Evidence for sex pheromones and inbreeding avoidance in select North American yellowjacket species
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| Authors: | Derstine, NT; Ohler, B; Jimenez, SI; Landolt, P; Gries, G |
| Year: | 2017 |
| Journal: | Entomol. Exp. Appl. 164: 35-44 Article Link (DOI) |
| Title: | Evidence for sex pheromones and inbreeding avoidance in select North American yellowjacket species |
| Abstract: | Little is known about the roles of sex pheromones in mate-finding behavior of social wasps (Vespidae). Working with the aerial yellowjacket, Dolichovespula arenaria (Fabricius), baldfaced hornet, Dolichovespula maculata (L.), western yellowjacket, Vespula pensylvanica (Saussure), southern yellowjacket, Vespula squamosa (Drury), and Vespula alascensis Packard, we tested the hypotheses (1) that gynes produce an airborne sex pheromone attractive to males, and (2) that males are more strongly attracted to non-sibling gynes based on olfactory cues. A field experiment provided the first definitive evidence that D. arenaria gynes attract males. Surprisingly, we did not find such evidence in similar field experiments for sexual attractiveness of gynes of V. squamosa, V. pensylvanica, V. alascensis, or D. maculata. In Y-tube olfactometer experiments with three of these species (D. arenaria, D. maculata, V. pensylvanica), only D. maculata gynes attracted males, provided they were non-siblings, implying an olfactory-basedmechanism of nestmate recognition and inbreeding avoidance. Lack of sex attraction responses for V. pensylvanica, V. alascensis, and V. squamosa in this study does not rule out pheromone-mediated sexual communication. Instead, it highlights the possibility that pheromonal signaling may be dependent on the presence of appropriate contextual cues. |
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