Hs. Arathi et al., FACTORS AFFECTING THE ACCEPTANCE OF ALIEN CONSPECIFICS ON NESTS OF THE PRIMITIVELY EUSOCIAL WASP, ROPALIDIA-MARGINATA (HYMENOPTERA, VESPIDAE), Journal of insect behavior, 10(3), 1997, pp. 343-353
In the primitively eusocial wasp, Ropalidia marginata, individual fema
les are known to drift from one newly founded nest to another. In the
laboratory, young (<6- to 8-day-old) alien wasps are accepted onto unr
elated colonies, while older (>6- to 8-day-old) wasps are not. Here we
have investigated the factors that could influence the acceptance of
foreign conspecifics onto unrelated nests. Individually marked wasps o
f different ages, isolated immediately after eclosion from the natal n
est and from each other, were introduced onto unrelated recipient nest
s. Considered separately, both age and ovarian condition seemed to inf
luence the probability of acceptance as well as the levels of aggressi
on and tolerance received by the introduced wasps. However, partial co
rrelation analysis and multiple regression analysis indicated that onl
y age had a direct influence and that the ovarian condition acts only
through age, a variable with which it is highly correlated. The observ
ed acceptance of young aliens and rejection of old aliens are less lik
ely to be due to the perception of older wasps as a reproductive threa
t rather than some age-related factor, other than ovarian condition, f
or example, the relative ease with which younger wasps can be molded i
nto desired roles.