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da Silva RC, Oi CA, do Nascimento FS. Chemical Resemblance of Egg Surface Compounds and Dufour's Gland in Two Neotropical Polistinae Wasps Polistes versicolor (Olivier) and Mischocyttarus metathoracicus (de Saussure, 1854). NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 52:1041-1056. [PMID: 37861965 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-023-01089-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Chemical communication plays a major role in regulating social dynamics in social insect colonies. The most studied class of chemical compounds are the cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), compounds with high molecular weight that cover the insect body. CHCs are used in nestmate recognition and to signal reproductive status. Brood, in the form of larvae and eggs, is known to participate in chemical communication and social dynamics by performing hunger behaviour and inducing interaction with adults and conferring nest and maternity identity. CHCs of adults and egg surface compounds are similar in composition in social insect species. The main source of egg compounds is proposed to be Dufour's gland, an accessory reproductive gland found in several Hymenoptera females. There is still a lack of information about the level of similarity among CHCs, compounds of egg surface and Dufour's gland for several wasp species, which could provide correlational evidence about the origins of egg-marking compounds. Thus, we investigated whether egg surface compounds were more similar to CHCs or Dufour's gland secretions in two Neotropical primitively eusocial wasp species, Polistes versicolor (Olivier) and Mischocyttarus metathoracicus (de Saussure, 1854). As expected, there was a higher chemical similarity between eggs and Dufour's gland secretions in both studied species, supporting the hypothesis that this gland is the source of chemical compounds found over the eggs in these two primitively eusocial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Carvalho da Silva
- Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Depto de Biologia, Univ de São Paulo - USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Cintia Akemi Oi
- Univ College London, London, UK
- Univ of Leuven, KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Fabio Santos do Nascimento
- Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Depto de Biologia, Univ de São Paulo - USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
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de Souza AR, Prato A, Franca W, Santos S, Lima LD, Alves DA, Bernardes RC, Santos EF, do Nascimento FS, Lima MAP. A predatory social wasp does not avoid nestmates contaminated with a fungal biopesticide. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:103851-103861. [PMID: 37695481 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-29770-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Fungus-based biopesticides have been used worldwide for crop pest control as a safer alternative to chemical pesticides such as neonicotinoids. Both agrochemicals can be lethal and may also trigger side effects on the behavioral traits of non-target social insects, which play a crucial role in providing essential biological pest control services in agroecosystems. Here, we evaluated whether a commercial formulation of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana or the neonicotinoid imidacloprid causes mortality in foragers of Mischocyttarus metathoracicus. These social wasps are natural enemies of caterpillars and other herbivorous insects and inhabit both urban and agricultural environments in Brazil. We also tested whether wasps discriminate between biopesticide-exposed and unexposed conspecifics. Through a combination of laboratory (survival assay) and field experiments (lure presentation), along with chemical analyses (cuticular hydrocarbon profiles), we showed that topic exposure to the label rate of each pesticide causes a lethal effect, with the biopesticide exhibiting a slower effect. Moreover, wasps do not discriminate biopesticide-exposed from unexposed conspecifics, likely because of the similarity of their cuticular chemical profiles 24 h after exposure. Overall, the delayed lethal time at the individual level, combined with the indistinctive chemical cues of exposure and the lack of discrimination by conspecifics suggests that the fungal biopesticide may ultimately pose a threat to the colony survival of this predatory wasp.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Rodrigues de Souza
- Department of Biology, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências E Letras de Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av Bandeirantes 2900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil.
| | - Amanda Prato
- Department of Biology, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências E Letras de Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av Bandeirantes 2900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil
| | - Wilson Franca
- Department of Biology, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências E Letras de Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av Bandeirantes 2900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil
| | - Sircio Santos
- Department of Biology, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências E Letras de Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av Bandeirantes 2900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil
| | - Luan Dias Lima
- Department of Biology, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências E Letras de Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av Bandeirantes 2900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil
| | - Denise Araujo Alves
- Department of Entomology and Acarology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Eduardo Fernando Santos
- Department of Zoology E Botany, Sao Paulo State University "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fábio Santos do Nascimento
- Department of Biology, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências E Letras de Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av Bandeirantes 2900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil
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da Silva RC, do Nascimento FS, Wenseleers T, Oi CA. Juvenile hormone modulates hydrocarbon expression and reproduction in the german wasp Vespula germanica. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1024580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Juvenile hormone (JH) affects multiple physiological traits in insects. In social insects, besides development, JH has been demonstrated to influence caste determination and the production of chemical compounds. In social wasps, JH triggers behavioral maturation, gonadotropic effects, and hydrocarbon modulation. Here, we investigated whether JH displays the same function in fertility and fertility cue production in females of the German wasp Vespula germanica, previously shown in the related species Vespula vulgaris. By experimentally treating workers with JH-analog, an anti-JH, and acetone solvent control, we tested whether JH modulates the cuticular chemical expression (CHCs), the Dufour’s gland chemical composition, and hence the compounds found over the egg’s surface. Additionally, we explored whether JH has a gonadotropic effect on workers. Workers treated with the JH-analog acquired a chemical profile that was intermediate between the queen and other treated workers. Interestingly, the same pattern was also seen in the Dufour’s glands and eggs, although more subtle. Furthermore, workers treated with the JH-analog were more fertile when compared to the controls, supporting the fact that JH acts as a gonadotropic hormone. Our results indicate a similar function of JH in societies of related wasp species V. germanica and V. vulgaris.
