Herzner, Gudrun and Engl, Tobias and Strohm, Erhard (2011) Cryptic combat against competing microbes is a costly component of parental care in a digger wasp. ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR, 82 (2). pp. 321-328. ISSN 0003-3472, 1095-8282
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Microorganisms are ubiquitous and key selective agents in parental care behaviour. Various animal species have thus evolved diverse means to prevent and combat detrimental effects of microbial competitors and pathogens on their offspring. The European beewolf, Philanthus triangulum, is a solitary crabronid wasp that stores paralysed honeybees as larval provisions in subterranean nests. In the soil the highly nutritious provisions can be attacked by a large number of microorganisms. We investigated the effect of fungal infestations of larval provisions on the reproductive success of beewolves. Although fungal infestations reduced larval survival, female beewolves largely eliminated this effect by embalming larval provisions with ample amounts of hydrocarbons. However, this came at the cost of a reduced ability to apply hydrocarbons to the provisions of future offspring. This reduced investment in embalming resulted in a higher risk of mould infestations. Embalming of the prey in P. triangulum thus meets the criterion of parental investment and females have to balance this investment of hydrocarbons in current and future offspring to maximize their lifetime reproductive success. (C) 2011 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | CUTICULAR HYDROCARBON SYNTHESIS; COCKROACH BLATTELLA-GERMANICA; BEEWOLF PHILANTHUS-TRIANGULUM; FEMALE EUROPEAN BEEWOLVES; BEETLE ONTHOPHAGUS-TAURUS; POSTPHARYNGEAL GLAND; BEES HYMENOPTERA; F HYMENOPTERA; SOLITARY WASP; BODY-SIZE; antifungal; antimicrobial; beewolf; competition; fungus; mould; multifaceted parental investment; pathogen; Philanthus triangulum; postpharyngeal gland |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 590 Zoological sciences |
| Divisions: | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie > Evolutionary Ecology (Prof. Dr. Erhard Strohm) |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Jun 2020 09:06 |
| Last Modified: | 03 Jun 2020 09:06 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/20477 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
