蛛蜂用蚂蚁尸体保护巢穴

蛛蜂用蚂蚁尸体保护巢穴 精品文档 蛛蜂用蚂蚁尸体保护巢穴 蛛蜂用蚂蚁尸体保护巢穴 A new species of spider wasp, the ‘Bone-house Wasp,’ may use chemical cues from dead ants as a nest protection strategy, according to a recent study published July 2, 2014 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Michael Staab from University of Freiburg, Germany, and his colleagues from China and Germany. Wasps use a wide variety of nest protection strategies, including digging holes or occupying pre-existing cavities such as in wood. Previous studies showed that the nests of cavity-nesting wasps contain several brood cells separated by thin walls of plant debris, resin(树 脂,松香), or soil. Once the females have finished constructing the nest, laying eggs, and providing food, they construct an outermost vestibular(前庭的) cell to close the nest. After construction, female wasps abandon the brood and do not care for their offspring anymore. Nest protection strategies play a central role in brood survival, and in this study, scientists interested in better understanding these strategies collected ~800 nests of cavity-nesting wasps with ~1900 1 / 3 精品文档 brood cells belonging to 18 species in South-East China. The scientists found a nesting behavior previously unknown in the entire animal kingdom: in over 70 nests they found an outer vestibular cell filled with dead ants. The species constructing these ant-filled vestibular cell was so far unknown to science and was described in the same study as the ‘Bone-house Wasp’ (Deuteragenia ossarium), after graveyard bone-houses or ossuaries. The scientists also found lower parasitism rates in “Bone-house” nests than in nests of similar cavity-nesting wasps. The authors suggest that D. ossarium nests are less vulnerable to natural enemies, potentially supporting the outer cell’s role in defense, which most likely involves chemical cues emanating(散发,产生) from the dead ants used as nest-building material. Dr. Staab added, “Our discovery demonstrates in an impressive way, what fascinating strategies of offspring-protection have evolved in the animal kingdom.” 上一篇英语: 非洲大象身体脂肪的秘密下一篇英语: 俄 克拉何马州地震多由地下污水注入诱发查看更多关于资讯 2 / 3 精品文档 的文章网友同时还浏览了: 偷猎死亡的非洲大象数量达到临界 穴居人存在的时间将被改写 吃方便面会导致心脏病和糖尿病 婚礼越盛大 将来婚姻越幸福 英国研究人员设计出完美的购物音 伦敦:全球最具影响力的城市 3 / 3