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Cuticular hydrocarbons correlate with fertility, not dominance, in a paper wasp, Polistes dominulus

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Abstract

Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are information-rich signals in social insects that coordinate behaviors within nests. However, in some taxa, the precise information conveyed by CHCs is poorly understood. In particular, there is a debate over whether CHCs convey information about their bearer's dominance or fertility. Distinguishing between dominance and fertility signaling is difficult because fertility and rank are frequently correlated within social insect colonies. This study disentangles those relationships by examining CHCs of Polistes dominulus paper wasps during the early nest-founding stage before dominance and fertility become correlated. First, we confirm that dominance and fertility are not associated in early spring foundresses. Then we show that CHCs are more strongly associated with fertility than dominance. There was no relationship between cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and a wasp’s ability to dominate rivals through aggression, suggesting that CHCs are unlikely to provide information about dominance. However, there was a significant correlation between ovarian development and the CHC profile, suggesting that CHCs could convey valuable information about their bearer's fertility. Furthermore, our data provide a potential mechanism for chemical signaling of fecundity, as there is a relationship between endogenous juvenile hormone titer (a gonadotropin), degree of ovarian development, and the CHC profile. Hormonal regulation of CHC profile expression offers a physiological mechanism to coordinate behavior, physical state, and signal expression.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Stefano Turillazzi, as well as the anonymous reviewers for their insightful and helpful comments. We thank David Borst (University of Central Florida) for graciously providing the juvenile hormone antiserum, and also thank James Windak, Megan McGuigan, and Brian Shay for sharing their expertise on use of the GC/MS and help with chemical analysis. Funding to ZYH was provided by MSU Agricultural Experimental Station.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Amanda Izzo, Michael Wells & Elizabeth Tibbetts

  2. Department of Entomology, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Zachary Huang

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  1. Amanda Izzo
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  2. Michael Wells
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  3. Zachary Huang
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Correspondence to Elizabeth Tibbetts.

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Communicated by O. Rueppell

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Izzo, A., Wells, M., Huang, Z. et al. Cuticular hydrocarbons correlate with fertility, not dominance, in a paper wasp, Polistes dominulus . Behav Ecol Sociobiol 64, 857–864 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-010-0902-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-010-0902-7

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