da Silva, Rafael Carvalho;
Wenseleers, Tom;
Oi, Cintia Akemi;
do Nascimento, Fabio Santos;
(2023)
Tiny but socially valuable: eggs as sources of communication in the social wasp Mischocyttarus cerberus.
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
, 77
, Article 44. 10.1007/s00265-023-03319-5.
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Abstract
Chemical compounds play a major role in the recognition processes in social insects, and one class of compounds namely hydrocarbons cover the adult body, but also the surface of their eggs. The ability to discriminate between friends from foes minimizes the exploitation of resources. We investigated for the first time whether females of Mischocyttarus cerberus, which is often attacked by other wasp species, can discriminate their own eggs over the eggs of foes. By using a non-destructive technique, we experimentally collected eggs from post-worker emergent nests, and we offered their eggs to other nests to test the policing behavior in M. cerberus. Overall, our results show that the females of M. cerberus can discriminate eggs according to their origin, and most of the removed eggs were policed within the first hour of the experiment, revealing that females have accurate discrimination skills. The discrimination skill allows females to detect eggs. We discuss that chemical cues present over the surface of eggs may be important for them to be accepted or removed, and these cues may be important to avoid parasitism. In this case, eggs represent alternative tools of communication, once they carry chemical compounds linked to their nest. Additionally, dominant females (= queens) are the most likely individuals to remove the eggs. Altogether, our results reinforce that the nestmate recognition ability is not restricted to recognizing adult relatives, but it is also extended to recognizing brood in Mischocyttarus societies.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Tiny but socially valuable: eggs as sources of communication in the social wasp Mischocyttarus cerberus |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00265-023-03319-5 |
| Publisher version: | http://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-023-03319-5 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Egg discrimination, Alternative strategies, Chemical communication, Egg-marking pheromones |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Genetics, Evolution and Environment |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10170932 |
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