High rates of polygyny in tropical Mexico within the native range of Vespula squamosa.

Polygyny, or the formation of colonies with multiple cooperating queens, has been observed in a variety of social Hymenoptera and likely exists as a convergent evolutionary strategy. Polygyne cooperation has been observed in several Vespula sp. and is correlated with a perennial social strategy. This perennial-polygyne behavior has been observed most commonly within the tropical and subtropical regions of the invasive Vespula pensylvanica and V. germanica, and rarely within their native temperate ranges. This phenomenon has been relatively undocumented within the tropical portions the V. squamosa native range, despite it being observed in their temperate ranges several times. We observed polygyny in seven out of eight colonies of V. squamosa at a Santiago Apoala site in Oaxaca, Mexico. Our findings suggest that polygyny in these Vespula species is not solely the product of a genetic or population bottleneck resulting from introduction, but rather some undetermined environmental effects

Biodiversity of Pollinators and Predators: Surveying and Increasing Appreciation of the Bees, Ants and Wasps of Georgia Southern University

Proposed by Drs. Joshua Gibson and Kevin Loope, and Bonnie Cobb (student) Department of Biology. ($28,000.00

Reproductive Conflicts And Signal Evolution In Social Wasps And Bees

Chapter 1 (published in Naturwissenshaften) is a side project on honeybee behavior. We showed that honeybee colonies that are headed by queens who are artificially inseminated with the sperm of a single drone have egg-eating policing behavior, just like colonies with naturally mated, highly polyandrous queens. Chapter 2 is an ESS-style model of worker reproduction in honeybee colonies, suggesting that workers may invest in selfish reproduction if they sense the queen may be about to die. Chapter 3 (published in BMC Evolutionary Biology) addresses the evolution of multiple mating in the Vespine wasps. First, I used microsatellite markers to describe how many patrilines are present in colonies of five wasp species, four of which are in the enigmatic Vespula rufa species group, and the last a facultative social parasite of another species of yellowjacket. I also performed a comparative analysis of paternity number and paternity skew across 21 species of yellowjacket wasps and hornets (Vespidae: Vespinae). Species with larger colonies have higher average paternity frequencies and lower average paternity skew, with interesting implications for the evolution of polyandry in this group. Chapters 4 and 5 focus on the adaptive significance of matricide in Dolichovespula arenaria, an aerially nesting yellowjacket wasp. I describe matricide for the first time in this species, and use experiments and genetic analyses to show that in natural and lab colonies, queens that are killed are typically those who have mated few times, or who use sperm in a strongly biased way, resulting in high worker relatedness. Queens who have mated multiply and use sperm evenly are rarely killed, supporting the hypothesis that workers kill queens as a result of conflict over the production of males. Experiments suggested that queens laying only male eggs do not trigger matricide, nor does an abrupt drop in queen fecundity, contrary to theoretical predictions. Chapter 6 examines the evolution of cuticular hydrocarbon diversity across the polistine wasps, and provides evidence that the diversity of recognition compounds correlates with social organization, suggesting that these compounds have evolved in response to their function in recognition behavior

Data from: Queen killing is linked to high worker-worker relatedness in a social wasp

Social insect colonies are pinnacles of evolved altruism, but also contain dramatic conflict among relatives [1, 2]. In many species, a colony’s workers compete with the queen and each other over the production of males. Interspecific comparisons demonstrate the importance of within-colony relatedness in determining the outcome of this conflict [3, 4], but facultative responses to within-colony relatedness are rarely reported [5-7]. Here, I report facultative matricide (worker killing of a colony’s queen) in the social wasp, Dolichovespula arenaria. Matricide is strongly associated with high worker-worker relatedness, as predicted by theory, because closely-related workers value nephews more than brothers [8]. This pattern is the result of variation in both paternity frequency and the paternity skew of colonies with multiple patrilines, implicating worker-worker relatedness rather than a direct effect of multiple mating on queen survival. Furthermore, occasional inbreeding can explain why some multiple-patriline colonies exhibit high paternity skew associated with matricide. In general, these results support the hypothesis that workers can facultatively respond to intracolony relatedness determined by queen mating behavior, and demonstrate a novel benefit of polyandry in annual social insects. Facultative matricide shows dramatically how workers are evolutionary actors with interests that can diverge from the queen’s, rather than being ‘extrasomatic projections of her personal genome’ [9]

Reproductive decisions of pollinator (Agaonidae) and non-pollinator (Torymidae) fig wasps of Ficus pertusa (Moraceae)

