Social complexity and nesting habits are factors in the evolution of antimicrobial defences in wasps.

ABSTRACT: Microbial diseases are important selective agents in social insects and one major defense mechanism is the secretion of cuticular antimicrobial compounds. We hypothesized that given differences in group size, social complexity, and nest type the secretions of these antimicrobials will be under different selective pressures. To test this we extracted secretions from nine wasp species of varying social complexity and nesting habits and assayed their antimicrobial compounds against cultures of Staphylococcus aureus. These data were then combined with phylogenetic data to provide an evolutionary context. Social species showed significantly higher (18x) antimicrobial activity than solitary species and species with paper nests showed significantly higher (11x) antimicrobial activity than those w

SUBMITTER: Hoggard SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3130748 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature