Allee effects in an invasive social wasp: an experimental study in colonies of Vespula germanica
Allee effects rely on the existence of mutually beneficial intraspecific interactions that increase individual fitness and per capita growth rate, as the number of individuals in a population or group increases. When the number of individuals falls below a given number, the success of a group or pop...
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| Format: | info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo |
| Language: | Inglés |
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Springer Nature
2024
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/18616 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-43527-7 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43527-7 |
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| author | Melo, Romina Ayelen Luz Masciocchi, Maite Corley, Juan Carlos |
| author_browse | Corley, Juan Carlos Masciocchi, Maite Melo, Romina Ayelen Luz |
| author_facet | Melo, Romina Ayelen Luz Masciocchi, Maite Corley, Juan Carlos |
| author_sort | Melo, Romina Ayelen Luz |
| collection | INTA Digital |
| description | Allee effects rely on the existence of mutually beneficial intraspecific interactions that increase individual fitness and per capita growth rate, as the number of individuals in a population or group increases. When the number of individuals falls below a given number, the success of a group or population drops. Social insects heavily rely on cooperation between individuals for various tasks such as foraging and breeding. In this study, we experimentally explored component Allee effects and the underlying mechanisms in colonies of the social wasp Vespula germanica. After the removal of workers, we counted the number of gynes produced, estimated the body mass index as a proxy of their quality, and registered the protein-food collected by foragers in colonies. Our research revealed a correlation between the decrease in worker population and a subsequent decrease in the production of gynes. However, the removal of workers did not impact the quality of the produced gynes or the quantity of protein-food collected by the colonies. These findings highlight the crucial role of the worker caste in the success of eusocial species and suggested an ability of workers to perform multiple tasks that enable colonies to respond to disturbances. Additionally, our study provides the first evidence of Allee effects at the colony level of V. germanica, with potential practical implications for managing this invasive species. |
| format | info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo |
| id | INTA18616 |
| institution | Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina) |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| publisherStr | Springer Nature |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | INTA186162024-07-23T10:38:05Z Allee effects in an invasive social wasp: an experimental study in colonies of Vespula germanica Melo, Romina Ayelen Luz Masciocchi, Maite Corley, Juan Carlos Vespidae Population Dynamics Ecology Intraspecific Relationships Foraging Vespula germanica Dinámica de Poblaciones Ecología Relación Intraespecífica Búsqueda de Alimento Avispa Chaqueta Amarilla Allee effects rely on the existence of mutually beneficial intraspecific interactions that increase individual fitness and per capita growth rate, as the number of individuals in a population or group increases. When the number of individuals falls below a given number, the success of a group or population drops. Social insects heavily rely on cooperation between individuals for various tasks such as foraging and breeding. In this study, we experimentally explored component Allee effects and the underlying mechanisms in colonies of the social wasp Vespula germanica. After the removal of workers, we counted the number of gynes produced, estimated the body mass index as a proxy of their quality, and registered the protein-food collected by foragers in colonies. Our research revealed a correlation between the decrease in worker population and a subsequent decrease in the production of gynes. However, the removal of workers did not impact the quality of the produced gynes or the quantity of protein-food collected by the colonies. These findings highlight the crucial role of the worker caste in the success of eusocial species and suggested an ability of workers to perform multiple tasks that enable colonies to respond to disturbances. Additionally, our study provides the first evidence of Allee effects at the colony level of V. germanica, with potential practical implications for managing this invasive species. EEA Bariloche Fil: Melo, Romina Ayelen Luz. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche (IFAB). Grupo de Ecología y Poblaciones de Insectos; Argentina Fil: Melo, Romina Ayelen Luz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche (IFAB). Grupo de Ecología y Poblaciones de Insectos; Argentina Fil: Masciocchi, Maite. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche (IFAB). Grupo de Ecología y Poblaciones de Insectos; Argentina Fil: Masciocchi, Maite. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche (IFAB). Grupo de Ecología y Poblaciones de Insectos; Argentina Fil: Corley, Juan Carlos. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche (IFAB). Grupo de Ecología y Poblaciones de Insectos; Argentina Fil: Corley, Juan Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche (IFAB). Grupo de Ecología y Poblaciones de Insectos; Argentina Fil: Corley, Juan Carlos. Universidad Nacional Del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Departamento de Ecología; Argentina 2024-07-23T10:34:01Z 2024-07-23T10:34:01Z 2023-09 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/18616 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-43527-7 2045-2322 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43527-7 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Springer Nature Scientific Reports 13 : Article number: 16323 (September 2023) |
| spellingShingle | Vespidae Population Dynamics Ecology Intraspecific Relationships Foraging Vespula germanica Dinámica de Poblaciones Ecología Relación Intraespecífica Búsqueda de Alimento Avispa Chaqueta Amarilla Melo, Romina Ayelen Luz Masciocchi, Maite Corley, Juan Carlos Allee effects in an invasive social wasp: an experimental study in colonies of Vespula germanica |
| title | Allee effects in an invasive social wasp: an experimental study in colonies of Vespula germanica |
| title_full | Allee effects in an invasive social wasp: an experimental study in colonies of Vespula germanica |
| title_fullStr | Allee effects in an invasive social wasp: an experimental study in colonies of Vespula germanica |
| title_full_unstemmed | Allee effects in an invasive social wasp: an experimental study in colonies of Vespula germanica |
| title_short | Allee effects in an invasive social wasp: an experimental study in colonies of Vespula germanica |
| title_sort | allee effects in an invasive social wasp an experimental study in colonies of vespula germanica |
| topic | Vespidae Population Dynamics Ecology Intraspecific Relationships Foraging Vespula germanica Dinámica de Poblaciones Ecología Relación Intraespecífica Búsqueda de Alimento Avispa Chaqueta Amarilla |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/18616 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-43527-7 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43527-7 |
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