Nest signature changes throughout colony cycle and after social parasite invasion in social wasps.

ABSTRACT: Social insects recognize their nestmates by means of a cuticular hydrocarbon signature shared by colony members, but how nest signature changes across time has been rarely tested in longitudinal studies and in the field. In social wasps, the chemical signature is also deposited on the nest surface, where it is used by newly emerged wasps as a reference to learn their colony odor. Here, we investigate the temporal variations of the chemical signature that wasps have deposited on their nests. We followed the fate of the colonies of the social paper wasp Polistes biglumis in their natural environment from colony foundation to decline. Because some colonies were invaded by the social parasite Polistes atrimandibularis, we also tested the effects of social parasites on the nest signature. We ob

SUBMITTER: Elia M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5736209 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature