Ambient Temperature Influences Geographic Changes in Nest and Colony Size of Polistes chinensis antennalis Pérez (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

Hozumi, Satoshi; Kudô, Kazuyuki; Katakura, Haruo; Yamane, Seiki

doi:10.13102/sociobiology.v62i1.88-91

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The ecology and behaviour of invasive organisms can differ across ranges, which has implications for the level of impact the invader has on native communities (Hozumi et al, 2015;Lester & Beggs, 2019). Knowledge of the ecology of an invasive organism is essential for effective population management (Caesar, 2005;Lester & Beggs, 2019;Nuñez et al, 2017).…”

Section: The Abundance Nesting Ecology and Survival Of Polistes Dominulamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The success and colony productivity of social wasps is dependent on environmental and ecological factors, which can vary across their native and invaded ranges (Clapperton & Dymock, 1997;Roets et al, 2019). Therefore, understanding the ecology of newly invasive wasps is crucial, as the nesting behaviour, abundance and impacts of these predators can vary greatly between regions (Hozumi et al, 2015;Lester & Beggs, 2019;Sheehan et al, 2015).…”

Section: Chapter 1: General Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The nesting ecology, habitat preference, abundance and impacts of Polistes dominula in New Zealand

McGruddy¹

2021

Preprint

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Introduced wasps can have significant impacts on communities within their newly invaded range. A recent wasp introduction to New Zealand is the European paper wasp, Polistes dominula Christ, which was first observed in the Nelson-Tasman region in 2016. The ecology and behaviour of P. dominula was investigated, as well as the direct and indirect impacts of this wasp on local communities in Nelson. Aspects of nesting behaviour, habitat preference and abundance were studied with the intent to inform management decisions. The abundance and colony survival of P. dominula was greatest in suburban areas, where nests were predominantly built within anthropogenic structures. Colony survival of P. dominula was comparatively higher than for colonies of the longer established exotic congener Polistes chinensis Pérez. Neither Polistes species were found to nest within native or exotic forest sites, with translocated colonies of P. dominula unsuccessful within forest habitats. As a species that originates from a warmer climate, the lower temperatures in forests are likely a contributor to the inability of P. dominula to thrive in these areas. The impacts that newly invasive predators have on communities within their invaded range are often poorly understood. Following the arrival of P. dominula, I show data indicating that there have been substantial declines in the abundance of several local butterfly species in Nelson. The monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus Linnaeus was one of the species reported by residents to be in population decline. Field experiments found P. dominula to be a major cause of monarch caterpillar mortality. Caterpillar survival was the lowest in suburban areas, where the abundance of P. dominula was highest. Early instar caterpillars had comparatively higher mortality rates than late instar caterpillars, as the defensive behaviour of larger caterpillars had greater success against these wasps. Whilst P. dominula was the main driver behind caterpillar mortality throughout my experiments, the discovery of caterpillars by wasps appeared to happen by chance through direct contact between the wasp and their prey. There was also no evidence of nestmate recruitment by foraging wasps to sites where caterpillars were found. Predation has the capacity to not only impact prey populations, but through the suppression of herbivory, plants can indirectly benefit from the presence of predators. The presence of P. dominula was found to have strong, cascading effects on the milkweed host and food plant of D. plexippus. Milkweed fitness in areas populated by P. dominula was substantially greater than the fitness of plants in areas without this invasive predator. Plant growth and reproduction of milkweeds placed in areas where P. dominula were present, and able to predate upon caterpillars, were found to exhibit a similar amount of growth and flower production as netted control plants which excluded monarch caterpillars completely. The outcomes of this experiment suggest that P. dominula is strongly suppressing these herbivorous caterpillars. Overall, this thesis provides insight into the behaviour and ecology of P. dominula in New Zealand. Findings of this research suggest that this newly invasive wasp is having detrimental effects on local communities and that P. dominula should be controlled to reduce the impacts of this wasp on New Zealand’s ecosystems. Knowledge obtained in this study can direct conservation management strategies and aid in the development of effective control methods.

