Traffic rate as an index of colony size in<i>Vespula</i>wasps

Malham, Jason; Rees, J.; Alspach, P. A.; Beggs, Jacqueline R.; Møller, Henrik

doi:10.1080/03014223.1991.10757956

Cited by 46 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The source of worker hornets used in these experiments were two colonies of Vespa crabro L., each consisting of about 100 specimens (number estimated according to Malham et al, 1991). Both colonies (A and B) were relocated in August 1996 from their original nest sites out of Berlin (separated by a distance of 20 km).…”

Section: Bioassaymentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of cuticular lipids in nestmate recognition of the European hornet Vespa crabro L. (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

1998

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In order to elucidate nestmate recognition in the European hornet Vespa crabro L. (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) the behavioral response of workers towards dead nestmates and non-nestmates was tested in a bioassay. The testing arena was integrated in a socially and physically intact nest, in an effort to ensure natural behavior of the extremely sensitive wasps. The hornets responded to dead non-nestmates with aggressive behavior, whereas dead nestmates were tolerated or ignored. Solvent extraction of non-nestmate dummies resulted in significant decrease of agonistic behavior of the responding workers. Their behavior towards extracted non-nestmate dummies was no longer statistically distinguishable from the behavior towards nestmate dummies treated in the same way. Treatment of extracted nestmate dummies with cuticular extracts of non-nestmates induced aggressive behavior in the responding workers, whereas treatment of the extracted non-nestmate dummies with cuticular extracts of nestmates lead to a significant decrease of agonistic behavior, when compared with untreated non-nestmates.A statistical comparison of the two colonies with regard to the chemical composition of the cuticular extracts revealed that relative peak areas of 5 monoenes, 4 methyl branched alkanes, 1 terpenoid ester, and 2 n-alkanes differed significantly. The chemical analysis of the Dufour's gland revealed that all 16 compounds identified in the gland were also present in the cuticular extracts.The results strongly indicate that particular mixtures of cuticular lipids play an important role in nestmate recognition of V. crabro.

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Section: Bioassaymentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of cuticular lipids in nestmate recognition of the European hornet Vespa crabro L. (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

1998

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“…A nest was classified as perennial if (i) it had been observed in previous years or (ii) it exhibited nest structures (e.g., multiple entrances, extensive nest structure) early in the season when most annual colonies are being founded. At each nest, we determined activity and estimated colony size from entrance and exit rates following a protocol adapted from Malham et al (36). To assess resource exploitation, we collected incoming foragers, removed any items carried by these foragers, and induced regurgitation by abdominal palpation.…”

Section: Yellowjacketmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life history plasticity magnifies the ecological effects of a social wasp invasion

Wilson

Mullen

Holway

2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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An unresolved question in ecology concerns why the ecological effects of invasions vary in magnitude. Many introduced species fail to interact strongly with the recipient biota, whereas others profoundly disrupt the ecosystems they invade through predation, competition, and other mechanisms. In the context of ecological impacts, research on biological invasions seldom considers phenotypic or microevolutionary changes that occur following introduction. Here, we show how plasticity in key life history traits (colony size and longevity), together with omnivory, magnifies the predatory impacts of an invasive social wasp (Vespula pensylvanica) on a largely endemic arthropod fauna in Hawaii. Using a combination of molecular, experimental, and behavioral approaches, we demonstrate (i) that yellowjackets consume an astonishing diversity of arthropod resources and depress prey populations in invaded Hawaiian ecosystems and (ii) that their impact as predators in this region increases when they shift from small annual colonies to large perennial colonies. Such trait plasticity may influence invasion success and the degree of disruption that invaded ecosystems experience. Moreover, postintroduction phenotypic changes may help invaders to compensate for reductions in adaptive potential resulting from founder events and small population sizes. The dynamic nature of biological invasions necessitates a more quantitative understanding of how postintroduction changes in invader traits affect invasion processes.biological invasions ͉ predation S pecies introductions disrupt ecosystems and can threaten biodiversity (1-3). Predicting the magnitude of these effects, however, has proved difficult (4), in part because invaders and members of the recipient biota may undergo microevolutionary changes or display phenotypic plasticity following introduction events (5-7). For invaders, postintroduction modifications in behavior, morphology, or life history traits may influence invasion success and alter the capacity of these species to disrupt the ecosystems they invade. In this way, trait plasticity may permit individuals to compensate for reduced genetic diversity (8) and the subsequent loss of adaptive potential that is assumed to result from translocation to new environments (9).Trait plasticity may be especially important for invasive social insects, because small behavioral changes at the individual level can scale up to produce dramatic and unexpected changes at the colony level (e.g., the formation of supercolonies) (10). In this sense, the phenotypic envelope of the social superorganism can encompass a larger set of potential morphotypes compared with that of a typical solitary organism. Here, we quantify the ecological effects of trait plasticity in an omnivorous social insect invader (the western yellowjacket, Vespula pensylvanica) that is shaping Hawaiian arthropod assemblages through top-down effects on multiple trophic levels. In part because Hawaii lacks native eusocial insects (11), yellowjacket invasions pose a potentially ...

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“…For counts of about 100 or greater, the traffic was estimated because of the difficulty of counting all wasps accurately. Malham et al (1991) and Moller et al (1991a) used the term 'traffic' for the number of wasps entering or leaving nests in one minute.…”

Section: Direction Of Nest Entrancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative characteristics of nests ofVespula germanica(F.) andVespula vulgaris(L.) (Hymenoptera: Vespinae) from Christchurch City, New Zealand

Donovan¹,

Howie²,

Schroeder³

1992

New Zealand Journal of Zoology

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Traffic rate as an index of colony size inVespulawasps

Cited by 46 publications

References 5 publications

Role of cuticular lipids in nestmate recognition of the European hornet Vespa crabro L. (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

Role of cuticular lipids in nestmate recognition of the European hornet Vespa crabro L. (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

Life history plasticity magnifies the ecological effects of a social wasp invasion

Comparative characteristics of nests ofVespula germanica(F.) andVespula vulgaris(L.) (Hymenoptera: Vespinae) from Christchurch City, New Zealand

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