Effects of stage of colony cycle, context, and intercolony distance on conspecific tolerance by paper wasps (Polistes fuscatus)

1991 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
George J. Gamboa ◽  
Robin L. Foster ◽  
Julie A. Scope ◽  
Angela M. Bitterman
Keyword(s):  
Paper Wasps ◽  
Polistes Fuscatus ◽  
Colony Cycle ◽  
Conspecific Tolerance

The disappearance of subordinate foundresses in paper wasps: eviction by nestmates or reproductive strategy?

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (12) ◽  
pp. 1928-1933 ◽  
Author(s):  
George J Gamboa ◽  
Janet L Savoyard ◽  
Laura M Panek
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Strategy ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Social Wasp ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Paper Wasps ◽  
Polistes Fuscatus ◽  
Colony Cycle ◽  
The Social ◽  
Behavioural Evidence ◽  
Related Mortality

Videotaped observations (371.3 h) were conducted in 1995, 1996, and 1997 on 50 multiple-foundress colonies of the social wasp Polistes fuscatus. Observations were made during the mid-preworker, late-preworker, and early-postworker stages of the colony cycle. The vast majority of lost subordinate cofoundresses (62 of 77) disappeared during the time interval from 2 weeks before to 4 weeks after the emergence of the first workers. The loss of subordinates did not appear to be the result of senescence or foraging-related mortality. Lost subordinates were from productive and presumably healthy colonies. In colonies containing two or more subordinates, lost subordinates had significantly greater dominance ranks than expected. There was no behavioural evidence that lost subordinates were evicted from their colony by queens, other subordinate foundresses, or workers. Lost subordinates were not observed to renest, join sister colonies, or adopt orphaned nests. Our results indicate that lost subordinates leave colonies of their own volition. Indirect evidence from other studies suggests that subordinates may disperse and usurp colonies from other sites.

The timing of conflict and cooperation among cofoundresses of the social wasp Polistes fuscatus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
George J. Gamboa ◽  
Katherine A. Stump
Keyword(s):  
Social Wasp ◽  
Adaptive Significance ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Polistes Fuscatus ◽  
Conflict And Cooperation ◽  
Colony Cycle ◽  
The Social ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Ecological Pressure ◽  
Temporal Overlap

Field observations were made on 37 preworker, multiple-foundress colonies of the social wasp Polistes fuscatus. In total, 401.9 h of behavioural observations of cofoundresses were conducted at three different periods prior to the emergence of workers. Cofoundresses displayed a marked, significant increase in aggression at about the time in the colony cycle when reproductive-destined eggs began to be laid. Both queens and their subordinates became increasingly aggressive at this time. These empirical results support theoretical predictions that conflict among cofoundresses would intensify over the production of reproductive-destined (but not worker-destined) eggs. Cooperation in foraging to minimize nest inattendance as well as synchronicity (temporal overlap) in activity also increased significantly at the onset of the production of reproductive-destined eggs. Thus, conflict and cooperation are not necessarily antagonistic in P. fuscatus. Foundresses minimized the time that nests are unattended at a time in the colony cycle when most conspecific usurpations occur. This suggests that the ecological pressure of conspecific usurpation has favoured increased coordination in foraging to minimize the time nests are unattended. The adaptive significance, if any, of an increase in synchronicity of activity among cofoundresses at the onset of the production of reproductives is not obvious.

Queen Regulation of Worker Foraging in Paper Wasps: a Social Feedback Control System (Polistes Fuscatus, Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Behaviour ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 102 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 147-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hudson K. Reeve ◽  
George J. Gamboa
Keyword(s):  
Feedback Control ◽  
Social Regulation ◽  
Paper Wasps ◽  
Social Feedback ◽  
Polistes Fuscatus ◽  
Primitively Eusocial Wasp ◽  
The Social ◽  
Eusocial Wasp ◽  
Single Worker ◽  
Primitively Eusocial

