Factors affecting the acceptance of alien conspecifics on nests of the primitively eusocial wasp,Ropalidia marginata (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) |
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Authors: | H S Arathi Mallikarjun Shakarad Raghavendra Gadagkar |
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Institution: | (1) Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, 560 012 Bangalore, India;(2) Present address: Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, P.B. No. 24, 584 101 Raichur, India;(3) Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur P.O., 560 064 Bangalore, India |
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Abstract: | In the primitively eusocial wasp, Ropalidia marginata,individual females are known to drift from one newly founded nest to another. In the laboratory, young (<6- to 8-day-old)
alien wasps are accepted onto unrelated colonies, while older (>6- to 8-day-old) wasps are not. Here we have investigated
the factors that could influence the acceptance of foreign conspecifics onto unrelated nests. Individually marked wasps of
different ages, isolated immediately after eclosion from the natal nest and from each other, were introduced onto unrelated
recipient nests. Considered separately, both age and ovarian condition seemed to influence the probability of acceptance as
well as the levels of aggression and tolerance received by the introduced wasps. However, partial correlation analysis and
multiple regression analysis indicated that only age had a direct influence and that the ovarian condition acts only through
age, a variable with which it is highly correlated. The observed acceptance of young aliens and rejection of old aliens are
less likely to be due to the perception of older wasps as a reproductive threat rather than some age-related factor, other
than ovarian condition, for example, the relative ease with which younger wasps can be molded into desired roles. |
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Keywords: | conspecific acceptance primitively eusocial wasps Ropalidia marginata Hymenoptera Vespidae |
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