Diel changes of temperature in the nests of two Polybia species, P. paulista and P. occidentalis (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) in the subtropical climate

Hozumi, Satoshi; Yamane, Seiki; Miyano, Shinya; Mateus, Sidnei; Zucchi, Ronaldo

doi:10.1007/s10164-004-0141-3

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…Paper wasp colonies have low mobility because their nests are sessile and many species are philopatric when choosing nest sites (Wenzel 1991, 1998). This reduced mobility may cause paper wasps to adapt to local climatic regimes (Wenzel 1991, Hozumi et al 2005). Since climate changes quickly with elevation, even at tropical latitudes (Pounds et al 1999, Clark et al 2000, Colwell et al 2008), wasp species may be restricted to narrow elevational ranges.…”

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Elevational Patterns of Diversity and Abundance of Eusocial Paper Wasps (Vespidae) in Costa Rica

et al. 2009

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We used a standard sampling protocol to measure elevational patterns of species richness and abundance of eusocial paper wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in Costa Rica. The sample transect of six sites spanned approximately 2000 m in elevation from lowland to montane forest. Species accumulation curves and species richness estimates both document a low elevation peak in paper wasp species richness at 50 and 300 m asl, with a decline in species richness at higher elevations. Comparison of species composition among elevations revealed strong species turnover from a rich lowland fauna to a depauperate, but distinct, montane fauna. We also observed a general trend toward a greater abundance of paper wasps at higher elevations, a pattern not usually observed in eusocial insects. Army ant species that prey on paper wasps declined in abundance with elevation across the sample transect, a pattern that has been observed at other sites. We discuss the possibility that elevational changes in predation pressure affect variation in paper wasp abundance and species richness. Eusocial paper wasp species employ one of two modes of colony founding, independent and swarm founding. We found that the total abundance of individual swarm‐founding wasps was higher at all elevations than the abundance of independent‐founding wasps, supporting previous suggestions that Neotropical swarm founders are more successful ecologically.

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Elevational Patterns of Diversity and Abundance of Eusocial Paper Wasps (Vespidae) in Costa Rica

et al. 2009

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“…However, such a high ambient temperature can be prevented by outer layers of combs where no or few broods are present. In the previous study (Hozumi et al 2005) that was conducted in the summer, the nest temperature at the brood combs were below 33°C even when ambient temperature was 42°C in spite of the lack of thermoregulation by adult wasps. Thus, it is suggested that the immature individuals were protected from high ambient temperature and large fl uctuations of temperatures, and it may be an unlikely occurrence that immature stages are exposed to lethal temperatures.…”

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“…The heat from the wall was stored within the nest by layers of combs that were directly attached to the wall, and the thermal effect of the wall was large in the inner part of the nest. The heat generated by colony also affected the nest temperature, but it is presumed that the heat is small or negligible in the nest of P. occidentalis (Hozumi et al 2005).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…One is nest over heating in summer, and the other is low nest temperature in winter, both of which are related with normal development of brood. Hozumi et al (2005) investigated the thermal conditions of the nests of P. occidentalis in summer, showing that they were well insulated with a phragmocyttarous architecture with little temperature fl uctuation in nests where the brood was raised. On the other hand, no studies on thermoregulation in the Polybia nests have been carried out during the winter.…”

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Promotion of thermoregulatory insulation in nests of neotropical wasps by building extra-combs with empty cells

Hozumi¹,

Kudô²,

Zucchi³

2008

Neotrop. entomol.

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Neotropical Entomology 37(2): 159-166 (2008) Promoção de Isolamento Térmico em Ninhos de Vespas Neotropicais pela Construção de Favos com Células Vazias RESUMO -Examinou-se a hipótese de que os favos vazios dos ninhos de Polybia occidentalis Olivier (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) atuam como isolamento térmico dos elementos internos da colônia. Para avaliar essa hipótese dois tipos de medidas de temperatura foram tomadas: 1) com o favo externo intacto (Controle) e 2) removido (Tratamento), usando um ninho grande e um ninho menor. As temperaturas diárias no ninho grande (parte externa T n1 ; parte interna T n2 ), no Controle, foram 0,6°C (T n1 ) e 1,2°C (T n2 ) mais baixas que aquelas do Tratamento, devido à temperatura ambiente (T a ) mais alta durante todo o período avaliado. Entretanto, a temperatura excedente (T n -T a ) no Controle foi mais alta que no Tratamento. O valor foi 0,7°C mais alto em T n1 e 0,1°C em T n2 . No ninho menor, a temperatura excedente na parte externa foi semelhante entre os experimentos, e na parte interna a temperatura do Controle foi inferior à do Tratamento. A fl utuação térmica nos ninhos foi menor no Controle que no Tratamento, tanto na parte externa quanto interna dos favos. Conclui-se que o favo sem uso é ecologicamente muito importante para criar ou proteger a cria das alterações extremas de temperatura ambiente no inverno, uma vez que ele auxilia na manutenção de temperatura alta no ninho e também no decréscimo da fl utuação de temperatura ao redor dos favos de cria. Além disso, essas temperaturas mais altas infl uenciam as atividades dos adultos. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Polistinae, Polybia occidentalis, termoregulação, invernoABSTRACT -We examined the hypotheses that the empty combs of Polybia occidentalis Olivier (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) nest insulate the inside of the nest. To examine this hypotheses, two kinds of temperature measurements were carried out: 1) with the outer comb of the nest intact (Control) and 2) removed (Treatment), using a large and a small nest. In the large nest, the daily nest temperatures (outer part, T n1 ; inner part, T n2 ) in Control were lower by 0.6°C (T n1 ) and 1.2°C (T n2 ) than those in Treatment, because of a higher ambient temperature (T a ) throughout temperature assessment in Treatment. However, the excess temperature (T n T a ) in Control was higher than that in Treatment. The value was higher by 0.7°C at T n1 and 0.1°C at T n2 . In the small nest, the excess temperature in outer part was similar between experiments, while that in inner part of Control was lower than that of Treatment. The temperature fl uctuation in the nests was lower in the Control than that in Treatment both the outer and inner part of the comb. We conclude that the unused comb is ecologically invaluable for raising and protecting the brood from extreme changes in ambient temperature during the winter period, because it helps not only keeping a higher nest temperature but also decreasing the temperature fl uctuation around the brood combs. In addition, such a high temperature ma...

