The chemical integration strategies of facultative social parasites of social insects have not received the scientific attention they deserve, even though there is considerable research being done on the strategies of obligate social parasites. We simulated intraspecific nest usurpations in the social paper wasp, Polistes biglumis, by dividing each nest into two parts and putting one half in the care of the original foundress and the other half in the care of a usurper. After 8 days, we removed and killed foundresses and usurpers, and later tested the responses of naive, sister-offspring to them. In each half-colony, the offspring were more tolerant to the female that was last on the nest, regardless of whether she was the foundress or a usurper. This suggested that usurpers had the chemical means to be tolerated by the host offspring. Comparisons between the epicuticular hydrocarbon profiles of foundresses and usurpers showed that usurpers were neither chemically insignificant nor transparent, nor were they mimetic, as obligate parasites often are. Instead, usurpers had chemical profiles richer in methyl-branched hydrocarbons than those of the foundresses. Analyses of the hydrocarbon profiles of nest paper revealed that usurpers supplemented host nests with their own hydrocarbons, a sort of nest marking. As a result, the chemical profiles of the host nests became qualitatively more similar to those of the usurpers. These chemical strategies illustrate that branched hydrocarbons play a role as semiochemicals and that facultative parasites may not all be on the main pathway to obligate parasitism. (C) 2011 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Facultative social parasites mark host nests with branched hydrocarbons

LORENZI, Maria Cristina;
2011-01-01

Abstract

The chemical integration strategies of facultative social parasites of social insects have not received the scientific attention they deserve, even though there is considerable research being done on the strategies of obligate social parasites. We simulated intraspecific nest usurpations in the social paper wasp, Polistes biglumis, by dividing each nest into two parts and putting one half in the care of the original foundress and the other half in the care of a usurper. After 8 days, we removed and killed foundresses and usurpers, and later tested the responses of naive, sister-offspring to them. In each half-colony, the offspring were more tolerant to the female that was last on the nest, regardless of whether she was the foundress or a usurper. This suggested that usurpers had the chemical means to be tolerated by the host offspring. Comparisons between the epicuticular hydrocarbon profiles of foundresses and usurpers showed that usurpers were neither chemically insignificant nor transparent, nor were they mimetic, as obligate parasites often are. Instead, usurpers had chemical profiles richer in methyl-branched hydrocarbons than those of the foundresses. Analyses of the hydrocarbon profiles of nest paper revealed that usurpers supplemented host nests with their own hydrocarbons, a sort of nest marking. As a result, the chemical profiles of the host nests became qualitatively more similar to those of the usurpers. These chemical strategies illustrate that branched hydrocarbons play a role as semiochemicals and that facultative parasites may not all be on the main pathway to obligate parasitism. (C) 2011 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
2011
82
1143
1149
M. Cristina Lorenzi; Rita Cervo; Anne-Geneviève Bagnères
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
40 Lorenzi et al Anim Behav 2011.pdf

Accesso riservato

Tipo di file: PDF EDITORIALE
Dimensione 476.19 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
476.19 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2318/132407
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 28
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 27
social impact