da Silva, Rafael Carvalho;
do Nascimento, Fabio Santos;
Wenseleers, Tom;
Oi, Cintia Akemi;
(2023)
Chemical signatures of egg maternity and Dufour's gland in Vespine wasps.
Science of Nature
, 110
(3)
, Article 25. 10.1007/s00114-023-01852-x.
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Abstract
Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are often used in the chemical communication among social insects. CHCs can be used in nestmate recognition and as queen pheromones, the latter allows the regulation of the reproductive division of labor. In the common wasp Vespula vulgaris, CHCs and egg-marking hydrocarbons are caste-specific, being hydrocarbon queen pheromones and egg maternity signals. Whether these compounds are conserved among other Vespinae wasps remains unknown. Queens, virgin queens, reproductive workers, and workers belonging to four different wasp species, Dolichovespula media, Dolichovespula saxonica, Vespa crabro, and Vespula germanica, were collected and studied. The cuticular hydrocarbons, egg surface, and Dufour’s gland composition were characterized and it was found that chemical compounds are caste-specific in the four species. Quantitative and qualitative differences were detected in the cuticle, eggs, and Dufour’s gland. Some specific hydrocarbons that were shown to be overproduced in the cuticle of queens were also present in higher quantities in queen-laid eggs and in their Dufour’s gland. These hydrocarbons can be indicated as putative fertility signals that regulate the division of reproductive labor in these Vespine societies. Our results are in line with the literature for V. vulgaris and D. saxonica, in which hydrocarbons were shown to be conserved queen signals. This work presents correlative evidence that queen chemical compounds are found not only over the body surface of females but also in other sources, such as the Dufour’s gland and eggs.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Chemical signatures of egg maternity and Dufour's gland in Vespine wasps |
| Location: | Germany |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00114-023-01852-x |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-023-01852-x |
| 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: | CASTE, CONFLICT, Cuticular hydrocarbons, CUTICULAR HYDROCARBONS, Dufour's gland, Egg surface, EVOLUTION, Fertility cues, HONEYBEE APIS-MELLIFERA, MEMBERSHIP, Multidisciplinary Sciences, QUEEN PHEROMONES, Science & Technology, Science & Technology - Other Topics, SECRETION, SIGNALS, Vespine wasps, WORKER REPRODUCTION |
| 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/10172080 |
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