AbstractWe examined the queen's role in regulation of worker foraging in small field colonies of the primitively eusocial wasp, Polistes fuscatus (29 colonies; 148 h observation). Queen removal results in a significant reduction in worker departure rate. The placement of a cooled, inactive queen into her queenless nest produces a significantly greater reduction in worker departure rate than does queen removal, and the resumption of activity by an inactive queen causes a significant increase in worker departure rate. Removal or cooling of a single worker does not produce similar effects on worker foraging, suggesting that the queen is the central regulator of worker foraging in small P. fuscatus colonies. We present evidence that: (1) the queen's control of worker foraging is mediated primarily by her influence on worker nest activity, (2) queen aggression may be important in stimulating departures by workers with low tendencies to leave the nest (i.e., dominant workers), and (3) the magnitude of the queen's stimulatory influence on worker foraging is directly related to the number of workers on the nest. We integrate these results with evidence from our other studies of polistine colony dynamics in a feedback control model of the social regulation of foraging.

The Mechanism of Queen Regulation of Foraging by Workers in Paper Wasps (Polistes fuscatus, Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Ethology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
George J. Gamboa ◽  
Tracy L. Wacker ◽  
Julie A. Scope ◽  
Thomas J. Cornell ◽  
Janet Shellman-Reeve
Keyword(s):  
Paper Wasps ◽  
Polistes Fuscatus

scholarly journals Age and social experience induced plasticity across brain regions of the paper wasp Polistes fuscatus

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Jernigan ◽  
Natalie C. Zaba ◽  
Michael J. Sheehan
Keyword(s):  
Visual Processing ◽  
Mushroom Body ◽  
Developmental Plasticity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Social Experience ◽  
Social Recognition ◽  
Paper Wasp ◽  
Paper Wasps ◽  
Polistes Fuscatus ◽  
Olfactory Processing

Developmental studies of brain volumes can reveal which portions of neural circuits are sensitive to environmental inputs. In social insects, differences in relative investment across brain regions emerge as behavioural repertoires change during ontogeny or as a result of experience. Here, we test the effects of maturation and social experience on morphological brain development in Polistes fuscatus paper wasps , focusing on brain regions involved in visual and olfactory processing. We find that mature wasps regardless of social experience have relatively larger brains than newly emerged wasps and this difference is driven by changes to mushroom body calyx and visual regions but not olfactory processing neuropils. Notably, social wasps invest more in the anterior optic tubercle (AOT), a visual glomerulus involved in colour and object processing in other taxa, relative to other visual integration centres the mushroom body calyces compared with aged socially naive wasps. Differences in developmental plasticity between visual and olfactory neuropil volumes are discussed in light of behavioural maturation in paper wasps, especially as it relates to social recognition. Previous research has shown that P. fuscatus need social experience to develop specialized visual processing of faces, which is used to individually recognize conspecifics. The present study suggests that the AOT is a candidate brain region that could mediate facial processing in this species.

scholarly journals Alternative Nesting Strategies of Polistine Wasps in a Subtropical Locale

Insects ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Scott Nacko ◽  
Mark A. Hall ◽  
Gregg Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Warm Season ◽  
Social Wasp ◽  
Paper Wasps ◽  
Early Season ◽  
Late Season ◽  
Colony Cycle ◽  
Phylogenetic Studies ◽  
Mischocyttarus Mexicanus ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Nest Searching

Phylogenetic studies suggest that historically all paper wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) in North America have tropical origins, but some species have adapted to survive temperate conditions. Subtropical climates, which are intermediate between temperate and tropical, allow a unique opportunity to study ancestral traits which can be retained or lost within populations, and ultimately elucidate the process of social wasp evolution. We investigated the phenology of paper wasps at study sites in subtropical Baton Rouge, USA, through nest searching and monitoring of nest parameters throughout the warm season (March–October). Across the year, two periods of nest initiation occurred: from March–May (early season nests, i.e., before the summer solstice), and from July–September (late season nests, after the solstice). We observed 240 Polistes nests from six species, of which 50.8% were initiated in early season and 49.2% in late season. In contrast, Mischocyttarus mexicanus rarely built late season nests and had longer early season colony duration than Polistes bellicosus and P. dorsalis, which built more nests in the late season than early. Across all species, late season nests had significantly shorter colony duration (~87.6 days) than early season nests (~166 days), and only P. bellicosus had fewer adults at peak population in late season nests than in early season nests. Results indicate both a bivoltine colony cycle in Polistes of subtropical climates, as well as differences in nesting strategies between genera.

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