Foraging strategy of wasps - optimisation of intake rate or energetic efficiency?

ABSTRACT: In endothermic wasps, foraging is an expensive activity. To maximise the benefit for the colony, wasps can optimise either the intake rate or energetic efficiency of a foraging trip. We investigated the foraging behaviour of vespine wasps under variable environmental and reward conditions. We trained them to forage for 0.5 mol l^-1 sucrose solution from an artificial flower in a flow-through respiratory measurement chamber, and simultaneously measured their body temperature using infrared thermography to investigate interactions between thermoregulation and energetics. Measurement of carbon dioxide release (for energetic calculations) and load mass enabled the direct determination of foraging efficiency. An unlimited reward increased the wasps' energetic effort to increase the su

SUBMITTER: Kovac H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6120671 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature