A1 Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä lehdessä

Recognition of conspecific immunological status in a neotropical paper wasp




Tekijätde Souza André Rodrigues, França Wilson, Prato Amanda, Rantala Markus J., do Nascimento Fábio Santos

KustantajaOXFORD UNIV PRESS INC

Julkaisuvuosi2023

JournalBehavioral Ecology

Tietokannassa oleva lehden nimiBEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY

Lehden akronyymiBEHAV ECOL

Vuosikerta34

Numero3

Aloitussivu480

Lopetussivu487

Sivujen määrä8

ISSN1045-2249

eISSN1465-7279

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arad010

Verkko-osoitehttps://academic.oup.com/beheco/article/34/3/480/7102497


Tiivistelmä

Host immune activation is common under a pathogen invasion. This physiological response can promote changes in the body surface compounds, thus providing chemical cues related to health that might be useful to conspecifics. By recognizing the current immunological status of social partners, individuals can modulate their behavior to minimize the risk of infection. Tegument wounding, an immune elicitor, is a required step for many parasites to become established in a host. By using the neotropical eusocial paper wasp Mischocyttarus metathoracicus as a model organism, we first performed a lure presentation experiment in the field to test if wasps discriminate conspecific immunological status (experimentally manipulated by wounding) during on nest social interactions. Then, we performed gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analyses to test if immunostimulation by wounding alters the wasps’ cuticular hydrocarbon profile. We found that wasps reduce the duration of aggressive physical contact when interacting with wounded lures, despite displaying a similar frequency of inspective and aggressive behaviors toward both the wounded and the control lures. Besides, we found a subtle increase in a single cuticular hydrocarbon in the wounded wasps. Thus, wasps recognize conspecific immunological status, likely by chemical cues, and modulate their behavior in order to defend the colony against intruders while minimizing the personal risk of infection.



Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 22:33