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“…However, few studies have dealt with the thermal conditions of nests built by epiponine wasps, which predominantly inhabit the neotropical and neosubtropical ecozones. Hozumi et al (2005Hozumi et al ( , 2008 revealed that unlike in the case of the vespine nests, the temperature in Polybia nests were strongly related to both the nest architecture and the microenvironment of the nesting sites, and that this species generates little heat for nest incubation. Polybia scutellaris (White) is a consubgeneric species of P. occidenalis Oliver, which forms large colonies and builds nests characterized with many spiny projections on the surface (Richards 1978).…”

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Nest thermoregulation in Polybia scutellaris (White) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Hozumi¹,

Mateus²,

Kudô³

et al. 2010

Neotrop. entomol.

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-Polybia scutellaris (White) builds large nests characterized by numerous spiny projections on the surface. In order to determine whether or not the nest temperature is maintained because of homeothermic conditions of the nest individuals or otherwise, we investigated the thermal conditions within the nests built by P. scutellaris. We measured the temperature within active and abandoned nests. The temperature in the active nest was almost stable at 27°C during data collection, whereas the temperature in the abandoned nest varied with changes in ambient temperature. These results suggest that nest temperature was maintained by the thermogenesis of the individuals of the colony. This is the first report of nest incubation caused by thermogenesis of species of Polybia wasps.KEY WORDS: Epiponini, nest architecture, nest temperature It is well established that social wasps regulate the internal temperature of their nests (Heinrich 1993). Many vespid species from cold to tropical regions maintain a constant nest temperature (28-30°C) during production of the first sexuals (Martin 1990). However, few studies have dealt with the thermal conditions of nests built by epiponine wasps, which predominantly inhabit the neotropical and neosubtropical ecozones. Hozumi et al (2005Hozumi et al ( , 2008 revealed that unlike in the case of the vespine nests, the temperature in Polybia nests were strongly related to both the nest architecture and the microenvironment of the nesting sites, and that this species generates little heat for nest incubation. Polybia scutellaris (White) is a consubgeneric species of P. occidenalis Oliver, which forms large colonies and builds nests characterized with many spiny projections on the surface (Richards 1978). However, details of the nest architecture with regard to the internal thermal conditions and the thermal conditions of the microenvironment have not yet been studied. In here, the architecture of P. scutellaris nests was studied and nest temperatures were measured during this short study.Three abandoned nests were collected from Cajuru (21°16′S, 47°17′W), São Paulo State, Brazil. The thickness of the nest envelope and the size of the spines were measured to the nearest 0.1 cm with vernier calipers. The thickness of the envelope was measured around the entrance of the nest and at the sides. Twenty spines were randomly chosen from each nest, and the maximum height and width of the spines were measured.The temperature of an active P. scutellaris nest found on the west-facing concrete wall of a building in Cajuru was measured (Fig 1a). The nest was built 2.5 m above the ground and was located just below the eaves (Fig 1c). Polybia scutellaris carries out nesting activities even during the winter season, and in mid-July, the nest was found to contain >30,000 adults. The nest was composed of plant materials and oral secretions, which function as a binding agent and a water repellent. The nest was approximately 34 × 40 × 35 cm (L × W × H) in size and had >800 spines on the surface. The i...

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Diel changes of temperature in the nests of two Polybia species, P. paulista and P. occidentalis (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) in the subtropical climate

Cited by 10 publications

References 15 publications

Elevational Patterns of Diversity and Abundance of Eusocial Paper Wasps (Vespidae) in Costa Rica

Elevational Patterns of Diversity and Abundance of Eusocial Paper Wasps (Vespidae) in Costa Rica

Promotion of thermoregulatory insulation in nests of neotropical wasps by building extra-combs with empty cells

Nest thermoregulation in Polybia scutellaris (White) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

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