DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Vibrational Behavior in the Social Wasps with an Emphasis on Antennal Drumming in Polistes (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

社会黄蜂的振动行为，重点是Polistes（膜翅目：胡蜂科）中的触角击鼓，提案# IOS-0709869 PI：Robert L.珍妮;主要合作者：本论文研究的目的是阐明黄蜂与育雏喂养相关的振动信号的功能。 拟议的研究将通过实验测试振动应力假设，根据该假设，高频率的振动会引起育雏的发育变化，使它们成为具有工人样特征的成年人，而低频率的振动会导致育雏发展出潜在的女王样特征。 Polistes是唯一的黄蜂群中的振动信号进行了一些详细的研究，并提供了自己作为一个有前途的实验系统。 蜂后击鼓（AD）是蜂后在巢室边缘同步快速拍打触角的行为。 将在实验室中启动的30个菌落分为三个处理：i）从耦合的机电装置接收反向AD信号的菌落，ii）接收随机信号的菌落，以及iii）未受干扰的对照菌落。新出现的成虫的脂肪储存和保幼激素水平将被测量，以表明它们的行为等级：潜在的蚁后表现出高水平的两者，而工蜂表现出低水平。 机械应力作为种姓转换的调节器的想法是新颖的，这项研究的结果可能对我们理解动物社会中的种姓发展产生深远的影响。本科生正在参与并将进一步参与拟议的研究。研究结果将被用于设计昆虫行为学课程的教材。

Vibrational behavior in the social wasps with an emphasis on antennal drumming in Polistes (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)Proposal # IOS-0709869PI: Dr. Robert L. Jeanne; CO-PI: Sainath SuryanarayananThe purpose of the dissertation research is to elucidate the function(s) of vibrational signals associated with brood feeding in a wasp. The proposed research will experimentally test the vibrational stress hypothesis according to which, high rates of vibrations induce developmental changes in the brood, causing them to emerge as adults with worker-like traits, whereas low rates of vibrations cause brood to develop with potential-queen-like traits. Polistes is the only wasp group in which vibrational signals have been studied in some detail and offers itself as a promising experimental system. Antennal drumming (AD) is a behavior in which queens rapidly beat their antennae synchronously on the rims of the nest cells. Thirty colonies initiated in the lab will be divided into three treatments: i) those that receive reverse AD signals from a coupled electro-mechanical device, ii) those that receive a random signal, and iii) undisturbed controls. Fat stores and juvenile hormone levels of newly emerged adults will be measured to indicate their behavioral caste: potential queens show high levels of both and workers show low levels. The idea of mechanical stress as a regulator of caste switching is novel and results from this study could have far reaching implications for our understanding of caste development in animal societies. Undergraduate students are participating and will take further part in the research proposed. Results from the proposed research will be used to design instructional material for an Insect Behavior course.