Studies for the evolution and maintenance of worker reproduction in paper wasps

我们分析了澳大利亚蜂群创始论文黄蜂Ropalidia Romandi的社会结构。巢的启动是人工诱导的。我们观察到了一些新奇的行为，即工作人员通过攻击性行为从许多女王中挑选出特定的女王。蜂王之间的遗传亲缘关系比工蚁之间的遗传亲缘关系更高，这表明周期性寡核苷酸可以用来解释这种趋势。没有明确的证据表明工蜂在该物种中繁殖：我们分析了日本纸蜂Polistes selleni的生殖器产量，发现种群大小与雌性比例呈显著正相关。这种正向关系可以从以下两个方面来解释：(1)较大的群体享有更多的投资资源，从而导致更多的雌性性别比；(2)交配的工蚁对雌性生产的贡献更大，从而带来更多的雌性性别比。利用自行开发的13个微卫星标记，分析了中国小蜂的社会结构。结果表明：(1)第一代产生的早期雄蜂为二倍体，最终不育；(2)蜂群大小与工蚁产卵频率呈显著正相关；(3)蜂群大小与工蜂产子频率无明显关系。我们比较了母蜂和孵化出的幼虫的基因类型，这些幼虫是假定的母亲的后代，表明工蜂的大部分卵都被蜂王和工蜂吃掉了。在像中国对虾这样的一夫一妻制群体中，理论上不能指望相互工作的警察。但是，我们的发现与理论相矛盾，而且这似乎是一个非常新奇的理论。

We analyzed the social structure of the Australian swarm-founding paper wasp Ropalidia romandi. Nest initiations were artificially induced. We observed novel behaviors where workers selected certain queens among many queens by aggressive behaviors. Genetic relatedness between the queens was higher than that between workers, suggesting that cyclical oligogyny could be applied to explain this tendency. There was no clear evidence to show worker reproduction in this species: We analyzed the production of reproductives by the Japanese paper wasp Polistes snelleni, and revealed that there was significant positive relationship between colony size and female ratio. This positive relationship could be explained either by (1) larger colonies enjoy more investment resource and which causes, more female sex ratio, (2) mated workers contribute more female production and which bring more female sex ratio. We analyzed the social structure of the Japanese paper wasp Polistes chinensis antennalis by using 13 microsatellite markers that we had originally developed. The results were (1) early males that were produced along the first brood were diploid, and eventually sterile, (2) there was a significantly positive relationship between colony size and the frequency of worker oviposition, (3) there was no clear relationship between colony size and the frequency of workers' sons. We compared the genotypes of mother wasps and the hatched larvae that were offspring the putative mothers, and indicating that most eggs by workers were eaten by both queens and workers. In monogynous and monandrous colonies like P. chinensis antennalis, mutual worker policing could not theoretically expected. But, our finding contradicts the theory and it seems a very novel one.