The predatory behavior of ants: an impressive panoply of morphological adaptations
This review focuses on predation in ants, showing the wide diversity of cases from solitary foraging to group hunting tactics, as well as the evolution of mandible shape frequently adapted to capture specific prey. Although most ants are generalist feeders, finding their sugary substances directly on plants or indirectly via sap‐sucking insects, some ...
Alain Dejean +6 more
wiley +1 more source
Pith diameter preferences and their impact on fitness parameters of the digger wasp Pemphredon lethifer: a potential biocontrol agent against aphids [PDF]
The digger wasp Pemphredon lethifer nests in pithy twigs. As the species preys exclusively on aphids, it could be a useful biocontrol agent. However, little is known about the wasps’ nesting preferences and their impact on relevant fitness parameters ...
Jana Furtwengler +2 more
doaj +3 more sources
The cost of parental care: prey hunting in a digger wasp [PDF]
Trivers's concept of parental investment is an integral part of modern evolutionary biology. "Parental investment" is defined as any parental expenditure that benefits a current progeny at the expense of a parent's ability to reproduce in the future. Because future costs are hard to quantify, other currencies were used that were thought to be related ...
openaire +1 more source
Microbial Odorant Detection Guides Drosophila Parasitoids Seeking Hosts in Fermenting Fruits
Yeast microbes in fermenting fruits attract both host flies and their parasitoid wasps. Female Leptopilina boulardi detect yeast‐emitted ethyl esters via two olfactory receptors, LbouOR167 and LbouOR136. A conserved residue, Leu159, is critical for binding these compounds, enabling female wasps to locate host‐rich habitats.
Yueqi Lu +11 more
wiley +1 more source
Gene Expression and Alternative Splicing Regulate Phenotypic Plasticity of a Social Wasp
This study demonstrates that patterns of differential gene expression and alternative splicing are partially linked in a social wasp. In addition, colony‐level environmental variation drives far stronger transcriptomic divergence than genetic differences, highlighting that social environment plays a strong role in shaping developmental plasticity ...
Michael A. Catto +3 more
wiley +1 more source
All-male mating swarms of the ant Formica subpolita were observed at the same site, and sometimes on the same plants, for six consecutive years (1988–1993) in southwestern Montana.
Kevin M. O'Neill
doaj +1 more source
Beyond the treeline: Are wood‐nesting bees and wasps limited by nesting habitat at high elevations?
Abstract Although climate suitability is often thought to be the most important determinant of species ranges, non‐climate variables such as biotic interactions, dispersal abilities, and habitat quality may play equally important roles as range‐limiting factors.
Lydia H. Wong, Jessica R. K. Forrest
wiley +1 more source
TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF DIGGER WASPS OF SUBFAMILY PEMPHREDONINAE (HYMENOPTERA: CRABRONIDAE) OF RUSSIA
The review of 16 species from five genera is given. Stigmus eurasiaticus sp. n. and hitherto unknown male of Ammoplanus serratus Tsuneki 1972 are described. Ammoplanus gegen Tsuneki, 1972, Diodontus changaiensis Tsuneki, 1972, D. parvulus (Radoszkowski, 1877), and Psenulus chevrieri (Tournier, 1889) are newly recorded from Russia; the distribution of ...
openaire +2 more sources
Illustration of the process of cellularization in Camponotus floridanus (top row) compared to Drosophila melanogaster (bottom row). Progressive direct formation of differentiating blastoderm mode is depicted using hexagons that represent energids (without borders) and cells (with borders). Colors of nuclei represent different cell types.
Nihan Sultan Milat +2 more
wiley +1 more source
Digging into dirt: Rewilding with threatened mammals shapes soil‐emerging insect assemblages
By comparing insect communities across treatments at two time points, we show that reintroduced digging mammals shape soil‐emerging insect assemblages. This provides empirical evidence that restoring ecosystem engineers may drive broader community‐level change in semi‐arid ecosystems. Abstract Digging mammals function as ecosystem engineers by altering
Lucy G. Johanson +3 more
wiley +1 more source

