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Mitesser O, Poethke HJ, Strohm E, Hovestadt T. The evolution of simultaneous progressive provisioning revisited: extending the model to overlapping generations. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2355-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Weiss K, Strohm E, Kaltenpoth M, Herzner G. Comparative morphology of the postpharyngeal gland in the Philanthinae (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae) and the evolution of an antimicrobial brood protection mechanism. BMC Evol Biol 2015; 15:291. [PMID: 26690740 PMCID: PMC4687156 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0565-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hymenoptera that mass-provision their offspring have evolved elaborate antimicrobial strategies to ward off fungal infestation of the highly nutritive larval food. Females of the Afro-European Philanthus triangulum and the South American Trachypus elongatus (Crabronidae, Philanthinae) embalm their prey, paralyzed bees, with a secretion from a complex postpharyngeal gland (PPG). This coating consists of mainly unsaturated hydrocarbons and reduces water accumulation on the prey's surface, thus rendering it unfavorable for fungal growth. Here we (1) investigated whether a North American Philanthus species also employs prey embalming and (2) assessed the occurrence and morphology of a PPG among females of the subfamily Philanthinae in order to elucidate the evolution of prey embalming as an antimicrobial strategy. RESULTS We provide clear evidence that females of the North American Philanthus gibbosus possess large PPGs and embalm their prey. The comparative analyses of 26 species from six genera of the Philanthinae, using histological methods and 3D-reconstructions, revealed pronounced differences in gland morphology within the subfamily. A formal statistical analysis based on defined characters of the glands confirmed that while all members of the derived tribe Philanthini have large and complex PPGs, species of the two more basal tribes, Cercerini and Aphilanthopsini, possess simple and comparatively small glands. According to an ancestral state reconstruction, the complex PPG most likely evolved in the last common ancestor of the Philanthini, thus representing an autapomorphy of this tribe. CONCLUSION Prey embalming, as described for P. triangulum and T. elongatus, and now also for P. gibbosus, most probably requires a complex PPG. Hence, the morphology and size of the PPG may allow for inferences about the origin and distribution of the prey embalming behavior within the Philanthinae. Based on our results, we suggest that prey embalming has evolved as an antimicrobial strategy in and is restricted to the tribe Philanthini, which seems to face exceptional threats with regard to fungal infestations of their larval provisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Weiss
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Erhard Strohm
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Insect Symbiosis Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Str. 8, 07745, Jena, Germany. .,Department for Evolutionary Ecology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Institute for Zoology, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 13, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Gudrun Herzner
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
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Maternal and environmental effects on symbiont-mediated antimicrobial defense. J Chem Ecol 2013; 39:978-88. [PMID: 23779268 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-013-0304-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2013] [Revised: 05/21/2013] [Accepted: 05/23/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria produce a remarkable diversity of bioactive molecules with antimicrobial properties. Despite the importance of such compounds for human medicine, little is known about the factors influencing antibiotic production in natural environments. Recently, several insects have been found to benefit from symbiont-produced antimicrobial compounds for defense against pathogenic microbes. In the European beewolf, Philanthus triangulum (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae), bacteria of the genus Streptomyces provide protection against pathogens by producing antimicrobials on the larval cocoon during hibernation, thereby significantly enhancing the survival probability of the beewolf larva. To investigate the effects of abiotic and biotic factors on antibiotic production, we exposed beewolf cocoons to different environmental conditions and quantified the amount of Streptomyces-produced antibiotics by using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The results revealed no significant influence of temperature, humidity, or pathogen load on the antibiotic amount, indicating that antibiotic production is not affected by current environmental conditions but rather may be optimized to serve as a reliable long-term protection during the unpredictable phase of beewolf hibernation. However, the amount of antibiotics was positively correlated with the symbiont population size on the cocoon, which in turn is affected by the number of Streptomyces cells provided by the mother into the brood cell. Additionally, we found a positive correlation between the amount of hydrocarbons and the number and length of bacterial cells in the antennal gland secretion, suggesting that maternal investment affects symbiont growth and, thus, antibiotic production on the larval cocoon.
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Field J, Paxton R, Soro A, Craze P, Bridge C. Body size, demography and foraging in a socially plastic sweat bee: a common garden experiment. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-012-1322-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Herzner G, Engl T, Strohm E. Cryptic combat against competing microbes is a costly component of parental care in a digger wasp. Anim Behav 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Male territoriality and mating system in the European beewolf Philanthus triangulum F. (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae): evidence for a “hotspot” lek polygyny. J ETHOL 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-009-0185-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Polidori C, Boesi R, Ruz L, Montalva J, Andrietti F. Prey spectrum and predator–prey size relationships of the solitary wasp,Trachypus denticollis, in central Chile (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae). STUDIES ON NEOTROPICAL FAUNA AND ENVIRONMENT 2009. [DOI: 10.1080/01650520902861531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Strohm E, Herzner G, Kaltenpoth M, Boland W, Schreier P, Geiselhardt S, Peschke K, Schmitt T. The chemistry of the postpharyngeal gland of female European beewolves. J Chem Ecol 2008; 34:575-83. [PMID: 18415061 PMCID: PMC2373416 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-008-9447-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2007] [Revised: 01/31/2008] [Accepted: 02/08/2008] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Females of the European beewolf, Philanthus triangulum, possess a large glove-shaped gland in the head, the postpharyngeal gland (PPG). They apply the content of the PPG to their prey, paralyzed honeybees, where it delays fungal infestation. Here, we describe the chemical composition of the gland by using combined GC-MS, GC-FTIR, and derivatization. The PPG of beewolves contains mainly long-chain unsaturated hydrocarbons (C23-C33), lower amounts of saturated hydrocarbons (C14-C33), and minor amounts of methyl-branched hydrocarbons (C17-C31). Additionally, the hexane-soluble gland content is comprised of small amounts of an unsaturated C25 alcohol, an unknown sesquiterpene, an octadecenylmethylester, and several long-chain saturated (C25, C27) and unsaturated (C23-C27) ketones, some of which have not yet been reported as natural products. Surprisingly, we found a dimorphism with regard to the major component of the PPG with some females having (Z)-9-pentacosene, whereas others have (Z)-9-heptacosene as their predominant component. The biological relevance of the compounds for the prevention of fungal growth on the prey and the significance of the chemical dimorphism are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erhard Strohm
- Department of Zoology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany.
