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Gay DR, Judd TM. Comparison of Protein and Carbohydrate Consumption and Processing in Emerging Workers, Gynes and Males of the Wasp Polistes metricus. INSECTS 2023; 14:617. [PMID: 37504623 PMCID: PMC10380711 DOI: 10.3390/insects14070617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
There is growing evidence that paper wasps' (Polistes') fate as workers or reproductive females (gynes) is affected by cues that exist at the larval stage and during eclosion. The nutritional requirements for workers and gynes are different early in their adult lives. Males are short-lived and have different nutritional needs than females. To determine the relative importance of larval and adult cues, we reared Polistes metricus individuals from prepupae to adults isolated from known environmental cues shown to affect caste differentiation. Individuals were given access to two foods with different ratios of protein and carbohydrates. Levels of protein, amino acids, carbohydrates and lipids were measured after the feeding trials. If larval experience drove feeding behavior in adults, we expected to see differences in protein and carbohydrate intake as well as differences in nutrient levels. Females showed no differences in feeding or nutrient levels. Males had lower levels of protein and amino acids than females but had similar feeding results to females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R Gay
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, USA
| | - Timothy M Judd
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, USA
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de Souza AR, Franca W, Prato A, do Nascimento FS. Sex recognition does not modulate aggression toward nest intruders in a paper wasp. Curr Zool 2023; 69:324-331. [PMID: 37351293 PMCID: PMC10284108 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
During social interactions, the behavior of an individual often depends on the sex of its social partner. Many animal societies have males and females that play very different behavioral roles, although they coexist and interact non-sexually. At specific phases of the colony cycle, social wasp females and males are contemporaries within a nest, they often interact, although mating occurs mostly off the nest, therefore providing an opportunity to test sex discrimination in contexts other than classical sexual ones. We performed a lure presentation experiment to test if Mischocyttarus metathoracicus discriminate between conspecifics of the 2 sexes during on-nest social interactions. Female wasps discriminated conspecific sex during experimentally simulated nest intrusions. Visual and chemical cues may account for this sex discrimination. Despite sex discrimination (evidenced by differential inspective behavior from the nest females toward the female and the male lures), female wasps were as aggressive toward lures of both sexes. In the female-dominated hymenopteran societies, males are often subordinate and not aggressive on nest, resulting in females directing less aggression to them compared to other females. Instead, M. metathoracicus males and females are both aggressive toward nestmates, so they might be perceived as similar threat during on-nest social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Rodrigues de Souza
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Wilson Franca
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Amanda Prato
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fábio Santos do Nascimento
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Gandia KM, Cappa F, Baracchi D, Hauber ME, Beani L, Uy FMK. Caste, Sex, and Parasitism Influence Brain Plasticity in a Social Wasp. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.803437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain plasticity is widespread in nature, as it enables adaptive responses to sensory demands associated with novel stimuli, environmental changes and social conditions. Social Hymenoptera are particularly well-suited to study neuroplasticity, because the division of labor amongst females and the different life histories of males and females are associated with specific sensory needs. Here, we take advantage of the social wasp Polistes dominula to explore if brain plasticity is influenced by caste and sex, and the exploitation by the strepsipteran parasite Xenos vesparum. Within sexes, male wasps had proportionally larger optic lobes, while females had larger antennal lobes, which is consistent with the sensory needs of sex-specific life histories. Within castes, reproductive females had larger mushroom body calyces, as predicted by their sensory needs for extensive within-colony interactions and winter aggregations, than workers who frequently forage for nest material and prey. Parasites had different effects on female and male hosts. Contrary to our predictions, female workers were castrated and behaviorally manipulated by female or male parasites, but only showed moderate differences in brain tissue allocation compared to non-parasitized workers. Parasitized males maintained their reproductive apparatus and sexual behavior. However, they had smaller brains and larger sensory brain regions than non-parasitized males. Our findings confirm that caste and sex mediate brain plasticity in P. dominula, and that parasitic manipulation drives differential allocation of brain regions depending on host sex.
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da Silva RC, Van Meerbeeck L, do Nascimento FS, Wenseleers T, Oi CA. Close-range cues used by males of Polistes dominula in sex discrimination. Naturwissenschaften 2021; 108:15. [PMID: 33864527 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-021-01730-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Sexual pheromones are chemical molecules responsible for mediating sex recognition and mating events. Long- and close-range sexual pheromones act differently. The first type is released to attract potential partners, whereas the second coordinates the interactions after potential mating partners encounter each other. Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) have been suggested to be important cues in the mating systems of several Hymenoptera species, although empirical data are still lacking for many species. Here, we evaluated whether males of the model species Polistes dominula can differentiate the sex of individuals based on their CHC composition. In August 2019, several post-worker emergent nests (n = 19) were collected in the vicinity of Leuven (Belgium) and taken to the lab (KU Leuven), where newly emerged females and males were sampled, marked individually, and kept in plastic boxes for at least a week before being used in the mating trials. Focal males were paired with females and males from different nests and subjected to five different conditions: (I) alive, (II) dead, (III) CHCs washed, (IV) CHCs partially returned, and (V) CHCs from the opposite sex. We videotaped the interactions for 10 min and analysed the duration and different behavioural interactions of the focal male. Our results indicate that CHCs may be used by males as cues to recognise a potential mating partner in P. dominula, since the focal males displayed specific courtship behaviours exclusively toward females. Although we cannot exclude that visual cues could also be used in combination with the chemical ones, we empirically demonstrate that CHCs may be important to convey sexual information at close range in mating systems, allowing fast decisions toward potential sexual partners or rivals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Carvalho da Silva
- Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de São Paulo - USP, Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900 - Vila Monte Alegre, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-900, Brazil.