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da Silva RC, Prato A, Tannure-Nascimento I, Akemi Oi C, Wenseleers T, Nascimento F. Cuticular hydrocarbons as caste-linked cues in Neotropical swarm-founding wasps. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13571. [PMID: 35694385 PMCID: PMC9186331 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Wasps (Vespidae) are important organisms to understand the evolution of social behaviour. Wasps show different levels of sociality, which includes solitary to highly eusocial organisms. In social insect species, queens and workers differ in physiology and morphology. The Neotropical swarm-founding wasps (Epiponini) show a variety of caste syndromes. In this clade, the caste-flexibility is a unique characteristic, in which workers can become queens and swarm to start a new nest. The investigation of the caste system comparing several Epiponini species show a clear-cut morphological distinction between queens and workers, with a morphological continuum between queens and workers. However, whether cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are used as cues for caste recognition in swarm-founding wasps is still unknown. We studied whether CHCs may display caste-linked differences in eleven species of Epiponini wasps and if CHCs differences would follow morphological patterns. Our results suggest that queens and workers of Epiponini wasps are chemically different from each other at two levels, qualitatively and quantitatively, or merely quantitatively. This variation seems to exist regardless of their morphological traits and may be useful to help us understanding how chemical communication evolved differently in these species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Carvalho da Silva
- Departamento de Biologia/Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Amanda Prato
- Departamento de Biologia/Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ivelize Tannure-Nascimento
- Departamento de Biologia/Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil,Departamento de Morfologia e Fisiologia Animal, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Cintia Akemi Oi
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium,Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tom Wenseleers
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Fabio Nascimento
- Departamento de Biologia/Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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Ferreira HM, da Silva RC, do Nascimento FS, Wenseleers T, Oi CA. Reproduction and fertility signalling under joint juvenile hormone control in primitively eusocial Mischocyttarus wasps. CHEMOECOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00049-022-00370-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Tibbetts EA, Pardo-Sanchez J, Weise C. The establishment and maintenance of dominance hierarchies. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200450. [PMID: 35000449 PMCID: PMC8743888 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal groups are often organized hierarchically, with dominant individuals gaining priority access to resources and reproduction over subordinate individuals. Initial dominance hierarchy formation may be influenced by multiple interacting factors, including an animal's individual attributes, conventions and self-organizing social dynamics. After establishment, hierarchies are typically maintained over the long-term because individuals save time, energy and reduce the risk of injury by recognizing and abiding by established dominance relationships. A separate set of behaviours are used to maintain dominance relationships within groups, including behaviours that stabilize ranks (punishment, threats, behavioural asymmetry), as well as signals that provide information about dominance rank (individual identity signals, signals of dominance). In this review, we describe the behaviours used to establish and maintain dominance hierarchies across different taxa and types of societies. We also review opportunities for future research including: testing how self-organizing behavioural dynamics interact with other factors to mediate dominance hierarchy formation, measuring the long-term stability of social hierarchies and the factors that disrupt hierarchy stability, incorporating phenotypic plasticity into our understanding of the behavioural dynamics of hierarchies and considering how cognition coevolves with the behaviours used to establish and maintain hierarchies. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Chloe Weise
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Cini A, Casacci LP, Nehring V. Uncovering variation in social insect communication. Curr Zool 2021; 67:515-518. [PMID: 34616949 PMCID: PMC8489175 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Cini
- Centre for Biodiversity & Environment Research, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, 50019, Italy
| | - Luca Pietro Casacci
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Turin, 10123, Italy
| | - Volker Nehring
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Institute of Biology I (Zoology), University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 1, Freiburg (Brsg.), 79104, Germany
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