thin all these years and encouraging to be a better man, and always been there for me. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................ 7 II. GENERAL INTRODUCTION .......................................................................... 10 REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 19 CHAPTER 1 ........................................................................................................ 28 1.1 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................ 28 1.2 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 29 1.3 MATERIALS AND METHODS .................................................................... 32 1.4 RESULTS ................................................................................................... 38 1.5 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................. 43 1.6. FIGURES AND LEGENDS ........................................................................ 53 1.7 REFERENCES ........................................................................................... 64 CHAPTER 2 ........................................................................................................ 75 2.1 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................ 75 2.2 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 75 2.3 MATERIALS AND METHODS .................................................................... 77 2.4 RESULTS ................................................................................................... 79 2.5 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................. 82 2.6. FIGURES AND LEGENDS ........................................................................ 86 2.7. REFERENCES .......................................................................................... 92 CHAPTER 3 ........................................................................................................ 96 3.1 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................ 96 3.2 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 97 3.3 MATERIALS AND METHODS .................................................................. 100 3.4. RESULTS ................................................................................................ 102 3.5 DISCUSSION ........................................................................................... 105 2.6 FIGURES AND LEGENDS ....................................................................... 110 3.7 REFERENCES ........................................................................................