| | - Lize Van Meerbeeck
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Fabio Santos do Nascimento
- Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de São Paulo - USP, Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900 - Vila Monte Alegre, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-900, Brazil
| | - Tom Wenseleers
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Cintia Akemi Oi
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Badejo O, Skaldina O, Gilev A, Sorvari J. Benefits of insect colours: a review from social insect studies. Oecologia 2020; 194:27-40. [PMID: 32876763 PMCID: PMC7561587 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04738-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Insect colours assist in body protection, signalling, and physiological adaptations. Colours also convey multiple channels of information. These channels are valuable for species identification, distinguishing individual quality, and revealing ecological or evolutionary aspects of animals' life. During recent years, the emerging interest in colour research has been raised in social hymenopterans such as ants, wasps, and bees. These insects provide important ecosystem services and many of those are model research organisms. Here we review benefits that various colour types give to social insects, summarize practical applications, and highlight further directions. Ants might use colours principally for camouflage, however the evolutionary function of colour in ants needs more attention; in case of melanin colouration there is evidence for its interrelation with thermoregulation and pathogen resistance. Colours in wasps and bees have confirmed linkages to thermoregulation, which is increasingly important in face of global climate change. Besides wasps use colours for various types of signalling. Colour variations of well chemically defended social insects are the mimetic model for unprotected organisms. Despite recent progress in molecular identification of species, colour variations are still widely in use for species identification. Therefore, further studies on variability is encouraged. Being closely interconnected with physiological and biochemical processes, insect colouration is a great source for finding new ecological indicators and biomarkers. Due to novel digital imaging techniques, software, and artificial intelligence there are emerging possibilities for new advances in this topic. Further colour research in social insects should consider specific features of sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwatobi Badejo
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistonranta 1, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Oksana Skaldina
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistonranta 1, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland.
| | - Aleksei Gilev
- Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology (IPAE), Ural Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 8 Marta Street, 202, 620144, Yekaterinburg, Russia.,Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Ural Federal University, Mira Street, 19, 620002, Ekaterinburg, Russia
| | - Jouni Sorvari
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistonranta 1, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland.,Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
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Pena-Firme P, Guillermo-Ferreira R. Females of the red damselfly Mnesarete pudica are attracted to more ornamented males and attract rival males. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14320. [PMID: 32868843 PMCID: PMC7458925 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71057-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Male calopterygid damselflies often exhibit colourful wings used during aggressive contests and courtship displays. Evidence suggests that male wing coloration is a secondary sexual character assessed by males and females to identify male quality. In some species, males adopt a lekking strategy, where females visit exhibition arenas and choose the best mate. Here, we addressed whether the behaviour of Mnesarete pudica males is influenced by female visitation when gathering in leks. We hypothesized that female visitation would increase male investment in courtship and fighting, while reducing patrolling flights and harassment attempts. Moreover, we tested the hypothesis that more ornamented males attract more females to the territory, following the hotshot model of lek evolution. Our results suggest that, indeed, males with more pigmented wings attract more visiting females, independently of male size. Our results also show that the number of females in a territory attracts more males and elicits male contest behaviour, reducing male harassment. We conclude that male ornament and male clustering is a good predictor of female visitation rates, suggesting that females may exert mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paloma Pena-Firme
- LESTES Lab, Hydrobiology Department, Federal University of São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
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de Souza AR, Santos EF, Nascimento FSD, Stanyon R, Lino-Neto J, Beani L. Sexually dimorphic traits and male fertility in a paper wasp. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Females of many social Hymenoptera commit their reproductive potential to a single male; they mate once and never re-mate. Sexual selection theory predicts that under this regimen female precopulatory mate choice is crucial. The targets of female choice, male secondary sexual traits, should convey information about the functional fertility of the male. Here, we evaluated semen quality and its correlates in the paper wasp Polistes dominula, a monandric species with a lek-based mating system. The main goal of the study was to test whether sperm viability and the total number of sperm covaried with sexually dimorphic abdominal spots, body size and parasitic infection by Xenos vesparum. Surprisingly, superior male fertility was not predicted by attractive sexual traits, such as little round spots and large body size. We also found no effect of the parasite on male fertility, sexual ornamentation or body size. We found only that sperm viability was positively associated with the number of sperm. Moreover, there was evidence of a counterintuitive relationship between (sexually unattractive) large irregular spots and large body size of dominant successful males. Overall, our results suggest a condition-dependent trade-off between body size and costly sexual signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Rodrigues de Souza
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Fernando Santos
- Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista ‘Júlio de Mesquita Filho’, São José do Rio Preto, Brazil