Ficus pertusa (Moraceae), a common Neotropical fig, is host to one pollinating (Agaonidae) and three nonpollinating (Torymidae) fig wasps. Bronstein (1991) addressed interspecies interactions between these species and suggested they may be partitioning resources within individual fig inflorescences (syconia) due to a forced association and observed morphological differences. I tested whether or not these wasps’ partition oviposition sites within a fig based upon distance from the syconium wall. Also, these wasps exhibit different reproductive strategies that vary the degree of local mate competition (LMC) between brothers for mates. LMC and inbreeding have been used to explain female-biased sex ratios (Harre 1985; Frank 1985) and this system provides an excellent opportunity for comparison between different reproductive strategies. I censured 30 syconia to determine distribution of different species within the syconia and the sex ratios of each species. I found that the wasps do not partition florets based upon height (ANOVA, F = 0.148, p \u3e 0.05, df= 3). However, the presence of many (16 out of 30) unpollinated but torymid-infested syconia call into question the assertion that torymids rely on the pollinator wasps, as suggested by Bronstein (1991). In addition, I found that while LMC/inbreeding may impact the sex ratios of two wasps, Pegoscapus silvestrii (Agaonidae) and Idarnes sp. (Torymidae), another mechanism is needed to explain the high sex ratios, 0.5 and 0.6, found in the torymids Species 3 and Aepocerus respectively. I suggest several potential explanations: a high cost for female production, local resource competition (LRC) among related females or an equilibrium established between natal-fig mating and dispersing males. Ficus pertusa (Moraceae), un higo neotropical común, es el anfitrión de una avispa polinizadora (Agaonidae) y tres no polinizadoras (Torymidae). Bronstein (1991) estudió las interacciones interespecíficas entre estas especies y sugirió que pueden estar dividiendo los recursos dentro de las inflorescencias individuales de los higos (siconia) debido a una asociación forzada y a diferencias morfológicas observadas. Probé la idea de que estas avispas dividen los sitios de ovoposición dentro de un higo basado en la distancia de la pared del siconium. Estas avispas también exhiben estrategias reproductoras diferentes que varían según el grado de la competencia local de parejas (LMC) entre hermanos. La LMC y la endogamia se han utilizado para explicar proporciones sexuales que favorecen a las hembras (Harre 1985; Franco 1985); este sistema proporciona una oportunidad excelente para la comparación entre estrategias reproductivas diferentes. Yo examiné 30 siconia para determinar la distribución de las diferentes especies dentro de los siconios y las proporciones sexuales de cada especie. Encontré que las avispas no dividen los flósculos basados en la altura (ANOVA, F = 0,148, P\u3e 0,05, df = 3). Sin embargo, la presencia de muchos (16 de 30) siconios sin polinizar pero infestados de torímidos pone en duda la dependencia de los torímidos en la polinización sugerido por Bronstein (1991). Además, encontré que mientras que la LMC y la endogamia pueden controlar las proporciones sexuales de dos avispas, Pegoscapus silvestrii (Agaonidae) e Idarnes sp. (Torymidae), otro mecanismo es necesario para explicar las altas proporciones sexuales, 0,5 y 0,6, encontradas en la Especie 3 de los torímidos y en Aepocerus, respectivamente. Sugiero varias explicaciones potenciales: un costo alto para la producción de hembras, la competencia local del recurso (LRC) entre hembras relacionadas o un equilibrio establecido entre el apareamiento en el higo natal y la dispersión de los machos.https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/tropical_ecology/1674/thumbnail.jp

Reproductive decisions of pollinator (Agaonidae) and non-pollinator (Torymidae) fig wasps of Ficus pertusa (Moraceae)

