Abstract
Nest mate recognition in insect societies is important to avoid exploitation of nest resources and immature broods by social parasites and conspecifics non related with colony members. This recognition is mainly based on chemical signals. Cues which permit discrimination of colony members from alien individuals are generally represented by the cuticular lipids which cover the bodies of the insects. These substances have the original and principal functions to limit water loss and attacks from pathogens, but in the course of evolution they have also acquired a communicative function. This talk deals with recent acquisitions of research on this argument and especially on nest mate recognition in social wasps.
Riassunto
Il riconoscimento dei compagni di nido è di estrema importanza nelle società degli Insetti in quanto serve a limitare lo sfruttamento delle risorse e della prole immatura presenti nei nidi da parte di parassiti sociali e, in generale, di conspecifici non imparentati con i membri delle colonie. Questo riconoscimento è di tipo chimico e si basa essenzialmente sulle sostanze che compongono lo strato lipidico che ricopre il corpo degli insetti. Queste sostanze hanno l’originaria e principale funzione di limitare la perdita d’acqua e l’ingresso di organismi patogeni ma nel corso dell’evoluzione hanno assunto anche una funzione comunicativa. La presente relazione tratta delle ultime acquisizioni della ricerca su questo fenomeno e si sofferma in particolare sulle tecniche utilizzate e sui risultati degli studi compiuti sulle vespe sociali.
Similar content being viewed by others
Bibliografia
Bonavita-Cougourdan A., Théraulaz G., Bagnères A.G., Roux M., Pratte M., Provost E., Clément J.L., 1991.Cuticular hydrocarbons, social organization and ovarian development in a polistine wasp: Polistes dominulusChrist. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, 100B: 667–680.
Breed M.D., 1998.Chemical cues in kin recognition: criteria for identification, experimental approaches, and the honey bee as an example. In:R.K. Vandermeer, M.D. Breed, M.L. Winston, K.E. Espelie (eds.),Pheromones communication in social insects. Westview Press, Boulder: 57–78.
Dani F.R., Jones G.R., Destri S., Spencer S.H., Turillazzi S., 2001.Deciphering the recognition signature within the cuticular chemical profile of paper wasps. Animal Behaviour, 62: 165–171.
Dapporto L., Cervo R., Sledge M.F., Turillazzi S., 2004a.Rank integration in dominance hierarchies of host colonies by the paper wasp social parasite Polistes sulcifer(Hymenoptera, vespidae). Journal of Insect Physiology, 50: 217–223.
Dapporto L., Theodora P., Spacchini C., Pieraccini G., Turillazzi S., 2004b.Rank and epicuticular hydrocarbons in different populations of the paper wasp Polistes dominulus(Christ) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Insectes Sociaux, 51: 1–8.
Gamboa G.J., 1996.Kin recognition in social wasps. In:S. Turillazzi, M.J. West-Eberhard (eds.), Natural history and evolution of paper-wasps. Oxford University Press: 161–177.
Keller L., Nonacs P., 1993.The role of queen pheromones in social insects: queen control or queen signal. Animal Behaviour, 45: 787–794.
Lorenzi M.C., Bagnères A.C., Clément J.L., 1996.The role of cuticular hydrocarbons in social insects: is it the same in paper-wasps? In:S. Turillazzi, M.J. West-Eberhard (eds.),Natural history and evolution of paper-wasps. Oxford University Press: 178–189.
Lorenzi M.C., Sledge M.F., Laiolo P., Sturlini E., Turillazzi S.,Cuticular hydrocarbon dynamics in young adult Polistes dominulus(Hymenoptera Vespidae) and the role of linear hydrocarbons in nestmate recognition systems. J. Insect Physiology, in corso di stampa.
Michener C.D., 1969.Comparative social behavior in bees. Annual review of entomology, 14: 299–342.
Monnin T., Malosse C., Peeters C., 1998.Solid-phase microextraction and cuticular hydrocarbon differences related to reproductive activity in queenless ant Dinoponera quadriceps. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 24: 473–490.
Pardi L., 1942.Ricerche sui Polistini. V. La poliginia iniziale in Polistes gallicus(L.). Bollettino dell’Istituto di Entomologia dell’Università di Bologna, 14: 1–106.
Pardi L., 1946.Ricerche sui Polistini VII. La «dominazione» ed il ciclo ovarico annuale di Polistes gallicus(L.). Bollettino dell’Istituto di Entomologia dell’Università di Bologna, 15: 25–84.
Pardi L., 1948.Dominance order in Polisteswasps. Physiological Zoology, 21: 1–13.
Peeters C., Monnin T., Malosse C., 1999.Cuticular hydrocarbons correlated with reproductive status in a queenless ant. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. B, 266: 1323–1327.
Singer T.L., Espelie K.E., Gamboa G.J., 1998.Nest and nestmate discrimination in independent-founding paper wasps. In:R.K. Vandermeer, M.D. Breed, M.L. Winston, K.E. Espelie (eds.),Pheromones communication in social insects. Westview Press, Boulder: 104–125.
Sledge M.F., Dani F.R., Cervo R., Dapporto L., Turillazzi S., 2001a.Recognition of social parasites as nestmates: adoption of colony-specific host cuticular odours by the paper wasp parasite Polistes sulcifer. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. B, 268: 2253–2260.
Sledge M.F., Boscaro F., Turillazzi S., 2001b.Cuticular hydrocarbons and reproductive status in the social wasp Polistes dominulus. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 49: 401–409.
Tibbetts E.A., 2002.Visual signals of individual identity in the wasp Polistes fuscatus. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 269: 1423–1428.
Tyrillazzi S., 2003.Le società delle Vespe. A. Perdisa Edit. Bologna, XX + 251 pp.
Turillazzi S., Sledge M.F., Moneti G., 1998.Use of simple method for sampling cuticular hydrocarbons from kive social wasps. Ethology, Ecology & Evolution, 10: 75–88.
Turillazzi S., Sledge M.F., Dani F.R., Cervo R., Massolo A., Fondelli L., 2000.Social Hackers: Integration in the host chemical recognition system by a paper wasp social parasite. Naturwissenschaften, 87: 172–176.
Wilson E.O., 1971.The insect societies. Harvard Univ. Press. Cambridge, MA.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Tenuta nella seduta a Classi riunite dell’8 maggio 2003.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Turillazzi, S. Lasciapassare e carte di identità nelle società degli insetti. Rend. Fis. Acc. Lincei 15, 257–266 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02904465
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02904465