Invasive paper wasps have strong cascading effects on the host plant of monarch butterflies

McGruddy, Rose; Howse, Matthew W. F.; Haywood, John; Ward, Chrissie J. I.; Staufer, Tony B.; Hayek‐Williams, Mary; Toft, Richard; Lester, Philip J.

doi:10.1111/een.12992

Cited by 16 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(47 reference statements)

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“…Research on P. chinensis has found this species capable of consuming large quantities of prey (Clapperton 1999). The impact of P. dominula on communities in New Zealand has also proven to be significant, with declines in Lepidopteran species since this predator arrived (McGruddy et al 2020). This is of concern for New Zealand's local invertebrate communities, as an increase in the abundance of invasive species tends to cause a decline in native populations and communities (Bradley et al 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nesting Ecology and Colony Survival of Two Invasive Polistes Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in New Zealand

McGruddy

Howse

Haywood

et al. 2021

Environmental Entomology

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We examined the abundance, nesting ecology, and colony survival of two invasive species of paper wasp, Polistes dominula Christ (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) and Polistes chinensis Pérez (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), within their invaded range in New Zealand. The more recent invader, P. dominula, exhibited a strong habitat preference, reaching the highest abundances within suburban areas with an average of 87.4 wasps per 1,000 m2. Coastal habitats were also found to be suitable environments for P. dominula, although wasp abundance in these areas was comparatively lower than suburban sites at 26.5 wasps per 1,000 m2. Although P. chinensis were observed to build more nests in coastal habitats, this was not reflected in the abundance of adult wasps in these areas. Nests of P. dominula were larger and more productive, likely a result of the multiple founding and earlier emergence of workers compared to P. chinensis. Both species exhibited significant differences in nest survival, with P. dominula observed to have a higher colony survival rate, particularly in suburban habitats where this species utilized man-made substrates as nesting sites. Neither species nested within forest sites and translocated nests of P. dominula failed to thrive within forest habitats. Findings of this research suggest that P. dominula will not pose a threat to species inhabiting forested areas. Instead, biodiversity managers should focus their efforts on suburban and coastal environments as native species in these areas will require the greatest protection.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nesting Ecology and Colony Survival of Two Invasive Polistes Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in New Zealand

McGruddy

Howse

Haywood

et al. 2021

Environmental Entomology

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“…Research on P. chinensis has found this species capable of consuming large quantities of prey (Clapperton, 1999). The impact of P. dominula on communities in New Zealand has also proven to be significant, with declines in Lepidopteran species since this predator's arrival (McGruddy et al, 2020). This is of concern for New Zealand's local invertebrate communities, as an increase in the abundance of invasive species tend to cause a decline in native populations and communities (Bradley et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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“…Polistes dominula is a paper wasp species that was found in New Zealand in 2016 (Ministry for Primary Industries 2016). The predatory nature of P. dominula has been shown to threaten native species in its invaded range (Baker and Potter 2020;McGruddy et al 2021b). Due to its recent arrival in New Zealand, it is not yet known how the establishment of P. dominula will affect local entomofauna.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The native and exotic prey community of two invasive paper wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in New Zealand as determined by DNA barcoding

et al. 2022

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Social wasps are invasive in many regions around the world. In their new communities, introduced predators such as these wasps may be beneficial as consumers of exotic pests, but they will also consume native species. Here, we examined the diet of the exotic European paper wasp (Polistes dominula) and the closely related congener, Polistes chinensis, in a region of New Zealand where they co-occur. DNA barcoding was used to analyse their diet. The diet of both wasp species was largely Lepidopteran but other orders such as Hemiptera, Diptera and Coleoptera were also represented. Our analysis showed substantial site-to-site variation in diet. The two wasps differed significantly in their prey, although these differences appear to be driven by taxa identified from a small number of DNA reads in a small number of samples. Native and introduced fauna were represented in the diets of both wasps and included important agricultural pests. Of the 92 prey taxa able to be identified to species level, 81 were identified as exotic or introduced to New Zealand. The remaining 11 were species native to New Zealand. However, our estimates suggest over 50% of the prey DNA in the wasp diet is derived from native species. These wasps are abundant in some coastal and urban habitats, where they are likely to consume pest species as well as native species of conservation importance. The ecosystem services or costs and benefits provided by these invasive species are likely to be contingent on the prey communities and habitats they occupy.

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Invasive paper wasps have strong cascading effects on the host plant of monarch butterflies

Cited by 16 publications

References 43 publications

Nesting Ecology and Colony Survival of Two Invasive Polistes Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in New Zealand

Nesting Ecology and Colony Survival of Two Invasive Polistes Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in New Zealand

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

The native and exotic prey community of two invasive paper wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in New Zealand as determined by DNA barcoding

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