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Field J, Turner E, Fayle T, Foster WA. Costs of egg-laying and offspring provisioning: multifaceted parental investment in a digger wasp. Proc Biol Sci 2007; 274:445-51. [PMID: 17164210 PMCID: PMC1702376 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2006.3745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Nest-building Hymenoptera have been a major testing ground for theories of parental investment and sex allocation. Investment has usually been estimated by the likely costs of offspring provisioning, ignoring other aspects of parental care. Using three experimental treatments, we estimated the costs of egg-laying and provisioning separately under field conditions in a digger wasp Ammophila pubescens. In one treatment, we increased the provisioning effort required per offspring by removing alternate prey items as they were brought to the nest. In two other treatments, we reduced parental effort by either preventing females from provisioning alternate nests or preventing them from both ovipositing and provisioning. Our results indicate that both egg-laying and provisioning represent significant costs of reproduction, expressed as differences in productivity but not survival. A trade-off-based model suggests that other components of parental care such as nest initiation may also represent significant costs. Costs of egg production and nest initiation are probably similar for male and female offspring, so that taking them into account leads to a less male-biased expected sex ratio. Mothers compensated only partially for prey removal in terms of the total provisions they gave to individual offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Field
- Department of Biology, University College London, Wolfson House, London, UK.
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HERZNER GUDRUN, SCHMITT THOMAS, HECKEL FRANK, SCHREIER PETER, STROHM ERHARD. Brothers smell similar: variation in the sex pheromone of male European BeewolvesPhilanthus triangulumF. (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) and its implications for inbreeding avoidance. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2006.00684.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Kaltenpoth M, Strohm E. The scent of senescence: age-dependent changes in the composition of the cephalic gland secretion of the male European beewolf, Philanthus triangulum. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2006; 6:1-9. [PMID: 19537977 PMCID: PMC2990308 DOI: 10.1673/2006_06_20.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2005] [Accepted: 02/14/2006] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The process of aging inevitably leads to changes in physiology, performance and fertility of eukaryotic organisms and results in trade-offs in the resource allocation between current and future reproduction and longevity. Such constraints may also affect the production of complex and costly signals used for mate attraction and might therefore be important in the context of mate choice. We investigated age-related changes in the amount and composition of the cephalic gland secretion that male European beewolves, Philanthus triangulum (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae) use to mark their territories. The secretion mainly consists of eleven long-chain compounds with large proportions of a carbon acid, a ketone and two alcohols, and small proportions of several alkanes and alkenes. Both the total amount and the composition of the gland content varied with age. The four compounds with functional groups were present in much lower proportions in very young and very old males compared to middle-aged males, suggesting that these components may be more costly than the alkanes and alkenes. Thus, physiological constraints may cause the delayed onset and early decline of these substances in the cephalic gland. There were also minor but significant changes in four components among the middle-aged males. These age-related changes in the amount and composition of the male marking secretion might provide reliable indicators for female choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kaltenpoth
- University of Würzburg, Department for Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Würzburg.
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Herzner G, Schmitt T, Linsenmair KE, Strohm E. Prey recognition by females of the European beewolf and its potential for a sensory trap. Anim Behav 2005. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.03.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Insights into the costs of complex maternal care behavior in the burrower bug (Sehirus cinctus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2005. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-004-0899-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Klein AM, Steffan-Dewenter I, Tscharntke T. Foraging trip duration and density of megachilid bees, eumenid wasps and pompilid wasps in tropical agroforestry systems. J Anim Ecol 2004. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0021-8790.2004.00826.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Strohm E, Daniels W. Ultrastructure meets reproductive success: performance of a sphecid wasp is correlated with the fine structure of the flight-muscle mitochondria. Proc Biol Sci 2003; 270:749-54. [PMID: 12713750 PMCID: PMC1691295 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2002.2282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Organisms show a remarkable inter-individual variation in reproductive success. The proximate causes of this variation are not well understood. We hypothesized that the ultrastructure of costly or complex tissues or organelles might affect reproductive performance. We tested this hypothesis in females of a sphecid wasp, the European beewolf, Philanthus triangulum (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae), that show considerable variation in reproductive success. The most critical component of reproduction in beewolf females is flying with paralysed honeybees, which more than double their weight. Because of the high energetic requirements for flight, we predicted that the ultrastructure of the flight-muscle mitochondria might influence female success. We determined the density of mitochondria and the density of the inner mitochondrial membranes (DIMM) of the flight muscles as well as age, body size and fat content. Only DIMM had a significant influence on female reproductive success, which might be mediated by an elevated adenosine triphosphate (ATP) supply. The variation in DIMM might result from differences in larval provisions or from an accumulation of mutations in the mitochondrial genome. Our results support the hypothesis that the organization of complex structures contributes to inter-individual variation in reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erhard Strohm
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany.
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Strohm E, Daniels H, Warmers C, Stoll C. Nest provisioning and a possible cost of reproduction in the megachilid beeOsmia rufastudied by a new observation method. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2002. [DOI: 10.1080/08927014.2002.9522744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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