Article
Behavioral Sciences
Christopher M. Jernigan, Jay A. Stafstrom, Natalie C. Zaba, Caleb C. Vogt, Michael J. Sheehan
Summary: Visual individual recognition requires animals to distinguish among conspecifics based on appearance. Color plays an important role in the facial recognition system of northern paper wasp females, as grayscale versions of faces cannot be recognized as faces.
Article
Entomology
Helmut Kovac, Helmut Kafer, Iacopo Petrocelli, Astrid B. Amstrup, Anton Stabentheiner
Summary: Paper wasps overwinter in hibernacles to protect themselves from predators and adverse weather conditions. We studied the microclimate conditions of hibernacles in Mediterranean and temperate habitats and found that temperature and environmental adaptation play significant roles in the energetic demand of overwintering paper wasps.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Johannes Grosch, Bernadette Eberlein, Sebastian Waldherr, Mariona Pascal, Clara San Bartolome, Federico De La Roca Pinzon, Michael Dittmar, Christiane Hilger, Markus Ollert, Tilo Biedermann, Ulf Darsow, Maria Beatrice Bilo, Carsten B. Schmidt-Weber, Simon Blank
Summary: Differentiating between Polistes dominula and Vespula spp. venom allergies is crucial, with potential new allergens identified from P. dominula venom to improve diagnostic accuracy for Hymenoptera venom allergies. The characterization of these venom proteins contributes to a better understanding of molecular mechanisms and allergenic potential.
Article
Entomology
Helmut Kovac, Julia Magdalena Nagy, Helmut Kaefer, Anton Stabentheiner
Summary: The heat-loving paper wasp Polistes dominula builds nests in sheltered places to maintain a favorable microclimate for brood development. Measurement of microclimate data is crucial for assessing the vulnerability of insects to climate change.
Article
Biology
Elizabeth A. Tibbetts, Juanita Pardo-Sanchez, Julliana Ramirez-Matias, Aurore Avargues-Weber
Summary: While most animals rely on identifying specific features for recognition, paper wasps like P. fuscatus may have developed the ability to recognize faces through holistic processing, combining facial features into a whole for identification. The study shows that P. fuscatus uses holistic processing to distinguish between conspecific faces, while P. dominula does not rely on this mechanism for face recognition. This suggests that holistic processing may be a universal adaptive strategy for expertise in face recognition, converging in distant taxa like primates and wasps, but showing divergence among closely related taxa with different recognition behaviors.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Sara E. Miller, Andrew W. Legan, Floria M. K. Uy, Michael J. Sheehan
Summary: This paper presents draft genome assemblies for two paper wasp species, Polistes exclamans and Mischocyttarus mexicanus, and discusses the importance of genomic resources in studying the molecular basis of social evolution. It identifies a loss of a DNA methyltransferase gene in the evolution of Polistinae and another independent loss in hornets.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ken Sasaki, Hideto Yoshimura, Masakazu Nishimura
Summary: In this study, the storage and usage of dopamine-related substances in different castes of paper wasps were compared. The results showed that there were differences in head widths, lipid stores, and levels of biogenic amines in the brains between workers and gynes. The levels of dopamine precursors were higher in gynes, while dopamine and its metabolites did not differ between castes in most species. These findings suggest that dopamine precursors are stored in the brain without biosynthesis at emergence and then converted into dopamine during colony founding in Polistes species.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Trent Robinson
Summary: Mirror self-recognition has primarily been studied in vertebrate species using the mirror mark test. However, recent interest suggests that all animals may need some form of self-representation. This study examines mirror self-recognition in ghost crabs using a visual mirror mark test, revealing a rudimentary form of self-awareness in this species. Further research is needed to understand more sophisticated forms of self-awareness.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gabrazane V. M. Teixeira, Andre R. De Souza, Wagner F. Barbosa, Rodrigo C. Bernardes, Maria Augusta P. Lima
Summary: Studies have shown that the biopesticide azadirachtin and the neonicotinoid imidacloprid have detrimental effects on the survival, reproduction, and colonies of social wasps maintained in the laboratory, possibly reducing biological control effectiveness.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Helmut Kovac, Helmut Kaefer, Iacopo Petrocelli, Anton Stabentheiner
Summary: The research compared the respiratory metabolism of different polistine wasp species from Mediterranean and temperate climates, finding that overwintering Mediterranean wasps have lower metabolic rates as an adaptation to prevent premature depletion of energy resources.
PHYSIOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Christopher M. Jernigan, Natalie C. Zaba, Michael J. Sheehan
Summary: The study focuses on the effects of maturation and social experience on morphological brain development in Polistes fuscatus paper wasps. Social wasps invest more in the anterior optic tubercle (AOT) compared to socially naive wasps. The study suggests that AOT may mediate facial processing in this species.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Xi Feng, Sai Hu
Summary: The mitochondrial genome of P. hebraeus was analyzed, revealing its genomic features and providing a reference for phylogenetic and taxonomic studies on paper wasps.
MITOCHONDRIAL DNA PART B-RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Luigi Baciadonna, Francesca M. Cornero, Nicola S. Clayton, Nathan J. Emery
Summary: Mirror exposure can lead to various behavioral responses, some of which are considered as evidence of mirror self-recognition (MSR). However, the evidence of MSR is only found in a few species, and there is ongoing debate about its existence in corvids. This study on Eurasian jays found that conclusions about their understanding of reflective surfaces and perception of the reflection as themselves or as a conspecific are premature. Neophobia and methodological constraints may have hindered their response to mirrors. Motivational factors, methodological constraints, and species differences should be considered when interpreting behavioral responses to mirrors.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Masanori Kohda, Redouan Bshary, Naoki Kubo, Satoshi Awata, Will Sowersby, Kento Kawasaka, Taiga Kobayashi, Shumpei Sogawa
Summary: Research has found that the mirror self-recognition (MSR) ability in cleaner fish is associated with a mental image of the self-face, similar to humans. The study provides evidence that cleaner fish with MSR capacity can recognize their own facial characteristics in photographs. Combining mirror test experiments with photographs has the potential to enhance our understanding of the evolution of cognitive processes and private self-awareness in nonhuman animals.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Juanita Pardo-Sanchez, Nora Kou, Elizabeth A. Tibbetts
Summary: Early social experience has a significant impact on adult social behavior, including individual face learning. This study found that experience with conspecifics improves the wasps' ability to learn and remember individual faces, while isolation and exposure to pictures hinder face learning. Interestingly, even limited social experience, such as viewing a mirror or observing conspecifics through glass, enhances face learning.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
