Recognition of social parasites as nest-mates: adoption of colony-specific host cuticular odours by the paper wasp parasite Polistes sulcifer Export

@article{Sledge2001b, abstract = {Colonies of the polistine wasp Polistes dominulus are parasitized by the permanent worker-less social parasite Polistes sulcifer. After usurpation of the host colony, parasite females are characterized by a change in the relative proportions of their cuticular hydrocarbons to match those of the host species. In this paper we present evidence from field data and laboratory experiments that P. sulcifer females adopt a colony-specific host odour that facilitates their acceptance by host females of the usurped colony. Presentation experiments demonstrate that parasite females are recognized as foreign individuals by workers of other parasitized nests. We show that the modification of parasite cuticular compounds is sufficient for this recognition. This provides evidence that, after invasion, P. sulcifer queens do not require appeasement or propaganda substances for their acceptance by host colonies. Furthermore, multivariate discriminant analysis of the Cuticular hydrocarbon proportions of the parasites after usurpation assigns the parasites together with P dominulus females of their own host colony. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first confirmation that social parasites adopt colony-specific host odours.}, address = {Sledge, MFUniv Florence, Dipartimento Biol Anim \& Genet, Via Romana 17, I-50125 Florence, ItalyUniv Florence, Dipartimento Biol Anim \& Genet, I-50125 Florence, Italy}, author = {Sledge, M. F. and Dani, F. R. and Cervo, R. and Dapporto, L. and Turillazzi, S.}, citeulike-article-id = {1868253}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {#}, comment = {491GXTimes Cited:20Cited References Count:59}, journal = {Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B-Biological Sciences}, keywords = {bibtex-import, parasitism, social}, pages = {2253--2260}, posted-at = {2007-11-05 13:42:23}, priority = {2}, title = {Recognition of social parasites as nest-mates: adoption of colony-specific host cuticular odours by the paper wasp parasite Polistes sulcifer}, url = {<Go to ISI>://000172101600010}, volume = {268}, year = {2001} }

TY - JOUR ID - Sledge2001b L3 - citeulike-article-id:1868253 N2 - Colonies of the polistine wasp Polistes dominulus are parasitized by the permanent worker-less social parasite Polistes sulcifer. After usurpation of the host colony, parasite females are characterized by a change in the relative proportions of their cuticular hydrocarbons to match those of the host species. In this paper we present evidence from field data and laboratory experiments that P. sulcifer females adopt a colony-specific host odour that facilitates their acceptance by host females of the usurped colony. Presentation experiments demonstrate that parasite females are recognized as foreign individuals by workers of other parasitized nests. We show that the modification of parasite cuticular compounds is sufficient for this recognition. This provides evidence that, after invasion, P. sulcifer queens do not require appeasement or propaganda substances for their acceptance by host colonies. Furthermore, multivariate discriminant analysis of the Cuticular hydrocarbon proportions of the parasites after usurpation assigns the parasites together with P dominulus females of their own host colony. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first confirmation that social parasites adopt colony-specific host odours. JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B-Biological Sciences AD - Sledge, MFUniv Florence, Dipartimento Biol Anim \& Genet, Via Romana 17, I-50125 Florence, ItalyUniv Florence, Dipartimento Biol Anim \& Genet, I-50125 Florence, Italy EP - 2260 TI - Recognition of social parasites as nest-mates: adoption of colony-specific host cuticular odours by the paper wasp parasite Polistes sulcifer VL - 268 SP - 2253 KW - bibtex-import KW - parasitism KW - social N1 - 491GXTimes Cited:20Cited References Count:59 AU - Sledge, MF AU - Dani, FR AU - Cervo, R AU - Dapporto, L AU - Turillazzi, S PY - 2001/// UR - # ER -