| Title: | Conservation of Queen Pheromones Across Two Species of Vespine Wasps |
| Author(s): | Oi CA; Millar JG; van Zweden JS; Wenseleers T; |
| Address: | "Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. cintiaakemioi@gmail.com. Departments of Entomology and Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA. Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000, Leuven, Belgium" |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10886-016-0777-9 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1573-1561 (Electronic) 0098-0331 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Social insects are known for their reproductive division of labor between queens and workers, whereby queens lay the majority of the colony's eggs, and workers engage mostly in non-reproductive tasks. Queens produce pheromones that signal their presence and fertility to workers, which in turn generally remain sterile. Recently, it has been discovered that specific queen-characteristic cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) function as queen pheromones across multiple lineages of social insects. In the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris, several long-chain linear alkanes and 3-methylalkanes were shown to act as queen signals. Here, we describe similar bioassays with a related species of highly eusocial vespine wasp, the Saxon wasp, Dolichovespula saxonica. We show that a blend of queen-characteristic hydrocarbons that are structurally related to those of the common wasp inhibit worker reproduction, suggesting conservation of queen pheromones across social wasps. Overall, our results highlight the central importance of CHCs in chemical communication among social insects in general, and as conserved queen pheromones in these social wasps in particular" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Biological Assay Female Hydrocarbons/chemistry/*metabolism/pharmacology Pheromones/chemistry/*metabolism/pharmacology Reproduction/drug effects Wasps/drug effects/*metabolism/physiology Cuticular hydrocarbon Dolichovespula saxonica, Vespula vulgar;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineOi, Cintia A Millar, Jocelyn G van Zweden, Jelle S Wenseleers, Tom eng 2016/10/11 J Chem Ecol. 2016 Nov; 42(11):1175-1180. doi: 10.1007/s10886-016-0777-9. Epub 2016 Oct 8" |