| | - Fábio Santos Do Nascimento
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Roscoe Stanyon
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - José Lino-Neto
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil
| | - Laura Beani
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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Walton A, Tumulty JP, Toth AL, Sheehan MJ. Hormonal modulation of reproduction in Polistes fuscatus social wasps: Dual functions in both ovary development and sexual receptivity. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 120:103972. [PMID: 31705844 PMCID: PMC7558460 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2019.103972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 11/02/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Hormones are often major regulators of complex behaviors, such as mating and reproduction. In insects, juvenile hormone (JH) is integral to many components of reproductive physiology and behavior, but its role in female sexual receptivity is not well understood. To investigate the influence of JH on receptivity, we utilized the social wasp Polistes fuscatus. In Polistes, mating behavior is temporally separated from other components of reproduction, which allows for examination of the physiology and behavior of mating, disentangled from fertilization and egg-laying. We reared virgin gynes (reproductive females) in the lab and divided them into four groups, in which gynes received multiple topical treatments of either 20 μg, 10 μg, 5 μg, or 0 μg of the JH analog methoprene. Gynes were then placed in petri dishes with 2 unrelated males and we recorded attempted and successful mating. Additionally, we measured gyne ovarian development and survival in each group. We found that methoprene increased both sexual receptivity and ovarian development, but was associated with a decrease in long-term survival. Receptivity increased linearly as methoprene treatment increased, but the effect of methoprene on ovarian development was independent of dose. These results demonstrate the importance of JH in sexual receptivity and mating behavior. We argue that the relatively understudied Polistes gyne has potential as a model for mating and reproduction, and for the internal and external regulation of this complex behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Walton
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, United States; Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, United States.
| | - James P Tumulty
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, United States
| | - Amy L Toth
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, United States
| | - Michael J Sheehan
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, United States
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Miller SE, Legan AW, Flores ZA, Ng HY, Sheehan MJ. Strong, but incomplete, mate choice discrimination between two closely related species of paper wasp. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018; 126:614-622. [PMID: 30853716 DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Paper wasps (genus Polistes) are one of the most species-rich genera of social insect. Prior studies have found that male coloration, male colour pattern, territory choice and female caste are potential drivers of intraspecific mate choice in paper wasps. However, there has been no formal assessment of interspecific mate choice in this group; therefore, the mechanism driving diversification in paper wasps remains an open question. In this study, we measured interspecific and intraspecific mating behaviour between two closely related species of paper wasps, Polistes fuscatus and Polistes metricus. These two species have ample opportunity to interbreed because P. fuscatus and P. metricus forage, nest and mate in the same habitats. We tested the strength of reproductive isolation between these species using no-choice and choice mating trials. Our results show strong, symmetric, prezygotic isolation between P. fuscatus and P. metricus. Males discriminated between conspecifics and heterospecifics but attempted to mate with females of the other species in ~10% of heterospecific mating trials. Female wasps were more discriminating than males and probably evaluated species identity and male quality through visual or olfactory cues. We additionally report sexual dimorphism in P. metricus body size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara E Miller
- Cornell University Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Andrew W Legan
- Cornell University Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Zoe A Flores
- Cornell University Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Hong Yu Ng
- Cornell University Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Michael J Sheehan
- Cornell University Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Ithaca, NY, USA
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de Souza AR, Guimarães Simões T, Rantala MJ, Fernando Santos E, Lino-Netto J, do Nascimento FS. Sexual ornaments reveal the strength of melanization immune response and longevity of male paper wasps. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2018; 109:163-168. [PMID: 29870690 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2018.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 06/01/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
It has been recently suggested that female mate choice, based on sexually selected ornaments, is an important component of social wasps' reproductive biology. The correlates of male ornaments that could be of a female's interest, however, remain to be investigated. Males of the Neotropical paper wasp Polistes simillimus have sexually dimorphic melanin-based black spots on their faces. In this species, male spots work like sexual ornaments, as it has been experimentally demonstrated that females prefer sexual partners with a higher proportion of black pigment on their faces. We have shown that, under laboratory conditions, male sexual ornamentation positively predicts the strength of the melanization immune response and longevity. Therefore, in P. simillimus, melanin-based facial patterns (ornaments) seem to be honest indicators of male quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Rodrigues de Souza
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | | | - Markus J Rantala
- Department of Biology and Turku Brain and Mind Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Eduardo Fernando Santos
- Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", São José do Rio Preto, Brazil
| | - José Lino-Netto
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Fábio Santos do Nascimento
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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