1. Morphological caste differences in primitively eusocial insects: the Van der Vecht organ of Mischocyttarus paper wasps
- Author
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Eduardo Fernando dos Santos, William Fernando Antonialli-Junior, Amanda Prato, Fabio S. Nascimento, Rafael Carvalho da Silva, José Lino-Neto, Camila Folly Baptista, Eva Ramona Pereira Soares, Bruno Corrêa Barbosa, André Rodrigues de Souza, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV), Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Univ Estadual MatoGrosso do Sul, and Univ Fed Juiz de Fora
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,neotropical paper wasps ,Caste ,Zoology ,nest chemical defence ,Biology ,biology.organism_classification ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Eusociality ,cuticular morphometry ,010602 entomology ,Mischocyttarus ,organ morphology ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,caste evolution ,light microscopy - Abstract
Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-10T20:09:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-07-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Nests of independent-founding primitively eusocial paper wasps are founded by one or a few females. Before worker emergence, foundresses must forage, sometimes leaving the nest unattended. Chemical defence - the application of ant repellent secretions of the Van der Vecht organ (VdVO) on the nest surface - allows brood protection when active defence is weak or not possible. After worker emergence, it is more likely that some wasps stay in the nest, so active nest defence may be more common. Given this constraint on the nest defence, selection for increasing the cuticular secretory area of the VdVO, to improve chemical defence, may be stronger in foundresses (queens) than in workers - morphological castes are hypothesized to evolve. We investigated the occurrence of morphological castes in the Neotropical paper wasp Mischocyttarus. Confirming our prediction, we found that in some (but not all) species, foundresses have a distinct increase in the secretory area of the VdVO in relation to workers; even though there is a strong overlap between caste phenotypes (incipient morphological castes). Implications of these findings for the evolution of morphological castes in primitively eusocial wasps are discussed. Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Filosofia Ciencias & Letras Ribeirao Preto, Dept Biol, BR-14040901 Sao Paulo, Brazil Univ Fed Vicosa, Dept Biol Celular & Estrutura, BR-36570900 Vicosa, MG, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias Letras & Ciencias Exatas, Dept Zool & Bot, BR-15054000 Sao Jose Do Rio Preto, Brazil Univ Estadual MatoGrosso do Sul, Lab Ecol Comportamental LABECO, BR-79804970 Dourados, MS, Brazil Univ Fed Juiz de Fora, Dept Zool, Lab Ecol Comportamental & Bioacust LABEC, BR-36036900 Juiz De Fora, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias Letras & Ciencias Exatas, Dept Zool & Bot, BR-15054000 Sao Jose Do Rio Preto, Brazil FAPESP: 2015/05302-0
- Published
- 2020