Ficus pertusa (Moraceae), a common Neotropical fig, is host to one pollinating (Agaonidae) and three nonpollinating (Torymidae) fig wasps. Bronstein (1991) addressed interspecies interactions between these species and suggested they may be partitioning resources within individual fig inflorescences (syconia) due to a forced association and observed morphological differences. I tested whether or not these wasps’ partition oviposition sites within a fig based upon distance from the syconium wall. Also, these wasps exhibit different reproductive strategies that vary the degree of local mate competition (LMC) between brothers for mates. LMC and inbreeding have been used to explain female-biased sex ratios (Harre 1985; Frank 1985) and this system provides an excellent opportunity for comparison between different reproductive strategies. I censured 30 syconia to determine distribution of different species within the syconia and the sex ratios of each species. I found that the wasps do not partition florets based upon height (ANOVA, F = 0.148, p \u3e 0.05, df= 3). However, the presence of many (16 out of 30) unpollinated but torymid-infested syconia call into question the assertion that torymids rely on the pollinator wasps, as suggested by Bronstein (1991). In addition, I found that while LMC/inbreeding may impact the sex ratios of two wasps, Pegoscapus silvestrii (Agaonidae) and Idarnes sp. (Torymidae), another mechanism is needed to explain the high sex ratios, 0.5 and 0.6, found in the torymids Species 3 and Aepocerus respectively. I suggest several potential explanations: a high cost for female production, local resource competition (LRC) among related females or an equilibrium established between natal-fig mating and dispersing males. Ficus pertusa (Moraceae), un higo neotropical común, es el anfitrión de una avispa polinizadora (Agaonidae) y tres no polinizadoras (Torymidae). Bronstein (1991) estudió las interacciones interespecíficas entre estas especies y sugirió que pueden estar dividiendo los recursos dentro de las inflorescencias individuales de los higos (siconia) debido a una asociación forzada y a diferencias morfológicas observadas. Probé la idea de que estas avispas dividen los sitios de ovoposición dentro de un higo basado en la distancia de la pared del siconium. Estas avispas también exhiben estrategias reproductoras diferentes que varían según el grado de la competencia local de parejas (LMC) entre hermanos. La LMC y la endogamia se han utilizado para explicar proporciones sexuales que favorecen a las hembras (Harre 1985; Franco 1985); este sistema proporciona una oportunidad excelente para la comparación entre estrategias reproductivas diferentes. Yo examiné 30 siconia para determinar la distribución de las diferentes especies dentro de los siconios y las proporciones sexuales de cada especie. Encontré que las avispas no dividen los flósculos basados en la altura (ANOVA, F = 0,148, P\u3e 0,05, df = 3). Sin embargo, la presencia de muchos (16 de 30) siconios sin polinizar pero infestados de torímidos pone en duda la dependencia de los torímidos en la polinización sugerido por Bronstein (1991). Además, encontré que mientras que la LMC y la endogamia pueden controlar las proporciones sexuales de dos avispas, Pegoscapus silvestrii (Agaonidae) e Idarnes sp. (Torymidae), otro mecanismo es necesario para explicar las altas proporciones sexuales, 0,5 y 0,6, encontradas en la Especie 3 de los torímidos y en Aepocerus, respectivamente. Sugiero varias explicaciones potenciales: un costo alto para la producción de hembras, la competencia local del recurso (LRC) entre hembras relacionadas o un equilibrio establecido entre el apareamiento en el higo natal y la dispersión de los machos.https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/tropical_ecology/1674/thumbnail.jp

Dataset and code for "Unexpected effect of geographic origin on post-translocation survival in a long-lived reptile"

Data include release and mortality information for 2,822 gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) translocated to Nokuse, a private reserve in the panhandle of Florida. Mitigation translocations move wildlife from specific areas due to conflict with humans over land use at the site. A critical decision when carrying out mitigation translocation is the acceptable distance across which animals can be moved. This decision trades off logistical expediency of unrestricted translocation with the risk of reducing translocation success due to environmental mismatch between origin and translocation site conditions. In this study, we used a large dataset of 502 individually identifiable carcasses to examine the role of geographic origin and translocation distance in the relative survival of 2,822 translocated subadult and adult gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus), a species experiencing large-scale mitigation translocation, at a recipient site in the Florida panhandle, USA. We hypothesized that if climate or habitat differences between the origin and translocation site influenced survival, tortoises translocated from within the Florida panhandle would have the highest survival. To the contrary, we found that survival slightly increased with increasing climatic difference between origin and recipient site, driven by higher survival of tortoises coming from central Florida sites compared to those from the panhandle and north Florida. This suggests that environmental mismatch due to long-distance translocation is not a main driver of mortality. These models also indicated an effect of season, with a survival advantage to tortoises translocated in the spring and late fall, relative to summer translocations, and a negative effect of initial density on survival. Finally, we also estimated the upper bound on annual survival in three well-monitored groups to be quite low (92-95%) for several years following release, suggesting caution when considering large translocated populations to be viable without first assessing adult survival. Our unexpected results highlight the importance of investigating species-specific sensitivities to translocation distances and indicate the limitations of assumed linear effects of translocation distance on outcomes.</p