DNA metabarcoding of prey reveals spatial, temporal and diet partitioning of an island ecosystem by four invasive wasps

Schmack, Julia; Lear, Gavin; Astudillo‐García, Carmen; Boyer, Stéphane; Ward, Darren; Beggs, Jacqueline R.

doi:10.1111/1365-2664.13856

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 57 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Unfortunately, we could not compare our species results with those in the study by Schmack et al (2021), as the authors do not provide a list of individual prey species found in the diet of P. chinensis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…On Great Mercury Island, an offshore island in the north of the country, Lepidoptera was the most common order preyed upon by P. chinensis, followed by Hemiptera (fig. 3 in Schmack et al 2021). Thus, while P. chinensis is commonly regarded as a lepidopteran specialist, the fact that cicadas constitute such a regular item preyed upon by these wasps may imply that P. chinensis presents an opportunistic-generalist foraging behaviour described for social wasps (Raveret 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Population dynamics and prey community of the invasive paper wasp Polistes chinensis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in a protected coastal habitat in New Zealand

Reason,

Felden,

Bulgarella

et al. 2024

Austral Entomology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Asian paper wasp (Polistes chinensis) is an invasive species in New Zealand and a voracious arthropod predator, incorporating a wide range of prey into its diet. We examined the colony survival and prey community composition of these wasps in a protected coastal habitat in New Zealand. Paper wasp colonies at this site were surveyed and monitored weekly over two summers. Our data showed that only ~20% of the monitored colonies each year survived until late summer, with high rates of colony mortality in late spring and early summer. We collected samples of wasp larval guts over a temporal gradient in one nesting season, and via DNA metabarcoding analysis, we identified the prey species consumed. The prey species most frequently identified in larval samples were endemic cicadas and several lepidopteran species. No native arthropod species of known conservation concern were identified in the analysis. However, 63% of the unique taxon sequences retrieved could not be identified by genus or species level, likely due to the absence of reference barcodes. These taxa may represent a group of understudied species, potentially highly endemic or localised. Our analysis indicates that these invasive wasps are opportunistic‐generalist predators with the potential to exert high predation pressure on native arthropods. P. chinensis may be preying on a range of understudied species, especially in remote, natural habitats across New Zealand. We recommend future studies continue to barcode native New Zealand arthropods in order to improve the taxonomic assignments of dietary studies.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population dynamics and prey community of the invasive paper wasp Polistes chinensis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in a protected coastal habitat in New Zealand

Reason,

Felden,

Bulgarella

et al. 2024

Austral Entomology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…DNA metabarcoding is particularly powerful, when morphological identification of food resources is either very time‐consuming and requiring expert knowledge (such as for pollen) or not possible because hard remains are lacking (such as in faeces). The application of metabarcoding in ecological studies has therefore helped enormously to detect and quantify species interactions for example, of pollinator‐flower interactions (e.g., Casanelles‐Abella et al, 2022) or of predator–prey‐interactions of wasps (Schmack et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metabarcoding of trap nests reveals differential impact of urbanization on cavity‐nesting bee and wasp communities

Dürrbaum

Fornoff

Scherber³

et al. 2023

Molecular Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Urbanization is affecting arthropod communities worldwide, for example by changing the availability of food resources. However, the strength and direction of a community's response is species‐specific and depends on species' trophic level. Here, we investigated interacting species at different trophic levels in nests of cavity‐nesting bees and wasps along two urbanization gradients in four German cities using trap nests. We analysed bee and wasp diversity and their trophic interaction partners by metabarcoding the DNA of bee pollen and preyed arthropods found in wasp nests. We found that the pollen richness increased with increasing distance from city centres and at sites characterized by a high percentage of impervious and developed surface, while the richness of pollinators was unaffected by urbanization. In contrast, species richness of wasps, but not their arthropod prey, was highest at sites with low levels of urbanization. However, the community structure of wasp prey changed with urbanization at both local and regional scales. Throughout the study area, the community of wasps consisted of specialists, while bee species were generalists. Our results suggest that Hymenoptera and their food resources are negatively affected by increasing urbanization. However, to understand distribution patterns of both, wasps and bees in urban settings other factors besides food availability should be considered.

show abstract

“…Molecular approaches provide another tool for characterizing prey from insect feces. Multiple recent studies have employed metabarcode sequencing of wasp feces to characterize the diets of different wasp species (e.g., [31][32][33]. Metabarcoding has the advantage of identifying prey items over an entire season of wasp activity and from many individuals in the same nest.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into the prey of Vespa mandarinia (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in Washington state, obtained from metabarcoding of larval feces

Wilson

Looney²,

Tembrock³

et al. 2023

Front. Insect Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The northern giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), was detected for the first time in North America in 2019. Four nests have since been located and removed in northwestern Washington State as part of an extensive survey and eradication program. This recent introduction into North America has prompted new research on the biology and ecology of V. mandarinia to help inform management strategies. In its native range, V. mandarinia is known to prey on a variety of insects including the economically important honey bee species Apis cerana and Apis mellifera. Although A. cerana has developed defense mechanisms against attack by V. mandarinia, A. mellifera have no such defenses and an entire hive can be quickly destroyed by only a few hornets. In North America the hornet has been observed foraging on paper wasps (Polistes dominula) and honey bees, but little else is known about prey use in its novel range. To address this knowledge gap, we employed a DNA metabarcoding approach to characterize species detected in larval feces collected from 3 of the 4 Washington V. mandarinia nests found to date. Sequences were recovered for 56 species across fourteen orders, of which 36 species were likely prey items and 20 were suspected inquilines. The most frequently detected species were other social Hymenoptera, with Dolichovespula maculata, P. dominula, and A. mellifera present in most samples. All of the species detected, except for A. mellifera, represent new prey records for V. mandarinia, with eight families of insects newly associated with giant hornets. These results suggest that V. mandarinia in Washington preys on an assortment of insects similar to those documented in its native range, and that this new invader has readily incorporated novel species into its foraging and diet.

show abstract

DNA metabarcoding of prey reveals spatial, temporal and diet partitioning of an island ecosystem by four invasive wasps

Abstract: 1. Invasive alien species can cause detrimental changes in native ecosystems, but our understanding of the interactions between multiple exotic species is limited. To

Cited by 15 publications

References 57 publications

Population dynamics and prey community of the invasive paper wasp Polistes chinensis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in a protected coastal habitat in New Zealand

Population dynamics and prey community of the invasive paper wasp Polistes chinensis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in a protected coastal habitat in New Zealand

Metabarcoding of trap nests reveals differential impact of urbanization on cavity‐nesting bee and wasp communities

Insights into the prey of Vespa mandarinia (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in Washington state, obtained from metabarcoding of larval feces

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About