Level of experience modulates individual foraging strategies of an invasive predatory wasp

Rankin, Erin E. Wilson

doi:10.1007/s00265-014-1861-1

Cited by 21 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…A similar pattern was found in Vespula pensylvanica wasps when landmarks were displaced during their relocating behaviour. Their flights were directed to the displaced landmarks but then were reoriented to the food source (Wilson‐Rankin ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How single events can influence decision‐making in foraging Vespula germanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) social wasps

Moreyra

Lozada

2018

Austral Entomology

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Social insects are known for their behavioural plasticity and learning abilities. In the present work, we evaluated whether a single past experience could influence Vespula germanica (F.) foraging behaviour by analysing wasp response in two changing situations: when food was displaced at different distances from a previously learned location and when the amount of resource was significantly decreased. In the former case, wasps were allowed to collect meat once from a dish which was later displaced 300, 600 or 900 mm from the previous location. Thus, on the second visit, wasps encountered an empty dish in place of the previously baited one. We recorded the time taken to find the displaced food, the number of hovers over the previously learned location and the direction of first approach of returning foragers. Wasps spent less time searching at the previously learnt site when the dish with food was displaced 300 mm rather than 600 or 900 mm from the learned location. In the second experiment, when two dishes with food were simultaneously offered, one containing 20 g and another 80 g, wasps preferred the 80 g dish. On their second visit, we switched the position of the dishes and recorded which dish wasps collected food from. We found that most wasps collected food from the previously learned location and not from the dish with the more abundant resource. This study illustrates the remarkable influence of a single collecting experience on V. germanica subsequent foraging behaviour.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How single events can influence decision‐making in foraging Vespula germanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) social wasps

Moreyra

Lozada

2018

Austral Entomology

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“…However, previous studies suggest that recruitment tends to take place at the nest [ 29 ]. Interestingly, Wilson-Rankin [ 51 ] found that twice as many Vespula pensylvanica wasps foraged on chicken baits when all foragers were allowed to return to the nest, compared to when visitation was restricted to naïve wasps only. However, in the present study with V. germanica , when all foragers were allowed to forage on the bait and return to the nest, the arrival pattern was exponential and the number of wasps was approximately 4 times greater than when no communication was allowed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Learning in Vespula Germanica Wasps: Do They Use Collective Foraging Strategies?

et al. 2016

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Vespula germanica is a social wasp that has become established outside its native range in many regions of the world, becoming a major pest in the invaded areas. In the present work we analyze social communication processes used by V. germanica when exploiting un-depleted food sources. For this purpose, we investigated the arrival pattern of wasps at a protein bait and evaluated whether a forager recruited conspecifics in three different situations: foragers were able to return to the nest (full communication), foragers were removed on arrival (communication impeded), or only one forager was allowed to return to the nest (local enhancement restricted). Results demonstrated the existence of recruitment in V. germanica, given that very different patterns of wasp arrivals and a higher frequency of wasp visits to the resource were observed when communication flow between experienced and naive foragers was allowed. Our findings showed that recruitment takes place at a distance from the food source, in addition to local enhancement. When both local enhancement and distant recruitment were occurring simultaneously, the pattern of wasp arrival was exponential. When recruitment occurred only distant from the feeder, the arrival pattern was linear, but the number of wasps arriving was twice as many as when neither communication nor local enhancement was allowed. Moreover, when return to the nest was impeded, wasp arrival at the bait was regular and constant, indicating that naive wasps forage individually and are not spatially aggregated. In conclusion, this is the first study to demonstrate recruitment in V. germanica at a distance from the food source by modelling wasps’ arrival to a protein-based resource. In addition, the existence of correlations when communication was allowed and reflected in tandem arrivals indicates that we were not in the presence of random processes.

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“…Previous studies and this study demonstrated that hornets can learn to associate food with certain visual, spatial and olfactory cues. This leads to successful foraging experiences, which obviously increase foraging efficiency (Monceau et al ., ; Wilson‐Rankin, ; Moreyra et al ., ). Hornets appear to learn attractive cues from diaspores and develop a search image for other diaspores of the same species, assuring highly effective seed dispersal for S. tuberosa .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrocarbons mediate seed dispersal: a new mechanism of vespicochory

et al. 2018

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Vespicochory, seed dispersal by hornets, is an uncommon seed dispersal pattern in angiosperms. To date, this phenomenon has been recorded in only four families. Because of its rarity, the causes and consequences of vespicochory remain unclear. Hence, this seed dispersal syndrome is often regarded as anecdotal. Through field investigations, chemical analyses, electrophysiological tests, identification of chemosensory proteins from the antennae of hornets, and behavioral assays, we investigated whether olfactory and/or visual cues of the diaspores of Stemona tuberosa mediate the behavior of the social hornets and maintain their mutualism. This study demonstrated that the elaiosome of S. tuberosa emits hydrocarbons, which are attractive to hornets. However, these compounds, which induce responses in the antennae of naive hornets, are ubiquitous substances on insect cuticle surfaces. Innate preference and experienced foraging behavior of hornets can increase their seed dispersal efficiency. This is the first example in which hydrocarbons have been identified as a diaspore odour involved in the attraction of hornets. Given that the ubiquity of hornets, and the communication function of hydrocarbons in insects, we predict that this rare seed dispersal mechanism may be an overlooked mechanism of insect-plant mutualism.

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Level of experience modulates individual foraging strategies of an invasive predatory wasp

Cited by 21 publications

References 62 publications

How single events can influence decision‐making in foraging Vespula germanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) social wasps

How single events can influence decision‐making in foraging Vespula germanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) social wasps

Social Learning in Vespula Germanica Wasps: Do They Use Collective Foraging Strategies?

Hydrocarbons mediate seed dispersal: a new mechanism of vespicochory

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