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Social context influences cue-mediated recruitment in an invasive social wasp

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Abstract

Social insects often serve as model systems for communication and recruitment studies, and yet, it remains controversial whether social vespid wasps can reliably communicate resource information to nestmates. In this study, I present empirical evidence that foraging strategies depend on the initial assessment of resource size and potential competition by foraging yellowjackets. The context dependent foraging behavior of Vespula pensylvanica provides a potential explanation for the inconsistent reports of the existence of recruitment communication in vespid wasps. Furthermore, life history traits may influence yellowjacket foraging behavior; annual V. pensylvanica colonies, whose foragers routinely patrol near the nest, exhibited increased bait visitation in response to the return of successful foragers, whereas perennial colonies did not. These behavioral disparities provide insight into how foraging strategies and search patterns may shift with colony size and longevity. In experiments that investigate the effects of visual cues of conspecifics and bait dispersion, foraging decisions corresponded with expectations of yellowjackets integrating resource quantity and access into a perception of demand. When resource competition could be assessed as high, V. pensylvanica foragers quickly exploited the bait closest to their colony regardless of occupation by other wasps; however, foragers preferred visiting unoccupied baits in situations where competition could be perceived as low. Moreover, a meta-analysis revealed that context-dependent, cue-mediated recruitment was widespread in Vespidae, where such foraging behaviors changed with habitat and the potential for resource competition. Such plastic foraging strategies may contribute to the invasion success of some vespid wasps.

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Acknowledgments

I thank E. Goldberg, A. Lin, C. S. Sidhu, J. Wilson and C. Young for field assistance. I gratefully acknowledge D.A. Holway, J. Kohn, E.M. Lichtenberg, J. Nieh, D.T. Rankin, P.K. Visscher and two anonymous reviewers for their extensive and constructive comments improving this manuscript. I also express thanks to K. Xu and the UCR Statistical Consulting Collaboratory for statistical advice. Financial support provided in part by EPA STAR Fellowship (EEW), and San Diego Chapter of ARCS® Foundation (EEW). Work was conducted under permits HAVO-2005-SCI-0044 and HALE-2004-SCI-0009.

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  1. Erin E. Wilson-Rankin

    Present address: Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

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  1. Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0116, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

    Erin E. Wilson-Rankin

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Correspondence to Erin E. Wilson-Rankin.

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Communicated by W. O. H. Hughes

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Wilson-Rankin, E.E. Social context influences cue-mediated recruitment in an invasive social wasp. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 68, 1151–1161 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-014-1726-7

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