Starks PT, Fischer DJ, Watson RE, Melikian GL, Nath SD
Section of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University
Anim Behav. 1998 Aug;56(2):449-458. doi: 10.1006/anbe.1998.0778.
e present evidence that nestmate discrimination in the eusocial paper wasp, Polistes dominulus, is context dependent. We compared aggression levels between nestmates and non-nestmates in dyads consisting of a pair of either nestmates or non-nestmates, and triads consisting of either three nestmates, three non-nestmates, or two nestmates and a non-nestmate. In 130 of the 237 total trials, a nest fragment (containing both brood and eggs) from the nest of some, all or none of the interactants was placed into the interaction arena. Polistes dominulus workers recognized and discriminated nestmates from non-nestmates, familiar from unfamiliar nest material and neighbours from non-neighbours. These findings suggest that nestmate and neighbour discrimination are context dependent: discrimination occurs when either the presence of a nestmate or a familiar nest fragment indicate the proximity of the colony. The context-dependent variation in aggression levels is best described by multiple, context-dependent shifts in an acceptance threshold. Thus this study provides the most extensive, critical support yet obtained for Reeve's (1989, American Naturalist, 133, 407-435) optimal acceptance threshold model. Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
我们提供的证据表明，在社会性胡蜂黄边胡蜂（Polistes dominulus）中，对同巢伙伴的识别是依赖于环境的。我们比较了由一对同巢伙伴或非同巢伙伴组成的二元组，以及由三个同巢伙伴、三个非同巢伙伴或两个同巢伙伴和一个非同巢伙伴组成的三元组中，同巢伙伴和非同巢伙伴之间的攻击水平。在总共237次试验中的130次试验里，将来自部分、全部或无任何一个互动个体巢穴的巢片段（包含幼虫和卵）放入互动区域。黄边胡蜂工蜂能够识别并区分同巢伙伴与非同巢伙伴、熟悉的与不熟悉的巢材料以及邻居与非邻居。这些发现表明，对同巢伙伴和邻居的识别是依赖于环境的：当同巢伙伴的存在或熟悉的巢片段表明蚁群的接近时，就会发生识别。攻击水平的环境依赖性变化最好用接受阈值的多个环境依赖性变化来描述。因此，本研究为里夫（1989年，《美国博物学家》，133卷，407 - 435页）的最优接受阈值模型提供了迄今为止最广泛、最关键的支持。版权所有1998年动物行为研究协会