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Section: The Abundance Nesting Ecology and Survival Of Polistes Dominulamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Chapter 1: General Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The nesting ecology, habitat preference, abundance and impacts of Polistes dominula in New Zealand

McGruddy¹

2021

Preprint

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“…Spring weather conditions have previously been highlighted as a major predictor for yearly variation in populations of Vespula vulgaris wasps (Lester et al, 2017). The dependence and responsiveness of P. chinensis to climatic conditions observed elsewhere (Hozumi et al, 2015;Jeanne & Morgan, 1992) suggests that average colony survival and productivity may change significantly in response to climate, as has been predicted for Vespula wasps (Lester & Beggs, 2019). Weather conditions such as rainfall and humidity levels may impact fungal pathogen transmission in this and other study systems.…”

Section: Population Dynamics Of Polistes Chinensis In the Onetahua Na...mentioning

confidence: 58%

Invasive paper wasp (Polistes chinensis) ecology and invertebrate conservation on Onetahua (Farewell Spit)

Reason¹

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Social insects are among the most ecologically and economically damaging, and abundant invasive species worldwide. Invasive paper wasps in Aotearoa have been shown to cause significant declines in native insect populations though predation, with cascading ecological impacts. No effective control methods for paper wasps are currently available. One such wasp, Polistes chinensis, can become especially abundant in coastal scrub and low-elevation grassland habitats. Together these habitats are estimated to house 60% of Aotearoa’s threatened native Lepidopterans alone. The Onetahua (Farewell Spit) Nature Reserve is a highly protected coastal site encompassing nationally rare habitat types and several at-risk plant and invertebrate species. During a 2019 BioBlitz, paper wasp abundance at this site was noted as likely threatening these diverse invertebrate communities. To inform decision-making on the potential need for local management of these wasps, I aimed to assess their distribution and population dynamics and identify species in their prey community. Over two austral summers, 2020 – 2021 and 2021 – 2022, I surveyed paper wasp colonies on Onetahua and tracked colony survival and development rates. Using wasp larvae gut samples, I conducted a CO1 metabarcoding analysis to identify prey species over a temporal gradient. During data and sample collection, I observed two species of entomopathogenic fungi fatally infecting P. chinensis wasps at their nests. Taking samples of these fungi, I identified each species using morphological and molecular methods, attempted to quantify their prevalence in the studied wasp population, and conducted infection bioassays with caged wasp nests to test fungal pathogenicity. From colony surveying and monitoring, I found that approximately 20% of all spring colonies survived through each summer. Colony development rates indicated that wasp predation pressure likely peaked in February of each year, and I estimated that average colony density in February 2022 was approximately 23 colonies ha-1. The most ubiquitous prey species identified were several endemic cicadas and numerous Lepidopteran species, including common copper butterflies (Lycaena spp.). However, ~60% of unique taxa could not be identified using this barcoding method, likely due to the absence of barcodes for these species in reference libraries. I conclude from this result that metabarcoding analysis is probably not suitable for the identification of many species of conservation significance, as these taxa are likely to be rare, understudied, or undescribed species. A more comprehensive unification of taxonomy and genetic sequencing of invertebrates would be beneficial to improve the useability of such analyses. Fungal pathogens were estimated to have infected wasps in ~3% of all surveyed colonies. I identified the fungal species observed as Beauveria malawiensis and Ophiocordyceps humbertii. In bioassays I successfully infected healthy P. chinensis colonies with B. malawiensis, with significantly increased wasp mortality rates and conidiogenesis in treatment nests. These fungal species may have potential for development as biological control agents for Polistes wasps in Aotearoa and elsewhere around the world. I did not find sufficient evidence to warrant diversion of current conservation resources to high-intensity manual control of P. chinensis on Onetahua. However, I do recommend that repeated monitoring of paper wasp and prey species’ relative abundances be carried out at Onetahua and similar sites. Determination of population trends in these species could be invaluable for future management of Polistes wasps, if and when efficient control methods are eventually developed.

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Climate changes and Hymenoptera venom allergy: are there some connections?

Turillazzi

Turillazzi²

2017

Current Opinion in Allergy &Amp; Clinical Immunology

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Ambient Temperature Influences Geographic Changes in Nest and Colony Size of Polistes chinensis antennalis Pérez (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

Cited by 4 publications

References 9 publications

The nesting ecology, habitat preference, abundance and impacts of Polistes dominula in New Zealand

The nesting ecology, habitat preference, abundance and impacts of Polistes dominula in New Zealand

Invasive paper wasp (Polistes chinensis) ecology and invertebrate conservation on Onetahua (Farewell Spit)

Climate changes and Hymenoptera venom allergy: are there some connections?

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