Alternative Reproductive Strategies and Cooperative Colony Initiation

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NONTECHNICAL SUMMARY Nonacs, IBN 9408024, Alternative reproductive strategies and cooperative colony initiation There are thousands of social species in the animal kingdom, ranging from molds to insects to birds to mammals, including humans. A central theoretical and practical concern in the study of animal behavior, therefore, is how and why cooperative groups of animals are formed. Many of our insights into the biology of cooperation have come from the study of social insects such as paper wasps, which also can provide a model system in which experimental studies of cooperation are possible at relatively low cost. Two of the factors which affect cooperation in many species are the degree of relatedness among individuals and ecological pressures (especially restricted resources) that favor cooperation. In this research, Dr. Nonacs will examine the decision that female paper wasps make to either be cooperative or not to be cooperative when founding their colonies. A combination of DNA fingerprinting and behavioral observation will be used to determine how genetic relatedness determines the formation of cooperative units, affects the levels of aggressive conflicts between female wasps founding new colonies and influences the decisions of the wasps to feed different young within the nest. The resulting data will allow the measurement of the relative importance of genetic relatedness and ecological pressures in the formation of cooperative groups. This research will also increase our understanding of where and how wasp colonies are started. While wasps in the right places are important control agents of pest insects, wasps nesting near humans are a nuisance and a danger. Therefore, this research has the potential applied benefit of giving us more information about how to encourage wasps to nest where needed and not where they are unwanted.