The role of moisture in the nest thermoregulation of social wasps

Klingner, Raoul; Richter, Klaus; Schmolz, Erik; Keller, B.

doi:10.1007/s00114-005-0012-y

Cited by 35 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…To cool the nest, the foraging worker hornets bring droplets of water to the nest, which they then attach to the silk caps of the larval cells. It appears that evaporation of these water droplets results in cooling of the nest (Klingner et al, 2005). Contrariwise, warming of the nest is achieved by beating of the wings, that is, the nest warms up because of and during activation of the flight muscles by the hornets inside.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

A thermoregulatory center in hornets: IR photography

Plotkin

Ermakov

Volynchik

et al. 2005

Microsc. Res. Tech.

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In the Oriental hornet Vespa orientalis (Hymenoptera, Vespinae), there is on the dorsal side of the thorax, beneath the mesoscutum plate of the prothorax and around the median notal suture, a lump that, in the course of hornet activity, is warmer by 9 degrees C from the surrounding milieu and by up to 6 degrees C from other body parts of the hornet. This lump is about 1 mm in diameter, butterfly-shaped, and its upper, posterior border abuts the base of the forewings. During hornet activity and via Infra Red photography one can observe heat extensions stemming from the center of the lump and proceeding forward in the direction of the head, downward toward the legs and backwards toward the bases of the wings. The warmest region is the center of the lump, with its margins showing a lower temperature. As for the legs of the hornet, their upper part is warmer than the other parts. The temperature gradients along the hornet's body are dependent on the extent and nature of hornet activity. Thus, during flight or ventilation activity, the thorax is the warmest part of the body, while the wings, legs, and antennae, as well as the posterior part of the gaster are colder, yet all these body parts are still warmer to varying degrees than the surrounding milieu. Thus, at night, when sentry worker hornets stand guard around the nest entrance and remain practically motionless, the temperature differences between the various body parts are retained unchanged. We conjecture that the described butterfly-shaped lump is a thermoregulatory center (TC), which is neurogenically activated, since the changes occurring in it are rapid, a matter of one to several seconds and do not appear to be directly dependent on the hemolymph supply. The thermoregulatory center keeps a high constant temperature apparently related to hornet activity and the environmental conditions. The temperature cascade is most probably regulated via the tracheal system. Apparently another system activated by a heat pump mechanism keeps the gaster at a lower temperature than the environment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

A thermoregulatory center in hornets: IR photography

Plotkin

Ermakov

Volynchik

et al. 2005

Microsc. Res. Tech.

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“…Several authors have examined RH regulation in the Hymenoptera, the only group of social insects that has been studied extensively in this regard. Bees, ants and wasps maintain a higher and more stable nest RH than the ambient environment (Weidenmüller et al , ; Klingner et al , ; Human et al , ; Bollazzi & Roces, ; Ellis et al , ). The highest RH in bee colonies was found near brood (Weidenmüller et al , ; Human et al , ; Ellis et al , ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Termites like it hot and humid: the ability of arboreal tropical termites to mediate their nest environment against ambient conditions

Fuller

Postava-Davignon

2014

Ecological Entomology

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Tropical termites are physiologically adapted to a narrow range of climatic conditions, and as a result may be particularly impacted by global climate change. Because of their key roles as decomposers and ecosystem engineers, any climatic impact on termites could have serious ramifications for tropical ecosystems. The ability of termites to mediate their nest environment could allow them to cope with these changes. The temperature and RH in nests of the tropical termite Nasutitermes acajutlae were compared with ambient conditions on the island of St John, U.S. Virgin Islands, over a 5‐year period using data loggers inserted into nest cartons. Nest conditions were found to be significantly warmer, more humid, and less variable than ambient conditions with respect to both temperature and RH. A comparison of dead nests, live non‐reproductive nests, and live reproductive nests revealed that temperature mediation appears to be primarily the result of the presence of termites, with reproductive nests producing the highest temperatures, while high RH is maintained by the insulating effects of the nest material. Environmental variability across the years of this study had a significant influence on nest temperature and RH, suggesting that if tropical conditions become warmer and drier as predicted, N. acajutlae may have difficulty adapting over the long term.

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“…The techniques of CFD offer new perspectives to gain a further understanding of climate regulation by nest architecture; however, more environmental parameters with regard to microclimates should be included, such as temporal changes in nest humidity, colonial heat generation, and ventilation activity by adults. Humidity is very important for passive nest thermoregulation (Klingner et al 2005). Further studies considering all these factors are required to understand the microclimates in the P. spinifex nest more realistically.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Long Slit-Like Entrance Promotes Ventilation in the Mud Nesting Social Wasp,Polybia spinifex: Visualization of Nest Microclimates using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Hozumi

Inagaki

2010

Journal of Insect Science

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Polybia spinifex Richards (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) constructs mud nests characterized by a long slit-like entrance. The ventilation and thermal characteristics of the P. spinifex nest were investigated to determine whether the nest microclimate is automatically maintained due to the size of the entrance. In order to examine this hypothesis, a numerical simulation was employed to predict the effects of the entrance length. The calculations were performed with 3D-virtual models that simulated the P. spinifex nest conditions, and the reliability of the simulations was experimentally examined by using gypsum-model nests and a P. spinifex nest. The ventilation effect was determined by blowing air through the nest at 1–3 m/s (airflow conditions); the airspeed was found to be higher in models with a longer entrance. The ventilation rate was also higher in models with longer entrances, suggesting that the P. spinifex nest is automatically ventilated by natural winds. Next, the thermal effect was calculated under condition of direct sunlight. Under a calm condition (airflow, 0 m/s), thermal convection and a small temperature drop were observed in the case of models with a long entrance, whereas the ventilation and thermoregulation effects seemed small. Under airflow conditions, the temperature at the mid combs steeply dropped due to the convective airflow through the entrance at 1–2 m/s, and at 3 m/s, most of the heat was eliminated due to high thermal conductivity of the mud envelope, rather than convection.

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The role of moisture in the nest thermoregulation of social wasps

Cited by 35 publications

References 11 publications

A thermoregulatory center in hornets: IR photography

A thermoregulatory center in hornets: IR photography

Termites like it hot and humid: the ability of arboreal tropical termites to mediate their nest environment against ambient conditions

A Long Slit-Like Entrance Promotes Ventilation in the Mud Nesting Social Wasp,Polybia spinifex: Visualization of Nest Microclimates using Computational Fluid Dynamics

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